EPSRC Critical Mass Programmes to Drive a Sustainable Future

Funding to support critical-mass transdisciplinary research programs that drive the transition to sustainable technologies and operations, clean energy, circular materials or interseasonal energy storage beyond hydrogen.

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) has launched this funding opportunity to support up to three critical mass transdisciplinary circular economy programmes that drive the transition to sustainable technologies and operations, clean energy, circular materials or interseasonal energy storage (IES) beyond hydrogen. Projects will apply a systems approach to optimise outcomes for UK prosperity, society and environment and develop clear pathways for impact and translation to the UK’s mid-to-long term future, beyond 2030.

Programmes will deliver innovative and transformative research and innovation to achieve these ambitions. Themes of focus may include but are not limited to:

• Advanced renewable energy technologies with potential to play a part in the energy transition or revisions of existing technologies that provide more sustainable solutions.
• Decarbonised, sustainable transport, including land, air, sea and cross modal.
• Sustainable next generation manufacturing technologies, processes and systems.
• Technologies to enable a circular economy, in particular reuse, refurbish, remanufacture and longer-in-life solutions.

For applications targeting the IES highlight area, this could include research focused on, but not limited to:

• Electrochemical storage.
• Thermal storage.
• Gravitational (potential energy) storage.
• Whole system including the production of the storage technology, storage integration, and use of the energy storage system.

The proposed research must demonstrably lie primarily within EPSRC’s remit. However, involvement of researchers from other disciplines (including those from other UKRI councils) is welcome and encouraged where necessary for the programme.

Successful programmes will address EPSRC’s strategic aims through the following objectives:

• Deliver high quality, novel engineering and physical sciences (EPS) research addressing timely and strategically important challenges demonstrably driven directly by the vision of a net zero and sustainable UK and the broader benefits this will bring to society, the economy and the environment.
• Maximise demonstrable impact from the programme in the medium and longer term through engagement, collaboration and co-creation with industrial, policy and third sector stakeholders and an active consideration of the wider system in which the programme’s research and planned outputs exist.
• Maximise quality and impact of the programme through collaborative and interdisciplinary approaches and co-creation with new and existing stakeholders, both academic and non-academic, across and beyond EPSRC’s remit.
• Complement existing EPSRC and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) investments to significantly grow the UK’s EPS capacity and capability in the area.
• Embed careful consideration of environmental sustainability in all proposed project outputs and outcomes, research approaches and programme operations throughout the lifetime of the programme.

The maximum duration of this award is five years. The earliest start date for programmes will be in February 2026.