The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is inviting applications to a pilot funding opportunity enabling researchers to spend time in a different research or user environment in order to build new connections within health technologies. The scheme is targeted at researchers who wish to develop their research in health technologies by developing new skills and collaborations with other disciplines and end users.

The principal aim of the scheme is to help researchers better understand unmet health needs, as well as how engineering and physical sciences (EPS) research can contribute to developing new health technologies approaches and solutions, and how this research can be translated.

The award could be used to:

• Gain skills and knowledge to open up a new cross-disciplinary research area or answer a specific cross-disciplinary research question.
• Develop new or strengthen existing collaborations, or both, and work together on a pilot research project or projects.
• Learn a new technique, tool or method that can be applied to their own research.

The award should result in delivery of a pilot project(s), using the preliminary data generated via the opportunity. Novel EPS research must comprise a significant proportion of the placement.

Researchers may come from core EPSRC research fields and spend time in other relevant disciplines, user fields, or both (users may include industry, clinical or public sector environments). Researchers in other disciplines or organisations that hold appointments that make them eligible for EPSRC funding may also apply for funding to immerse themselves into an EPS environment again.

Teams as well as individuals may apply. Applicants must meet EPSRC eligibility criteria and be based at a UK institution eligible for EPSRC funding.

The total available is £4 million. The full economic cost (FEC) of a project can be up to £500,000. EPSRC will fund 80% of the FEC. Awards can last up to 36 months.