A new funding opportunity from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) will bring together researchers and industry partners to develop transformative digital approaches that accelerate the translation of materials research into real-world applications.
The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) has pre-announced a the Digital Materials for Accelerated Innovation Sandpit through the National Materials Innovation Programme (NMIP).
The residential, three-to-five-day workshop will bring together a multidisciplinary group of researchers and potential users of research outcomes. Participants will work collaboratively to explore the challenges and opportunities presented by digital materials research and develop proposals for innovative, high-impact projects.
The sandpit is expected to take place in January or February 2027. A director and team of mentors will support participants throughout the workshop, helping them to challenge assumptions, identify research opportunities and develop new collaborations.
Projects recommended for funding at the end of the sandpit will be invited to submit a full application to UKRI.
Turning national strategy into action
NMIP was announced through the UK Government’s Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan and aims to establish a nationally coordinated approach to advanced materials innovation. The programme seeks to accelerate the translation and adoption of new materials across key industrial sectors.
The programme builds on the National Materials Innovation Strategy, which was facilitated by the Henry Royce Institute and published in January 2025.
Developed with input from more than 2,000 experts and over 270 businesses, the strategy brought together perspectives from industry, academia, government and the wider materials community. It identified the UK’s most significant opportunities for materials-led growth alongside the cross-cutting capabilities needed to turn research strengths into economic and societal impact.
Materials 4.0 – the application of digital technologies, data and computational approaches across materials innovation – was identified as one of the strategy’s central cross-cutting priorities. These approaches have the potential to transform how materials are discovered, developed, manufactured and brought to market.
The new sandpit directly supports this ambition by encouraging multidisciplinary teams to develop digital approaches that can shorten development cycles and help promising materials research progress more rapidly towards industrial application.
Who can take part?
Applicants seeking project funding must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for EPSRC support.
Industry representatives are also encouraged to apply to attend the sandpit and contribute to the development of projects as partners, although businesses will not be eligible to receive funding directly through this opportunity.
Applications will be made through an expression of interest process. Opening and closing dates have not yet been confirmed, and full details will be published by UKRI when the opportunity opens later in 2026.
As this is a pre-announcement, the details of the opportunity may change.
Read the full pre-announcement on the UKRI website
