EPSRC ACT Proof of Concept

EPSRC ACT Proof of Concept

Supports United Kingdom researchers by turning high-risk ideas into proof of concept through translational innovation pilots.

⚠ This may reflect a past cycle — verify the current call on the funder's site.

The EPSRC ACT Proof of Concept 2026 call is part of the UKRI Translation programme umbrella and funds early-to-mid-stage commercialisation of Advanced Connectivity Technologies (ACT) research. EPSRC committed £5.5 million in total for this call, with individual awards of £100,000 to £500,000 (EPSRC covering 80% of FEC; maximum project FEC is £500,000). Projects must last up to two years and must begin by 1 January 2027. The 2026 call opened 27 March 2026 and closed 27 May 2026 at 4:00pm UK time. Projects must address at least one of two DSIT connectivity challenges: Secure and Resilient Networks (trustworthy, cyber-protected infrastructure) or Sustainable Networks (reducing environmental impact while optimising spectrum use). Applications are submitted through the new UKRI Funding Service portal, not the legacy Je-S system.

Eligibility is restricted to UK higher education institutions, research council institutes, and UKRI-approved independent research organisations. The principal investigator must hold a lectureship or equivalent permanent (or sufficiently long fixed-term) position — postdoctoral researchers cannot lead. The research being translated must build on EPS outputs from a prior EPSRC award that started on or after 1 January 2020. Eligible costs include staff salaries, consumables, travel, and equipment items between £25,000 and £400,000 per item. Ineligible costs include fundamental research, patent filing, public engagement activities, student stipends, and applied contract research.

Assessment follows a two-stage process: Outline proposal, then Full proposal. Costs may change by up to 10% between stages. Applicants should articulate a clear commercialisation pathway from the underlying EPSRC-funded research, identify target customers or licensees for the ACT output, and demonstrate how the project addresses measurable connectivity performance, security, or sustainability metrics. The next cycle of the ACT Proof of Concept call has not yet been announced; organisations with qualifying research outputs from post-2020 EPSRC projects should monitor UKRI opportunity announcements.