Japan-UK Joint Call for Collaborations in Advancing Human-Centred AI Grant

Deadline: 22 May 2025

Apply for funding to form world-leading partnerships with collaborators in Japan in the field of artificial intelligence and data science.

Based on the implementation principles of the ASPIRE program in Japan, this partnership programme aims to support internationally competitive collaborative research projects between Japan and the UK focusing on the development of artificial intelligence (AI) and data science. This programme will create leading international research networks, and nurture early career researchers to invigorate the AI sector in each country.

Focus Areas

Next-Generation AI
Robotics
AI for health
Human-Computer Interface

Funding Information

EPSRC has a total of £6 million for this activity. Funding will be available for up to four research projects.
Applications should adhere to the following country-specific requirement:
- UK budget requests should be up to £1.5 million (80% of the FEC)
- Japanese budget requests should be up to ¥280 million/project (incl. 30% overhead expenses)
The duration of this award can be up to five years.

Eligible Costs

A contribution to the salary of the project lead and co-leads
Support for other posts such as research, project management and technical
Research consumables
Travel and subsistence costs
Data preservation, data sharing and dissemination costs
Estates and indirect costs

Ineligible Costs

Equipment up to £10,000 per item (including VAT) is not available through this funding opportunity. Smaller items of equipment (individually under £10,000) should be in the ‘Directly incurred – other costs’ heading.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility of Organisations
- List of different types of research organisation that are eligible for UK Research and Innovation funding including:
  - Higher education providers
  - Research institutes
  - Public sector research establishments
  - NHS bodies
  - Independent research organisations
  - Catapult centres
Eligibility of individuals
- Investigators must be academic employees – lecturer or equivalent – of an eligible organisation and must be resident in the UK, except under specific conditions, set out in the co-investigator section. Any fellows holding fellowships aimed primarily at the postdoctoral level are not eligible to apply.
- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) fellows, Royal Society fellows and Royal Academy of Engineering fellows holding fellowships aimed at later career stages are eligible to apply.
- Investigators may have an association with multiple organisations that are eligible to receive funding from UKRI’s constituent councils. However they will be considered eligible provided that both of the following apply:
  - The employing organisation is eligible to receive funding from UKRI
  - They are the subject of a formal written agreement between the employing and submitting organisations stating that the submitting organisation will provide the investigator with infrastructural and management support equivalent to that provided to an academic employee (lecturer or equivalent) and that Transparent Approach to Costing (TRAC) methodology will be employed in the recovery of all costs by the employing and submitting organisations.
Principal investigator (‘project lead’ in Funding Service)
- Principal investigators should normally hold a permanent post but fixed-term employees may be eligible provided that the EPSRC can be satisfied that the host research organisation is prepared to give the individual all the support normal for a permanent employee and that there is no conflict of interest between the investigator’s obligations to the EPSRC and to any other organisation or employer.
Co-investigator (‘project co-lead (UK)’ in Funding Service)
- Co-investigators are expected to meet all the eligibility criteria for principal investigators except for the requirement to hold a contract that extends beyond the end date of the proposal.
- Co-investigators (‘project co-lead (international)’ in Funding Service) can be employed by Norwegian institutions, subject to the conditions in the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and Research Council of Norway (RCN) money follows cooperation agreement.
Researcher co-investigator (‘researcher co-lead’ in Funding Service)
- Post-doctoral (or equivalent) research assistants who are not eligible to apply for a grant in their own right, but who merit appropriate recognition for making a significant contribution to developing the grant proposal and/or whose input is essential to its successful outcome, may be identified as a researcher co-investigator.
- A researcher co-investigator must be:
  - A named researcher employed on the project and seek their salary as directly incurred costs up to 100% FTE
  - based at the research organisation (RO) of either the principal investigator or any of the co-investigators
  - Given intellectual ownership (for example, through corresponding authorship) and grant management duties in relation to the ensuing research.
Clinical eligibility
- An individual that holds a permanent post or fixed term contract (which is longer than the proposed project) at an NHS Trust, hospital, board, primary care trust or GP practice is eligible to be an investigator on an EPSRC grant.
Scheme eligibility
- Certain schemes or funding opportunities may have specific eligibility criteria, and prospective applicants should confirm their eligibility for a scheme before submitting their proposal.