EPSRC Funding Opportunities to Temporarily Close in Spring as part of Transition to New UKRI Funding Service

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) has announced that a number of its usually-permanently open funds will temporarily close for applications from 30 March 2023 until May 2023 as part of the transition to the new UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service (TFS).

UKRI research council opportunities will be launched and managed through TFS from January 2024, replacing the Joint Electronic Submissions (Je-S) system. The new service is designed to provide an enhanced, simpler experience for users while reducing complexity and unnecessary bureaucracy identified in various reviews of research funding such as the independent review into research bureaucracy.

The Je-S system will still operate in 2023 while an increasing number of funding opportunities will launch on the new Funding Service, enabling UKRI to test the service and refine standard templates and questions. Each type of opportunity will have its own timeline for the transition to the Funding Service, which will be made clear in published information on the UKRI funding finder in advance of any changes.

A number of EPSRC funding opportunities will temporarily close for applications on 30 March 2023 as a result of this transition, including the following:

• EPSRC Network Grants
• EPSRC New Investigator Awards
• EPSRC Open Fellowships
• EPSRC Overseas Travel Grants
• EPSRC Standard Research Grants
• EPSRC Working with Overseas Scientists
• Stephen Hawking Postdoctoral Fellowships
• Strategic Equipment Grants

Further details about the transition to the new funding service, including guidance around transition timeframes for each research council, are available on the UKRI website.