UKRI

High performance compute resources for EPSRC communities

The questions, word limits and assessment criteria below are the funder’s own, taken from the published competition material. You still submit through their service; this is where the writing happens first.

12 questions, straight from the funder

Their word limits are on every box, counted live as you type, and what the assessor is told to look for sits beside it. All of that is free. The pre-sift check — every mechanical rule that rejects a proposal before anyone reads it, run over what you have written — comes with the pass.

Application questions

Q1 Summary

0 / 550 words

In plain English, provide a summary we can use to identify the most suitable experts to assess your application. We usually make this summary publicly available on external-facing websites, therefore do not include any confidential or sensitive information. Make it suitable for a variety of readers, for example: opinion-formers policymakers the public the wider research community Guidance for writing a summary Clearly describe your proposed work in terms of: context the challenge the project addresses aims and objectives potential applications and benefits

Q2 Pre-application conversation

0 / 1 words

Have you engaged with EPSRC on this application prior to submission. Please respond either Yes or No. Applications from those that have not contacted EPSRC prior to submission will be considered ineligible.

Q3 Purpose and Vision

0 / 1650 words

What is the compute resource, why is it needed, and why should UKRI support it?

What the assessor looks for

  • meets at least one of the stated aims of the funding opportunity
  • will deliver the intended outcomes of the funding opportunity, as detailed in the Scope section
  • is timely, given current trends and context
  • meet the evidenced needs of clearly identified user groups
  • meets national needs by establishing or maintaining a unique, world leading activity or both
  • meets community demand and need from a diverse and inclusive user base
  • enhances and complements existing research capability and national digital research infrastructure investments
  • meets the strategic aims of UKRI or the government

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.

Q4 Approach

0 / 1650 words

What are your plans to manage the proposed compute resource?

What the assessor looks for

  • is feasible, including a work plan and identifying any risks to delivery and citing appropriate mitigation in the form of key performance indicators (KPIs) to determine the delivery of outputs and outcomes
  • has a credible management plan, including strategic and operational matters
  • provides details of access and usage estimates by the identified community
  • provides appropriate technical support which will be available for the requested compute resource
  • provides training and development of technical staff
  • describes how the research environment (in terms of the place, its location, complementary expertise, facilities and relevance to the proposal) will contribute to the successful utilisation of the compute resource
  • delivers compute provision that represents value for money
  • complements other investments in the digital research infrastructure landscape, and includes appropriate information on how you will work with these investments

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.

Q5 Sustainability

0 / 1650 words

What steps have you taken to ensure the sustainability (economic, environmental and social) of your proposed compute resource? What the assessors are looking for in your response For the sustainability, explain how the proposed compute resource will: be as economically, environmentally and socially sustainable as possible deliver large scale societal, environmental and economic benefits have its lifetime maximised, including stating what the expected lifetime is and, where relevant, how the asset will be sustainably decommissioned support long term operational and maintenance costs, including

Q6 Applicant and team capability to deliver

0 / 1650 words

Why are you the right individual or team to procure and manage the proposed compute resource?

What the assessor looks for

  • the relevant experience (appropriate to career stage)
  • the right balance of skills and expertise
  • the appropriate leadership and management skills and your approach to develop others
  • contributed to developing a positive research environment and wider community
  • contributions to the generation of new ideas, tools, methodologies, or knowledge
  • the development of others and maintenance of effective working relationships
  • contributions to the wider research and innovation community
  • contributions to broader research or innovation users and audiences and towards wider societal benefit

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.

Q7 Your organisation’s support

0 / 1100 words

Provide details of support from your research organisation.

What the assessor looks for

  • how its contributions are in line with the scale of the proposed compute resource, including evidencing the strategic importance of this infrastructure to the institution
  • why your host institution is the most appropriate place for the proposed compute resource
  • how your host institution will use its existing inventory to best complement the proposed compute resource
  • how your host institution will support the team to meet the proposal objectives
  • the plans to support sustainability and management of the proposed compute resource
  • a significant person’s name, their position and office or department, or all
  • office address or web link

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.

Q8 Project partners: letters (or emails) of support

Upload a single PDF containing the letters or emails of support from each partner you named in the Project Partner section. These should be uploaded in English or Welsh only.

What the assessor looks for

  • confirm the partner’s commitment to the project
  • clearly explain the value, relevance, and possible benefits of the work to them
  • describe any additional value that they bring to the project
  • have a page limit of 2 sides A4 per partner

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.

Q9 Resources and cost justification

0 / 1500 words

What will you need to procure to deliver the proposed compute resource and how much will it cost?

What the assessor looks for

  • project staff
  • any equipment that will cost more than £25,000
  • any consumables beyond typical requirements, or that are required in exceptional quantities
  • all facilities and infrastructure costs
  • all hardware resources that have been costed as ‘Exceptions’
  • details of the equipment requested
  • details of the service or maintenance service requested (if applicable)
  • details of any cash contributions to the equipment from other sources reasons for choosing a quoted equipment (versus other quotes)
  • reasons for requesting a particular specification of equipment or a particular manufacturer
  • are comprehensive, appropriate, and justified
  • represent the optimal use of resources to achieve the intended outcomes
  • maximise potential outcomes and impacts

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.

Q10 Data management and sharing

0 / 550 words

How will you manage and share data collected or acquired through the proposed research?

Q11 Facilities

0 / 250 words

Does your proposed research require the support and use of a facility?

What the assessor looks for

  • name of facility, copied and pasted from the facility information list (DOCX, 42KB) proposed usage or costs, or costs per unit where indicated on the facility
  • information list
  • confirmation you have their agreement where required

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.

Q12 Ethics and responsible research and innovation (RRI)

What are the ethical and RRI considerations, implications and issues relating to the proposed work? If you do not think that the proposed work raises any ethical or RRI issues, explain why.

What the assessor looks for

  • the relevant ethical and RRI considerations, including both the research or topic area itself and the design and delivery of the project
  • the wider implications of the proposed work, and how you will maximise the positive societal, environmental, and economic benefits arising from the project, while minimising unintended negative impacts, such as research misuse or accidental harm
  • how you will manage these considerations throughout the lifecycle of the project
  • any legal and ethical considerations of collecting, releasing and storing the data (including consent, confidentiality, anonymisation, security and other ethical considerations and, in particular, strategies to not preclude further reuse of data)
  • formal information standards that your proposed work will comply with
  • human participants
  • genetically modified organisms

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.

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