Focal award: EPSRC and MHCLG Fire Engineering Skills Hub

Open UKRI funding opportunity · Grant. Closes 2026-11-03. Total fund £5.9 million. Opportunity page: https://www.ukri.org/opportunity/focal-award-epsrc-and-mhclg-fire-engineering-skills-hub/

Apply for funding for a skills hub to deliver high quality, cohort based doctoral training, and design of high-quality postgraduate level taught programmes in fire engineering

EPSRC have up to £5.9 million funding available for this funding opportunity.

As a non-full economic cost award, EPSRC will fund 100% of eligible costs listed in the funding opportunity. Estates and indirect costs will not be funded.

To apply, an expression of interest must be completed by 1 October 2026 at 4:00pm UK time.

What we're looking for Aim

The Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 report makes a number of recommendations relating to the fire engineering profession, which the government has accepted in full, including establishing an independent body to regulate the profession in title and function and to take urgent steps to increase the number of places on master’s level courses.

The government is acting to implement these recommendations. In December 2025, it published the Fire Engineers Advisory Panel’s Authoritative Statement, setting out the knowledge and skills expected of a competent fire engineer. Alongside this, it published the Next steps on fire engineering profession reform setting out the next steps we will take to implement the recommendations concerning fire engineers.

These next steps include how it will increase the fire engineering workforce. In March, we announced £15 million that will make a significant contribution to building the pipeline into the profession.

As part of this package, this funding opportunity provided by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) aims to strengthen the capacity and capability of the fire engineering profession through both education provision and research capability.

EPSRC is one of two delivery partners secured by…