GrantRadar

UK Research and Innovation, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

Doctoral focal award: chip design and verification

EPSRC funding to establish a doctoral focal award training PhD students in chip design and verification, covering very large-scale integration design and systems-on-chip. It is open only to UK research organisations eligible for EPSRC funding (universities, research institutes, PSREs and similar), not to charities or community groups. Funding initially supports two cohorts of students, with industry partners expected to contribute at least 20% cash towards studentship costs. A mandatory expression of interest must be emailed by 5 November 2026.

Apply on the funder’s site
You could get
£1 – £6,000,000
Deadline
45 days left
2 December
Effort
Heavy
budgets, references, often several stages

Who can apply

  • UK research organisations with standard EPSRC/UKRI eligibility: higher education institutions, research council institutes, eligible independent research organisations and Catapult centres, and public sector research establishments (PSREs)
  • An organisation may be the lead on only one application
  • The lead organisation does not need doctoral degree awarding powers, but an organisation with those powers must be in the consortium, and the lead must host at least one student per year of intake
  • Industry partners are expected to contribute at least 20% cash towards studentship costs
  • Charities and community organisations are not eligible

What it funds

  • Student tuition fees (at home rates; international students limited to 30%)
  • Student stipends at or above UKRI minimum rates
  • Research training support grant (travel, consumables, facility access)
  • Leadership and management costs
  • Set-up costs for the focal award
  • Development of cohort training
  • Direct training-linked costs
  • Diversity and mobility support
  • Career development experiences
  • Innovation in student recruitment

What it will not fund

  • Equipment over £25,000 in value (including VAT)
  • Costs associated with student supervision
  • Estates and indirect costs

How to apply

  1. Email a mandatory expression of interest to ict.theme@epsrc.ukri.org by 4pm on 5 November 2026, giving intent to apply, the lead applicant and planned collaborating organisations
  2. Prepare the application on the UKRI Funding Service, led by the project lead with input from the team
  3. Send the completed application to your research office for checking
  4. Your research office submits the application to UKRI by 4pm on 2 December 2026

shortlisted applicants are interviewed by an expert panel in the week beginning 25 January 2027

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