EPSRC: Software for research communities

01/07/2021

14/09/2021

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) invites applications for its software for research communities call. This supports projects which will adapt or maintain existing software used by researchers. The aim is to provide evidence of an established or growing demand for the proposed software to facilitate more effective or efficient research workflows. This may include the development of new functionality for existing software, benefitting the existing community and enabling new communities to be reached. The total budget is £4.5 million. EPSRC will fund 80 per cent of the project’s full economic cost.

The proposal could also focus on advancing the sustainability of software benefitting a well-established user base. Applicants are encourages to demonstrate the community demand within their application through: ▪elaborating plans to support collaborations between software developers and users for the project by facilitating the sustainability of or enhancing the scope of existing collaborative mechanisms, or by establishing new collaborations; ▪providing evidence of the benefits that will be delivered to specific communities of practice by the proposed project, for example, by demonstrating an impact of existing software on existing user communities, adoption of the software to-date and demand from new user communities; ▪providing evidence that the benefits of the proposed project will continue to be realised beyond the period of funding.

UK residents based at an organisation eligible for UKRI funding such as UK HEIs, research council institutes, UKRI-approved independent research organisations, eligible public sector research establishments and NHS bodies with research capacity may apply. Applicants should meet at least one of these criteria: are employed at the submitting research organisation at a level equivalent to lecturer or above; hold a fixed-term contract that extends beyond the duration of the proposed project, and the host research organisation is prepared to give you all the support normal for a permanent employee; hold an EPSRC, Royal Society or Royal Academy of Engineering fellowship aimed at later career stages; hold fellowships under other schemes. Research software engineers and early career researchers are particularly encouraged to apply.