National PET Imaging Platform D

Application Platform: UKRI Funding Service

Application Sections: Summary, Vision, Approach, Data management and sharing, Applicant and team capability (R4RI), Project partners, Ethics and RRI, Resources and cost justification, Trusted Research and Innovation, International collaboration.

Assessment Process: Eligibility check followed by expert panel assessment and interview stage before final funding decision by MRC.

Co-Funders: Innovate UK

Collaboration Rules: Projects must be delivered through a consortium of organisations working collaboratively to develop and manage the Data Platform.

Competitiveness: Not specified

Consortium Requirements: Consortium must include approved NPIP partners and demonstrate complementary strengths across participating organisations.

Decision Risks: Applications may be rejected if they are out of scope, fail eligibility criteria, lack consortium alignment, or do not demonstrate delivery feasibility and infrastructure capability.

Decision Timeline: Assessment completed within approximately four months after submission, with decisions expected around September 2026.

Eligible Expenses: Staff salaries, infrastructure management roles, data storage and computing systems, data management and curation, tool and service development, travel, public engagement, governance systems, estates and indirect costs.

Eligible Scope: Development of a unified data platform to manage PET imaging data, enable data access and reuse, support linkage to other datasets, and provide tools and services for research and clinical use.

Funding Intensity: 100% of Full Economic Cost funded by MRC.

Important Notes: This is an invited-only funding opportunity. The project must prioritise reuse of existing infrastructure and open-source approaches, and ensure data is FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable).

Ineligible Projects: Development of separate legal entities, substantial building works, and standalone research projects not related to infrastructure development.

International Collaboration Requirement: International collaborators can participate as co-leads or partners but cannot lead the project.

Interview Stage: Yes, interviews expected (week commencing 27 July 2026).

Key Requirements: Applicants must demonstrate strong infrastructure delivery capability, consortium collaboration, data governance expertise, and ability to deliver a scalable and sustainable data platform aligned with NPIP objectives.

Lead Organisation Requirement: The project lead must be based at an eligible UK research organisation and lead the consortium.

Match Funding Requirement: No matched funding required from host institutions.

Project Duration: 42 months

Project End Date: 42 months from start date

Project Start Date: 2026-10-01 00:00:00

Publication Date: 2026-03-16 00:00:00

Renewal Rules: Not specified

Research Category: Research infrastructure and data platform development (not primary research).

Research Organisation Funding: Host organisations must provide infrastructure, support, and appropriate research environment.

Subcontractors: Not specified

Total Fund Available: £4,700,000