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EOI: 4th October

The Science and Technology Facilities Council invites applications for its 21st century challenge networks fund. This supports the creation of new multidisciplinary research communities at the STFC 21st challenge interface, which are focused on addressing user needs, including those of government departments, government agencies, industry and other academic communities. Proposals must be for networks involving the application of science and

technology developed through the STFC core science programme, including nuclear physics, particle physics, particle astrophysics, astronomy, space science, and computing and accelerators in support of these, or the STFC national facilities and laboratories. Three types of networks are funded:

•standard networks which aim to support interactions between STFC-funded researchers and appropriate science, technology, industry and end-user groups to build interdisciplinary communities at the interface between STFC science and 21st century challenge areas, facilitate knowledge sharing and identify priority user-needs that STFC science could have a role in addressing, and create new multidisciplinary project teams to develop proposals to seek funding for projects addressing the 21st century challenges;

•network+ networks which, in addition to standard network requirements, aim to demonstrate STFC-funded capability to address 21st century challenges and re-risking of concepts to facilitate applications for next-state funding;

•extended network+ networks which, in addition to standard network and network+ requirements, aim to maximise the impact of earlier standard network and network+ activities.

PIs must be based at a HEI, recognised academic analogues, such as institutes funded by other research councils and other organisations eligible to apply for research council funding.

Funding is provided at 80 per cent full economic cost and is worth up to £240,000 over three years for standard networks, up to £480,000 over four years for network+ networks and up to £360,000 over three years for extended network+ networks.

The Science and Technology Facilities Council invites applications for its industrial CASE studentships. These enable PhD students to work in collaboration with a non-academic partner on projects that fall within the STFC core science programme, or that aim to apply technologies or techniques developed within the programme into other areas.

Universities, research council institutes and independent research organisations may apply, and should act as the academic partner, but not as the non-academic partner. Non-university academic-related partners would need to host the studentship in conjunction with the university where the student is registered. Other UK-based organisations may act as non-academic partners.

Studentships are tenable for a minimum of three and a half years, during which the student should spend at least nine months at the non-academic body, which may be spread over 18 months.

The non-academic partner is required to make a financial contribution to both the student and the project. STFC provides the following funds:

•maintenance allowance for the student worth £15,777 per year outside London and £17,777 per year within London;

•payments to the research organisation, including up to £4,260 per year for tuition fees, £1,000 per year for research training costs, and £230 towards the costs of conference fees and UK fieldwork.

The EPSRC Manufacturing the Future challenge theme invites investigator-led proposals which address key research challenges facing manufacturing in the UK today. In an effort to increase the theme's long term ambition to increase the number of investigator led research, the theme will issue a series of batching dates during 2018 and 2019 for investigator-led proposals. Submitted proposals will either be considered at a manufacturing-focused prioritisation panel (if there is sufficient demand) or via a separate list at an Engineering panel.

The next batching date after this will be 4 October 2018 with a manufacturing panel to be held in February 2019 (if there is sufficient demand).

Proposals submitted after these dates, or those that do not have sufficient reviews in time for the panel, will be assessed by the most appropriate panel at a later date.

The Manufacturing the Future theme has prioritised funding to support investigator-led research projects in manufacturing, with up to £3.2 million available (dependent on demand and quality of proposals).

New Investigator Awards as well as standard research proposals are invited. To maintain continuity during the two stage process, fellowship proposals will continue to be assessed at the most appropriate capability theme panel. All proposals will be assessed in accordance with standard EPSRC procedure.