Summary

  • The Japan–UK advanced-connectivity call closed after separate national deadlines: 6 October for the UK submission and 7 October for Japan’s NICT application.
  • EPSRC and NICT each retain eligibility checks and final funding authority. The 9 October statement expects funded projects to start in 2027, but publishes no awardees or application count.

One research call closed on two clocks. UK applications were due through the UK process by 16:00 on 6 October; Japan’s full application to the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) was due by noon on 7 October Japan time. The call is now marked closed. The earlier expression-of-interest stage was not the assessed full application.

The two deadlines serve one joint proposal, not two unrelated projects. The UK lead submits through the UKRI Funding Service, attaching the e-Rad application, then securely shares the proposal PDF with the Japanese partner principal investigator. That Japan-based PI submits through e-Rad with NICT-specific information. The full call terms make each national submission a required part of the process.

Authority is split as clearly as the filing route. The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and NICT both check remit and eligibility. EPSRC coordinates expert review in consultation with NICT; the two agencies make the funding decision. The Joint Committee provides a broader cooperation forum, but the published call assigns assessment and awards to the funders.

The budgets also remain national. EPSRC lists £3.37 million and NICT ¥600 million, with the call aiming to support about three collaborations. Per-application limits are £897,000 at 80% of full economic cost for the UK side and ¥200 million for Japan. These are separate pools and caps, not a direct comparison of national contributions. Projects are scheduled to run from 1 April 2027 to 31 March 2030 unless the agencies agree otherwise; NICT describes the research as early-stage, at technology readiness levels 1–3, across areas including AI in digital networks, non-terrestrial networks and advanced optics.

On 9 October, the 13th UK–Japan Science and Technology Joint Committee statement said funded advanced-connectivity projects are expected to start in 2027. It did not announce the number of applications, results or selected teams. “About three” is the call’s target, not an award count, and an expected start date does not establish that funding has been awarded.

The call also specifies a timing safeguard: if an overseas partner depends on a separate funding decision, UK funding is suspended until that partner’s support is confirmed. The decision point must fall no later than three months after the planned UK project start. The rule links two national decisions without pretending that one agency can make the other’s award.

Sources