Manufacturing Scale-up Network Plus (Grant)

This is a funding opportunity to build a Network Plus to accelerate the scale-up of manufacturing innovation, driving growth across aerospace, automotive and wider UK advanced manufacturing frontier industries. You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for UKRI funding. Projects can run for up to 60 months, including a 12-month scoping phase to map capabilities, benchmark activity, horizon-scan and convene a conference or showcase, followed by a 48-month network phase. The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £5.63 million. UKRI will fund £4.5 million (80% of the FEC). You must complete an Intent to Submit to be eligible to apply. Demand management Demand management is being applied to this funding opportunity. Any individual can only appear on one application as project lead and only two projects in total. For example, one as project lead and one as co-lead or two as co-lead. Network Plus A Network Plus is a strategic investment which brings together and coordinates research communities and identifies, prioritises and develops future research challenges. A detailed description and other important information regarding the Network Plus funding mechanism can be found in the ‘Additional information’ section. Aim This funding opportunity is delivered as part of the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) IS8+ Priority Programme for Advanced Manufacturing and aims to fund one Network Plus to build collaboration, coordination and knowledge exchange across research, innovation and stakeholder communities to: • accelerate the scale-up of UK manufacturing innovation across the advanced manufacturing frontier industries, with a primary focus on automotive and aerospace • enable cross learning and wider impact in frontier industries including batteries, space and advanced materials • strengthen the UK’s manufacturing scale-up ecosystem and improve links between discovery research, technology development, industrial adoption and investment, enabling businesses to adopt, commercialise and scale emerging technologies more rapidly • identify future opportunities, challenges and capability needs, with a particular focus on the barriers and opportunities facing manufacturers and supply chains, that will enhance the UK’s competitiveness, productivity and resilience in manufacturing • provide industry-informed, actionable insight and evidence for UKRI manufacturing investment strategies, ensuring future investments align with manufacturer and system needs, industrial opportunities and scale-up challenges In this context, manufacturing scale-up refers to the development, demonstration, commercialisation and adoption of technologies, processes and materials that enable innovation to progress from research and development to industrial deployment and economic impact. The Network Plus should establish itself as the UK’s focal point for manufacturing scale-up research and innovation. Activities should be shaped by both advanced research and capability and the needs of manufacturers, end users, supply chains and investors, ensuring research and innovation activities remain focused on addressing real-world scale-up challenges and opportunities. It will foster a diverse and collaborative community while creating new opportunities for partnership, knowledge exchange and innovation. By strengthening connections between research organisations, manufacturers, supply chains, investors and innovation infrastructure, it should accelerate the transition of technologies towards industrial adoption, address barriers identified by businesses, de-risk innovation and help unlock private investment. The Network Plus will deliver strategic benefits for the UK by strengthening manufacturing capability, increasing business engagement in research and innovation, improving pathways to commercialisation and scale-up, and enhancing the competitiveness of UK manufacturing. In doing so, it will support productivity, resilience and economic growth, while ensuring that UKRI-funded research and innovation is better aligned with the needs and opportunities of UK manufacturing businesses. The Network Plus will include a flexible funding programme to address manufacturing scale-up challenges within the manufacturing frontier industries, primarily automotive and aerospace, but can include related sectors. Distributed through fair and transparent processes, flexible funding may support feasibility studies and other small-scale activities up to TRL 4, including pump-priming research, knowledge exchange, early-stage testing of new ideas, new collaborations, and activities that inform policy and impact. The programme should respond to priorities identified through the network’s activities, particularly those emerging from engagement with manufacturers, supply chains, investors and other end users, and maintain appropriate governance and accountability arrangements. Scope The Manufacturing Scale-up Network Plus will focus on addressing the

This funding opportunity is open to organisations with standard eligibility. Check if your organisation is eligible . UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) individual eligibility rules apply. For full details, visit UKRI’s eligibility page . Who is eligible to apply This funding opportunity is for applicants with the capability and reach to convene diverse, cross-sector stakeholders from across the UK manufacturing ecosystem within the advanced manufacturing frontier industries. Through strong leadership and effective partnership building, applicants should create a collaborative community that can identify opportunities, address common challenges and accelerate the translation and adoption of manufacturing innovation. Network Plus grants are open to: • UK higher education institutions • research council institutes • UKRI-approved independent research organisations • eligible public sector research establishments • NHS bodies with research capacity Any individual can only appear on one application as project lead and only two projects in total. For example, one as project lead and one as co-lead or two as co-lead. Who is not eligible to apply Holders of postdoctoral level fellowships are not eligible to apply for an EPSRC grant. Individuals based in non-UK countries can be involved in the grant as visiting researchers, project partners, or members of advisory boards. However, they are not eligible to be project leads or co-leads, with the exception of individuals based at Norwegian institutions, who are eligible to be co-leads. Businesses are not eligible applicant organisations as part of this funding opportunity. However, they are expected to be listed as project partners. International researchers As EPSRC is a lead funder for this funding opportunity, international researchers can only apply as ‘project co-lead (international)’ as part of an applications making use of the UKRI-RCN Money Follows Cooperation agreement or the UKRI-IIASA agreement. You should include all other international collaborators (or UK partners not based at approved organisations) as project partners. Resubmissions We will not accept uninvited resubmissions of projects that have been submitted to UKRI. Find out more about UKRI’s resubmission policy . Equality, diversity and inclusion We are committed to achieving equality of opportunity for all funding applicants. We encourage applications from a diverse range of researchers. We support people to work in a way that suits their personal circumstances. This includes: • career breaks • support for people with caring responsibilities • flexible working • alternative working patterns We would like to encourage you to ensure you consider how you will support capacity building and skills development across and beyond the Network Plus activities. We specifically ask you to consider this when putting together your team and planning your activities and outcomes. This includes fostering a nurturing research culture and ensuring EDI principles are integrated in all parts of the application. UKRI can offer disability and accessibility support for UKRI applicants and grant holders during the application and assessment process.

Click https://funding-service.ukri.org/OPP1394/apply/1427 on the UKRI Funding Service to apply. Intent to Submit You must complete an Intent to Submit (ItS) form by 4:00pm UK time on 11 November 2026 to be eligible to apply for this funding opportunity. Applications from applicants who have not previously submitted an ItS will not be considered. ItS information will not be formally assessed and is only required by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) for planning purposes. You are not required to have finalised the details of your application when the ItS form is completed and submitted to UKRI. We recognise that information provided in the application, including the names of the project co-leads, may differ from the information provided in the ItS form. The form will ask you to provide the following information: • name of project lead • name(s) project co-lead(s) at the time of ItS submission. This list can change prior to outline submission deadline • project lead email address • project lead UK academic host institution • project partner organisation name(s). This list can change prior to submission deadline • proposed project draft title • the UKRI Funding Service application reference number. You will need to begin an application on the Funding Service to get this number but will not be required to complete the submission process until the closing date stipulated on the Funding Service Full application We are running this funding opportunity on the new Funding Service so please ensure that your organisation is registered. You cannot apply on the Joint Electronic Submissions (Je-S) system. The project lead is responsible for completing the application process on the Funding Service, but we expect all team members and project partners to contribute to the application. Only the lead research organisation can submit an application to UKRI. To apply Select ‘Start application’ near the beginning of this Funding finder page. • Confirm you are the project lead. • Sign in or create a Funding Service account. To create an account, select your organisation, verify your email address, and set a password. • Answer questions directly in the text boxes. You can save your answers and come back to complete them or work offline and return to copy and paste your answers. If we need you to upload a document, follow the upload instructions in the Funding Service. All questions and assessment criteria are listed in the How to apply section on this Funding finder page. • Allow enough time to check your application in ‘read-only’ view before sending to your research office. • Send the completed application to your research office for checking. They will return it to you if it needs editing. • Your research office will submit the completed and checked application to UKRI. Please be aware that research office and finance teams undertake checks on hosting arrangements and financial eligibility. The ultimate responsibility for ensuring compliance with all opportunity requ