National research and training hub: electromagnetic environment
- Funder
- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)
- Award amount
- Up to £14,400,000
- Deadline
- December 19, 2026
- Eligible countries
- United Kingdom
Real odds
About 1 in 5 funded · 21% · Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), all funding decisions, 2024-25
Source: UKRI investment and outputs data, table 2.1
What this number means
This is the funder’s published average for the whole program in a past year, not a prediction for any one application. Targeted calls, resubmissions and how well a proposal fits all change the picture.
UKRI divides applications awarded by applications assessed in the financial year, across all of the council’s schemes (research grants, fellowships and directed calls).
2024-25: 659 funded out of 3,187.
The year before (2023-24): 28%.
Summary
Open UKRI funding opportunity · Grant. Closes 2026-12-19. Total fund £14.4 million. Opportunity page: https://www.ukri.org/opportunity/national-research-and-training-hub-electromagnetic-environment/
Apply for funding to deliver a research and training hub. This should offer both high-quality research and cohort-based doctoral training in electromagnetic environment skills related to the defence section of the UK government’s Industrial Strategy, and the protection of UK national security.
The full economic cost (FEC) of the research grant can be up to £8 million. We will fund up to 80% of the FEC. A 78-month training grant will also be awarded. The FEC of the training grant will be up to £6.4 million. EPSRC will fund up to 100% of eligible costs. Grants will start 1 April 2027.
An expression of interest must be completed by 1 December 2026 11:59pm UK time.
What we're looking for Scope
The Electromagnetic Environment (EME) underpins a wide range of technologies and capabilities that are critical to the UK’s security, resilience and prosperity. As reliance on spectrum-enabled systems continues to grow, the ability to understand, operate within and respond to increasingly complex and contested electromagnetic environments is becoming an important national research and innovation challenge. This challenge is fundamental to modern national security and defence.
However, a December 2025 review by the Defence Science Expert Committee (DSEC) of Radio Frequency (RF) Science and Engineering Skills identified a significant and growing shortage of expertise in RF engineering and electromagnetic science across the UK.
This opportunity will support a doctoral focal award (DFA) and associated research activities to strengthen the national pipeline of RF and EME specialists. It aims to advance fundamental and applied research across areas including sensing, communications, spectrum science and engineering, and technologies that enable effective operation covering the full…
Summary as listed by the funder. Always read the full announcement for eligibility, limits and how to apply.
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