UKOMAIN OMAIB Round 3 call for proposals

UKOMAIN OMAIB Round 3 is a funding call from the UK Open Multimodal AI Network. The round is called the Challenge led Open Multimodal AI Benchmark. UKOMAIN will select up to four challenges and fund up to four projects that build open benchmarks. The total funding is £200,000. The maximum award is £50,000 per project, which is 80 percent of a full economic cost of £62,500. UKOMAIN is funded by EPSRC.

The call has two steps. First, problem owners send a challenge proposal. Then researchers apply to a sandpit, where teams design a project and pitch it. Selected teams get funding to build an open benchmark that helps people develop and compare solutions. Multimodal AI here means joining two or more kinds of data, such as images, text, time series, graphs, tables, spatial data, sensors, or omics data.

Challenge proposals are open to companies, national laboratories, research institutes, charities, NHS and care providers, public bodies, regulators, standards bodies, Catapults, and other organisations with a real world problem. Universities can apply when they hold a genuine problem and relevant resources. An organisation outside the UK may apply with an accountable partner owner based in the UK. Send the challenge proposal Google Form by 16:00 UK time on 6 November 2026. Short answers are enough. The form asks you to confirm three statements before you submit.

The sandpit is on 21 and 22 January 2027 in Sheffield. It is in person for applicants based in the UK. Remote participation is not available. Each funded project needs one principal investigator at a UK institution eligible for UKRI funding. At least one investigator must have open source or benchmark experience. The challenge owner's organisation cannot lead the project that answers its own challenge.

The call opened on 29 September 2026. A briefing webinar was held on 6 October 2026. Selected challenges are announced on 20 November 2026, when sandpit applications open. Sandpit applications close at 16:00 on 11 December 2026. Shortlisted teams send final proposals by 16:00 on 5 February 2027. Funding decisions are due by 19 February 2027. Projects start by 1 April 2027 at the latest. Questions go to omaib-ukomain-group@sheffield.ac.uk.

Quick answers

How much does it pay?

Up to £50,000. It is a grant and takes no equity.

When is the deadline?

The deadline is 6 November 2026.

Who can apply?

Organisations with a real world problem can propose a challenge, including companies, laboratories, charities, healthcare providers, public bodies, and universities. An organisation outside the UK needs an accountable partner owner based in the UK. A funded project needs a principal investigator at a UK institution eligible for UKRI funding. It is limited to applicants in United Kingdom.

Is it online or in person?

Online and in person, in Sheffield, United Kingdom.

How do I apply?

Through the official page at docs.google.com. The link is at the top of this page.

Can the challenge owner lead the funded project?

No. The funded project must be led by a different organisation. The challenge owner takes part as a project partner.

Can someone join the sandpit from outside the room?

No. Remote participation is not available. The sandpit is in person in Sheffield for applicants based in the UK.