EPSRC Quantum Technology Research Hubs

EPSRC UK Ultra-High Field NMR National Research Facility

Supports United Kingdom chemistry and materials researchers with shared ultra high field NMR access for innovation work.

EPSRC is funding the establishment of a UK National Research Facility for ultra-high field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. This is a strictly invite-only call — institutions must have received a prior EPSRC invitation before submitting an application. The maximum award is £7.25 million, representing 40% of the facility's minimum full economic cost of approximately £12.1 million. The project has a fixed start date of 5 January 2027, a five-year duration, and applications close 7 July 2026 at 4:00pm UK time via the UKRI Funding Service. The facility will provide open access to cutting-edge solid-state and solution-state NMR instruments for UK researchers across chemistry, materials science, and life sciences, supported by dedicated expert technical staff.

All applications must be led by a UK university or research organisation eligible for EPSRC funding; international co-leads are explicitly excluded. EPSRC funds 40% of the full economic cost, meaning the host institution must secure co-investment totalling approximately £4.85 million from other sources to meet the minimum cost recovery threshold. The 40% funding rate is notably lower than EPSRC's standard 80% FEC rate, reflecting the infrastructure nature of the award and the expectation that the facility will generate income from access charges. The facility must serve multiple user communities and provide shared national infrastructure, not solely benefit the host institution.

NMR spectroscopy at ultra-high field strengths enables structural analysis of complex molecules and materials with resolution not achievable at lower field strengths, with applications in drug discovery, advanced materials characterisation, and biological systems research. Winning institutions will need to demonstrate credible access management, technical expertise for maintaining cutting-edge instrumentation, and a sustainable operating model beyond the initial five-year award period. The invite-only nature of this call means the applicant pool is small and competition will be evaluated primarily on scientific case and operational feasibility.