Overall Description

Japan-UK Joint Call for Collaborations in Advanced Connectivity Technologies is a bilateral funding opportunity from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and Japan's National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), with support from the UK's Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC).

The programme supports internationally competitive collaborative R&D between UK and Japanese researchers in advanced connectivity technologies, particularly technologies underpinning Beyond 5G/6G networks. Projects must combine the strengths of both countries to advance digital inclusion, secure and resilient future networks, AI-enabled connectivity and next-generation communications.

The programme also aims to strengthen long-term UK-Japan research ecosystems, generate economic benefits through academic-industry engagement, and support the future commercialisation and deployment of advanced connectivity technologies.

Funding Amount

• Total UK funding: £3.37 million FEC;
• Total Japanese funding: ¥600 million;
• Maximum UK project FEC: £1.121 million;
• Maximum EPSRC contribution: £897,000 per project;
• UK funding rate: 80% FEC;
• Maximum Japanese contribution: ¥200 million per project;
• Project duration: Up to 3 years;
• Institutional matched funding: None beyond standard 20% FEC;
• Equipment ≥£25,000/item: Not eligible;
• PhD studentships: Not eligible.

Submission Deadlines

• Opening: 10 July 2026 at 09:00 UK time;
• Expression of Interest: 8 September 2026 at 16:00 UK time;
• UK full application deadline: 6 October 2026 at 16:00 UK time;
• Japan full application deadline: 7 October 2026 at 12:00 JST;
• Project start: 1 April 2027;
• Project end: 31 March 2030.

The Expression of Interest is strongly encouraged but not mandatory and is used for information purposes rather than formal assessment.

Submission Conditions

Projects must:

• Be joint UK-Japan collaborations;
• Include eligible researchers from both countries;
• Fall within the remit of both EPSRC and NICT;
• Address at least one of the three specified scope areas;
• Last no more than 3 years;
• Start on 1 April 2027;
• Demonstrate clear added value and synergy from UK-Japan collaboration;
• Define clear roles and division of research between UK and Japanese teams;
• Comply with applicable Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I) requirements.

Applications require parallel submission:

1. Japanese PI prepares the application in e-Rad;
2. UK project lead submits the joint proposal through the UKRI Funding Service, attaching the Japanese application;
3. The Japanese PI then completes submission through e-Rad, attaching the UK application.

Applicants may act as project lead on only one application, but may participate in additional applications in other roles.

Eligible Types Of Applicants

UK applicants:

• Researchers based at UK research organisations eligible for EPSRC funding;
• Standard EPSRC eligibility requirements apply.

UK teams can include:

• Project lead;
• Project co-leads;
• Researcher co-leads;
• Specialists;
• Research and innovation associates;
• Technicians;
• Visiting researchers;
• Professional enabling staff.

Japanese applicants:

• Researchers and research institutions eligible for NICT funding;
• Institutions must comply with NICT and e-Rad requirements;
• For universities and other academic institutions, an industry-academia consortium is recommended.

Eligible Countries

The funded bilateral collaboration is specifically between:

• United Kingdom – funded by EPSRC;
• Japan – funded by NICT.

Participation by eligible organisations from both the UK and Japan is mandatory.

The UKRI-RCN Money Follows Cooperation Agreement does not apply, meaning Norway-based international project co-leads cannot be included under that mechanism.