UKRI
Projects Peer Review Panel (PPRP) 2027
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.
10 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 wordsIn 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
Q2 Vision and Approach
Create a document that includes your responses to all criteria. The document should not be more than 70 sides of A4, single spaced in paper in 11-point Arial (or equivalent sans serif font) with margins of at least 2cm. This document should also include your response to the Project management section below. You may include images, graphs, tables. For the file name, use the unique Funding Service number the system gives you when you create an application, followed by the words ‘Vision and Approach’. Save this document as a single PDF file, no bigger than 8MB. Unless specifically requested, plea
What the assessor looks for
- is of excellent quality and importance within or beyond the field(s) or area(s)
- has the potential to advance current understanding, generates new knowledge, thinking or discovery within or beyond the field or area
- is timely given current trends, context and needs
- impacts world-leading research, society, the economy or the environment
- the technical importance of the project
- the strategic value within the STFC programmes: the extent to which the project and facility benefits from and contributes to coherence and synergies and linkages with other programmes and facilities, including international subscriptions
- the measures in place to promote equality, diversity, and inclusion
- is effective and appropriate to achieve your objectives
- is feasible, and comprehensively identifies any risks to delivery and how they will be managed
- if applicable, uses a clear and transparent methodology
- if applicable, summarises the previous work and describes how this will be built upon and progressed
- will maximise translation of outputs into outcomes and impacts
A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.
Q3 Project Management
0 / 20 wordsThe below questions need to be included within the Vision and Approach document. Please confirm you have done this within this text box.
What the assessor looks for
- a project management plan: outline an effective and appropriate project management measures to achieve objectives based on STFC’s Project Management Framework
- details of staff roles and responsibilities
- details of project schedule and reporting arrangements
- a project Gantt chart
- details of the change control process
- details of the monitoring and reporting process
- details of the project organisation and structure
- the scope of the project
- descope options which should describe and detail the implication of 10% reduction in overall project cost
- details of the project feasibility and evaluation of the risks (including technical) associated with implementation of the project and the risks associated with the economic and societal impact and leadership objectives
- details of the mechanism to maximise translation of outputs into outcomes and impacts
A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.
Q4 Applicant and team capability to deliver
0 / 1650 wordsWhy are you the right individual or team to successfully deliver the proposed work?
What the assessor looks for
- the relevant experience (appropriate to career stage) to deliver the proposed work
- the right balance of skills and expertise to cover the proposed work
- the appropriate leadership and management skills to deliver the work 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.
Q5 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.
Q6 Resources and cost justification
0 / 1500 wordsWhat will you need to deliver your proposed work and how much will it cost?
What the assessor looks for
- project staff
- significant travel for field work or collaboration (but not regular travel between collaborating organisations or to conferences)
- 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 resources that have been costed as ‘Exceptions’
- 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.
Q7 Your organisation’s support
0 / 1500 wordsProvide details of support from your research organisation.
What the assessor looks for
- 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 partners 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 Two sides A4 per partner
A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.
Q9 Data management and sharing
0 / 1500 wordsHow will you manage and share data collected or acquired through the proposed research?
Q10 Facilities
0 / 1500 wordsDoes 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.