Data for metascience sandpit 2027

Upcoming UKRI funding opportunity · Grant. Opens 2026-10-27; closes 2026-11-24. Total fund £2 million. Opportunity page: https://www.ukri.org/opportunity/data-for-metascience-sandpit-2027/

Apply to attend a five-day interactive sandpit to develop novel projects that can address multi-faceted metascience questions related to research and development (R&D) funding and inform R&D policymaking.

The sandpit will take place on the 1, 2, 3, 9 and 10 March 2027. The first three days will be in-person and the final two days will be online. Attendance for the full five days will be mandatory for selected participants.

To apply for the sandpit, please complete an expression of interest form.

We expect to fund up to £2 million at 80% full economic cost (FEC) for all research projects arising from the sandpit.

What we're looking for Aim

The overall aim of this sandpit is to commission novel research projects that use UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) administrative data to answer metascience research questions and provide actionable insights and evidence to decision makers in the R&D system.

More widely, the sandpit will also support thought leadership and community building for metascience in the UK. We want to build new evidence, and draw together existing evidence from across disciplines, to develop solutions that optimise research processes and practices.

Sandpit process

The sandpit will be an intensive, interactive workshop bringing together a diverse group of participants from a range of disciplines and backgrounds to work together over five days. The first three days will be in-person while the final two days of the sandpit will be held remotely.

The sandpit will be led by the UK Metascience Unit, who will be supported by an independent facilitator and a team of mentors. The mentors and a small number of stakeholders will attend the sandpit but will not be eligible to receive research funding. Instead, their role will be to assist you in defining and exploring…