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Funding Information

The UK Acoustics Network Plus (UKAN+) (Funding Calls 3 opens 14th September 2023)

UKAN+ was awarded funding to coordinate a portfolio of exploratory projects which will accelerate the acoustic community. The funding will support new, ambitious, speculative research spanning the interdisciplinary science of acoustic related research in the UK.

Scope of the calls

The UKAN+ award is to provide funding to address the Acoustics Research Priorities which UKAN+ has identified. The range of interests of members within the world of acoustics provides a productive environment for cross-fertilisation of ideas and initiatives. Interdisciplinary and collaborative proposals are strongly welcomed but they should address key challenges highlighted in the UKAN+ Acoustic Priorities document. Ultimately, the best projects will be those which are ‘high risk, high reward’ and have potential as the basis or act as a springboard for new, exciting translational research with real industrial application, societal potential or which can lead to large-scale proposals for follow-on research funding. The calls should utilise the Acoustics Research Priorities. UKAN+ will not fund research for which funding is available from other sources or which is a direct continuation of an existing research project.

Previous Calls

Call 1

Applications were accepted from 4th November 2021 to 15th December 2021. Full details available on the Funded projects page

Call 2

Applications were accepted from 8th September 2022 to 19th October 2022. Full details available on the Funded projects page.  Full details of the application process can be found here

In June 2022 a webinar was presented by Kirill Horoshenkov (Director), Richard Craster (Deputy Director), Lin Wang and Oliver Metcalf (award winners from call 1 ) and Zoë Hunter (Network Manager). The webinar provides prospective applicants with information on what UKAN+ is looking for in its funding call and information on the application process. The webinar is available to view on the UKAN+ YouTube channel and the associated presentation is here.

Funding Call 2023

Call 3

Call 3 will open at the UKAN+ Annual event on the 14th September 2023 and close 2nd November 2023. Full details about the call are on our UKAN+ Application Process document

UKAN+ will once again collaborate with The Collective, expert facilitators, focused on stimulating future collaborative acoustics research projects. This informal events is designed to build research communities to develop new, innovative ideas for proposals and opportunities to deliver a step change in world-class research. It will aid proposals to align with the agreed acoustic priorities and project proposal assessment criteria. The workshop is limited in number to enable collaborative working.  To register please complete the Form.

UKAN+ project proposals have a duration of no longer than 6 months.  All projects must be completed by 31st December 2024.

Funding provided by UKAN+ will be a maximum of £48k and £24k as these awards are at 80% FEC. The indicated maximum amounts from UKAN+ should be viewed as maximum amounts, and not as targets.

Funding eligibility

Anyone in the UK who is eligible to bid for a full scale UKRI grant is also eligible to apply for the UKAN+ calls. We strongly encourage applications from early career researchers who do not have a long track record of funding. We encourage applications led by early career academics, research fellows and other researchers who are eligible for particular roles in UKRI-funded projects (e.g. as a named researcher) to apply for these grants. PhD students and PDRAs who wish to submit a proposal but are ineligible to lead on a UKRI grant are encouraged to engage with their academic line managers who are eligible to lead such a grant.

Proposals are welcome from public, private and third sector organisations and international partners, provided there is a UK-based academic as lead applicant and the project will contribute to the health of UK acoustics research and/or industry. Applications may come from individuals or groups and be a mix of industry and academia, but must have a single lead academic contact, as the funds are awarded to a single academic partner..