UKRI Funding Surge: More Than 120 Opportunities Open as Key Deadlines Approach

Researchers, innovators and businesses looking for research and innovation funding in the UK have a substantial number of opportunities to consider this September.

The UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Finder currently lists more than 120 open funding opportunities across its research councils, Innovate UK and Research England. The opportunities span a wide range of disciplines, including artificial intelligence, quantum computing, environmental science, agriculture, health and life sciences, engineering, the arts and humanities, and business-led innovation.

With several major calls closing between 22 and 23 September 2026, researchers and organisations preparing applications should pay particular attention to the deadlines coming up this week.

UKRI is one of the UK's principal public research and innovation funding bodies, supporting research, innovation and knowledge exchange across the country's universities, research organisations and businesses.

Funding Opportunities Closing on 22–23 September

Several funding calls currently listed by UKRI have deadlines within the next few days.

AHRC Responsive Mode Grants

The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) has several responsive-mode opportunities closing on 22 September 2026 at 4:00pm UK time.

These include:

1. Standard Research Grant : collaborative research projects in the arts and humanities, with awards ranging from £300,000 to £1.5 million.
2. Collaborate with Researchers in Luxembourg with FNR : supporting UK-Luxembourg research collaboration, with awards of £300,000 to £1.5 million.
3. Working with Brazilian Researchers with FAPESP : supporting collaboration between UK and Brazilian researchers.
4. UKRI NSF-SBE Lead Agency :  supporting eligible UK-US collaborative research through the UKRI-US National Science Foundation arrangement.
5. Catalyst Awards: designed to support researchers developing leadership experience, with awards between £100,000 and £300,000.
6. Curiosity Award : flexible funding of up to £100,000 for researchers developing new research agendas.

Applicants should check the individual opportunity pages carefully, as eligibility requirements and collaboration conditions differ between schemes.

Pushing the Frontiers of Environmental Research

The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) also has a major opportunity closing on 22 September at 4:00pm.

The Pushing the Frontiers of Environmental Research call is aimed at adventurous, curiosity-driven research addressing important questions at the frontiers of environmental science. Awards can reach £950,000.

For researchers working across environmental science, climate, ecosystems and related areas, the call represents one of the larger currently available NERC opportunities.

Full ADOPT Grant: Round 9

For organisations working in agriculture, horticulture and forestry, Innovate UK and Defra's Full ADOPT Grant: Round 9 closes on 23 September 2026 at 11:00am UK time.

The scheme has a total fund of £5 million and supports on-farm trials and demonstrations in England. It is particularly relevant to businesses and organisations seeking to test and demonstrate practical innovations within agricultural and related settings.

NERC Urgency Funding

Another NERC opportunity closes on 23 September at 4:00pm.

The NERC Urgency Funding scheme is intended to support rapid research responses to unexpected environmental events, including events such as floods and earthquakes. Awards can be up to £100,000.

Unlike conventional research calls, urgency funding is designed around situations where a rapid research response is necessary because of an unforeseen environmental event.

BBSRC Early Independence Fellowships

The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) is also approaching the deadline for its Early Independence Fellowships.

The full-stage application deadline is 23 September 2026 at 4:00pm, with a total fund of £9 million.

The fellowship is aimed at early-career researchers seeking to establish independent research programmes and develop their research leadership.

Funding Across a Broad Range of Research Areas

The opportunities currently open through UKRI extend well beyond the deadlines falling this week.

Researchers can find active calls across several major areas.

Agriculture and Food Systems

Opportunities include research and innovation relating to farming futures, agricultural automation and robotics, and ADOPT schemes supporting practical trials and demonstrations.

Energy and Net Zero

The funding landscape also includes opportunities related to ultra-long-duration energy storage, battery innovation and clean maritime technologies, reflecting ongoing UK investment in the transition towards lower-carbon energy and transport systems.

Artificial Intelligence, Quantum Computing and Digital Technologies

Researchers working in emerging digital technologies can find opportunities involving AI and high-performance computing, quantum computing, frontier AI and advanced connectivity.

Some calls also support international collaboration, including UK-Japan research and innovation programmes.

Environment and Biodiversity

Environmental researchers can explore calls involving biodiversity, sustainable water management, novel ecosystems and research addressing emerging environmental challenges.

Current opportunities include programmes associated with Biodiversa+, Water4All and NERC's environmental research programmes.

Health and Life Sciences

UKRI funding also continues across health and biological sciences, including Medical Research Council applicant-led grants, experimental medicine and engineering biology.

These schemes provide opportunities for researchers developing projects ranging from fundamental biological research to translational and experimental work.

Fellowships and Career Development

Researchers at different career stages can also find fellowship opportunities through UKRI and associated organisations.

Current opportunities include Future Leaders Fellowships, Daphne Jackson Trust programmes, STFC Ernest Rutherford Fellowships and BBSRC early-independence funding.

Business and Innovation

For businesses and industry-facing research teams, Innovate UK has a range of collaborative research and development and feasibility-study opportunities.

These cover areas including manufacturing, cybersecurity, knowledge assets and other technology and innovation priorities.

Some UKRI Funding Is Applicant-Led

Not every UKRI opportunity operates around a single annual deadline.

Some research councils also provide applicant-led or continuously open funding routes, allowing researchers to submit proposals outside the timetable of a specific thematic call.

Researchers should therefore avoid assuming that missing a particular September deadline means there are no other routes to UKRI funding. The Funding Finder can be filtered by research council, funding type and closing date to identify alternative opportunities.

What Researchers Should Do Now

For researchers considering an application, the most important step is to check the individual opportunity page rather than relying solely on a funding roundup.

Deadlines, eligibility requirements, partner requirements, funding limits and assessment criteria can differ considerably between calls. Some opportunities may also require institutional approval or collaboration with specific international partners.

If you are targeting one of the opportunities closing on 22 or 23 September, there is little time remaining to develop a new proposal from scratch. However, researchers with an existing research concept, established collaboration or developed proposal may still be able to determine whether their work fits a current call.

It is also worth checking whether your university's research office has an internal deadline before the official UKRI submission deadline.

Where to Find the Full List

The official UKRI Funding Finder provides the most up-to-date list of available opportunities and allows researchers to filter funding by research council, funding type and closing date.

UKRI Funding Finder

Researchers should always consult the official opportunity page for the latest information before beginning or submitting an application.

With more than 120 opportunities currently open, September presents a substantial funding landscape for UK researchers, innovators and businesses. For those already developing research ideas or proposals, the immediate priority is to identify relevant calls, confirm eligibility and work backwards from the official submission deadline.