UKRI doctoral focal award: chip design and verification
UKRI offers up to £6,000,000 for a doctoral award in chip design. The call opens 7 October 2026 and closes 2 December 2026.
UK Research and Innovation, through the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, has published a doctoral focal award in chip design and verification. The opportunity status is upcoming. The total fund and the maximum award are both £6,000,000. UKRI funds 100 percent of the eligible costs it lists. It does not fund estates or indirect costs. This first award lasts 66 months and supports two cohorts of students.
The lead must be a UK organisation eligible for EPSRC funding. Eligible organisations include higher education institutions, research council institutes, eligible independent research organisations, Catapult centres, and public sector research establishments. An organisation may submit only one application as lead. The training is for cohorts of at least 10 students on a four year doctorate, covering integrated circuit design, systems on chip, and verification. Students are expected to start in September 2027 and must finish no later than August 2032. The grant must not start before April 2027. UKRI expects the award holder to raise at least 20 percent of studentship costs in cash from UK industry.
The call opens on 7 October 2026 at 9:00am UK time. An expression of interest is due on 5 November 2026 at 4:00pm UK time. Applications close on 2 December 2026 at 4:00pm UK time. Interviews are planned for the week beginning 25 January 2027.
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 the research office submits it to UKRI.