Page content
Research Development manage restricted calls and support researchers through funding streams.
Internal Funding Opportunities
The Research Development Strategic Fund (RDSF)
Funding is available to support early stage activities leading to the submission of an external research grant application supported by your Research Development Manager. This may include, but is not limited to, activities such as consortia building, visits to a partner institution and/or collaborative meetings to prepare a grant application. Attendance at conferences and seminars must be directly related to a specific research grant application.
Funding for the 2025-2026 financial year, will be available from the 1 August 2025 from your Faculty ring-fenced budget. Each faculty will therefore consider and process applications for consideration of funding and final sign off for all applications will be by the Head of Research Development.
Restricted Calls
What are Restricted calls?
In order to ensure that external research grant applications submitted by Ulster University are of the highest quality, we are sometimes required to initiate a process for restricted calls or demand management.
Restricted calls are a funder requirement and managed in line with the funder guidelines and capped number of applications. Non-adherence to the funder requirement may result in all applications being rejected.
NERC (UKRI) - Pushing the frontiers of environmental research: January 2026
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is seeking to support researchers (at all career stages) and innovators to develop and make use of novel, critical technologies including artificial intelligence, engineering biology, and quantum technologies throughout its investment portfolio. We have also set out our aspirations for the future of data and technology in environmental science in our digital strategy 2021 to 2030.
In developing your application to this funding opportunity, you may wish to consider how the innovative use of critical technologies, and approaches addressing the ambitions of NERC’s digital strategy, might offer opportunities to address your research questions in new and novel ways. This might include the development of new collaborations across domains and disciplines. Please read the eligibility section carefully.
Each institution is limited to one bid only.
Notification of your Expression of Interest (EoI) must be made via email by 5pm Friday 8 August 2025.
Outline Applications must be submitted by 5pm Friday 12 September 2025.
Both EoIs and Outline Applications to be submitted to Andrew Harbinson.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
EPSRC (UKRI) - Turing AI Pioneer Interdisciplinary Fellowships: Outline Applications
This opportunity is for established researchers from across UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) remit, without a background in core artificial intelligence (AI) research, who want to build domain relevant AI capability and develop advanced AI approaches to tackle a specific research challenge in their chosen field.
Projects FEC can be costed between £500,000 - £2,187,500 (UKRI funding 80% FEC). Applicants must dedicate at least 50% of their time over the duration of the 36 month project (part time staff must also dedicate at least 50% of their time on the project with the duration being extended proportionately) and must start on 1 October 2026.
In developing your application to this funding opportunity, you may wish to carefully consider the guidance and eligibility criteria for this call located on the calls webpage.
Each institution is limited to four bids only.
AI Fellowship Outline Applications must be submitted via email to Andrew Harbinson by 5pm Wednesday 10 September 2025.
