UKRI explainable AI grant 2026
UKRI funds UK research organisations up to £602,500 for speculative work on explainable AI. Apply by 20 October 2026.
UK Research and Innovation, through the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, is funding speculative research on explainable AI. The opportunity status is open. The full economic cost of a project can be up to £602,500. UKRI funds 80 percent of that cost, which is £482,000. Projects must start on 1 February 2027 and may last up to 24 months.
The call opened on 11 August 2026 at 9:00am UK time. Applications close on 20 October 2026 at 4:00pm UK time. The total fund is £12,050,000. UKRI describes this as the first call under its IS8 AI Programme and as a pilot for later next generation AI calls.
You must be based at a UK research organisation that is eligible for UKRI funding. Early and mid career researchers are particularly welcome. Joint leadership is allowed, but one administrative lead at an eligible UK organisation must submit the form. You may appear on no more than two applications to this call, and only one of those as project lead.
Apply on the UKRI Funding Service from the opportunity page. You cannot use the older Je-S system. The project lead completes the form and sends it to their research office, which submits it to UKRI. After 4:00pm UK time on 20 October 2026 you will not be able to apply.