Advanced Materials: Highlight Notice
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) · United Kingdom
Funding opportunity encouraging research proposals focused on advanced materials solutions for critical minerals and in-situ or in-operando materials metrology and characterisation. The initiative aims to accelerate materials innovation that supports supply chain resilience, critical minerals strategies and improved materials performance.
Summary
Deadline
Rolling
Updated
16 Oct 2026
Funding opportunity encouraging research proposals focused on advanced materials solutions for critical minerals and in-situ or in-operando materials metrology and characterisation. The initiative aims to accelerate materials innovation that supports supply chain resilience, critical minerals strategies and improved materials performance.
Eligibility
Applicant types
See eligibility requirements
Industries
Advanced materials research, materials science, critical minerals technologies and materials characterisation technologies.
Match funding
No institutional matched funding required beyond the remaining 20% full economic cost contribution.
Eligible applicants
Applicants must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for EPSRC funding and must meet the eligibility requirements of the EPSRC standard research grant scheme.
Funding and scope
Benefit amount
No funding cap specified. Applicants should request the amount required to deliver the proposed research programme.
Total fund available
Not specified
Funding intensity
EPSRC funds 80% of the full economic cost of the project.
Payment type
Not specified
Eligible scope
Projects must focus on either advanced materials solutions that reduce reliance on critical minerals or research developing in-situ or in-operando materials metrology and characterisation techniques that enable real-time analysis of materials during processing or use.
Eligible expenses
- Costs eligible under the EPSRC standard research grant scheme.
Ineligible costs
Not specified
Application and risks
Application platform
UKRI Funding Service
Competitiveness
Not specified
Decision timeline
Not specified
Assessment process
Applications are assessed using the standard EPSRC research grant peer review process.
Application sections
- Applications must follow the EPSRC standard research grant application structure.
Application components
Not specified
Decision risks
Applications may be rejected if they fall outside the scope of the highlight notice or do not meet EPSRC research grant eligibility and application requirements.
Timeline and partners
Opening date
25 Aug 2025
Project duration
No fixed duration limit
Project start
Not specified
Project end
Not specified
Co-funders
Not specified
Collaboration rules
- Collaboration with relevant research partners and end users is encouraged where appropriate to ensure research relevance and impact.
Consortium requirements
- Not specified
Additional guidance
Document research last revised 2026-08-10.
International Collaboration Requirement
Not specified
Research Category
Fundamental and applied research in materials science and engineering.
Research Organisation Funding
Funding is awarded to eligible UK research organisations under the full economic cost model.
Subcontractors
Not specified
Interview Stage
Not specified
Key Requirements
Applications must align with the scope of the highlight notice and be submitted through the EPSRC standard research grant opportunity. Applicants must include the required prefix in the application title to indicate alignment with the highlight notice. ‘AM CM’ applies to critical minerals applications and ‘AM MMC’ applies to in-situ and in-operando materials metrology and characterisation applications.
Important Notes
There is currently no fixed closing date for this highlight notice. EPSRC will monitor the volume of submissions and will provide at least two months’ notice before closing the opportunity if required. (ukri.org)
Application deadline in source document
To be confirmed
Official source
Quick facts
- Status
- Open
- Deadline
- Rolling
- Funding amount
- No funding cap specified. Applicants should request the amount required to deliver the proposed research programme.
- Funding band
- Not specified
- Funding type
- Grant
- Payment type
- Not specified
- Audience
- See eligibility requirements
- Industry
- Advanced materials research, materials science, critical minerals technologies and materials characterisation technologies.
- Last updated
- 16 Oct 2026
- Published
- 21 Aug 2025