This funding opportunity, hosted by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), invites researchers to participate in a five-day interactive sandpit focused on developing AI decision support solutions for national security and defense applications.

The sandpit aims to foster collaboration between researchers, innovators, and government stakeholders to generate innovative and transformative research ideas. Participants must be based at a UK research organization eligible for EPSRC funding and must complete an expression of interest to apply.

Attendance at the sandpit does not guarantee funding.

Scope of Work

The sandpit will focus on developing novel AI decision support solutions to address the challenges facing the national security and defense sectors.

The goal is to create new capabilities that deliver responsible, ethical, and trustworthy AI technologies for decision support, with the ability to identify and prioritize risks in data.

The sandpit will bring together researchers, innovators, and problem owners from across a range of disciplines to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and application-driven research.

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply, participants must be based at a UK research organization eligible for EPSRC funding.

Businesses are not eligible to apply.

EPSRC standard eligibility rules apply.

For full details, visit EPSRC’s eligibility page. UKRI has introduced new role types for funding opportunities being run on the new UKRI Funding Service.

For full details, visit Eligibility as an individual.

Budget and Duration

It is expected that three projects will be funded, sharing up to £3 million of total funding at 80% full economic cost.

Accommodation will be provided during the residential component of the sandpit. However, participants must make their own travel arrangements.

Travel and subsistence costs will be reimbursed.

EPSRC will cover the costs of any additional childcare or caring responsibilities deemed necessary during the residential period.

Additional Information

The sandpit will be an intensive, inclusive, interactive, and creative environment, supporting a diverse group of participants from a range of disciplines and backgrounds.

The sandpit will be overseen by a director, who will be supported by a team of mentors.

The director, mentors, and a small number of stakeholders will attend the sandpit but will not be eligible to receive research funding.

Instead, their role will be to assist participants in defining and exploring challenges in this area.

Key Dates

• Opening Date: 3 October 2024 9:00am UK time

• Closing Date: 31 October 2024 4:00pm UK time

• Pre-sandpit virtual session: 17 January 2025

• In-person sandpit: 20 to 23 January 2025

For More funding Opportunities, Visit Global Funding Opportunities.