Demand managed funding calls
Demand managed funding calls are those where the number of applications an institution can submit or the number of awards the funder will make is limited. In these cases, the University is required to coordinate internal review processes to preselect the applications which can be submitted to the funder for consideration.
Calls with open internal selection:
- UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships Round 11
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UKRI will open the next Future Leaders Fellowship call in January/February 2026. Sussex will be able to submit a maximum of 4 applications.
We are running a two-stage selection process. The first stage review will be undertaken at Faculty level. Each Faculty review panel can submit up to 4 proposals for consideration at a central cross-Faculty panel chaired by the Pro-Vice-Chancellor Research & Innovation.
If you would like to submit an application please read the Sussex FLF R11 internal guidance [PDF 148.60KB] and complete the Sussex FLF R11 internal application form [DOCX 46.42KB].
The internal application form must be uploaded to Worktribe by 12 noon, 23 January 2026.
- EPSRC Strategic Infrastructure
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The EPSRC Strategic Infrastructure call provides minimum funding of £400k for institutions to purchase strategic infrastructure including equipment, resources, or both.
EPSRC expects institutions to take a strategic approach to prioritise application which are of the highest strateguc importance as institutions can submit no more than six applications in the period 18 June 2025 to 17 June 2026.
If you are interested in applying to this scheme please discuss with your Associate Dean Research and Innovation and Debbie Foy.
- BBSRC mid-range equipment for biosciences
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This annual call opened on 24 October 2025 and has a deadline of 20 January 2026.
The call allows for requests of between £200k and £1.5M and BBSRC will fund 100% of the full economic cost. Applicants are encouraged to apply for equipment that is widely used and underpins capabilities across all scientific areas within BBSRC's remit; that promotes collaboration and increased access to users; and the use of emerging advanced research technology or utilisation of equipment in new ways.
Institutions are not limited in the number of bids they can submit, however there is an expectation that bids are prioritised given the limited funding. Please discuss a potential bid with your Faculty Associate Dean Research and Innovation.
Open external calls where internal selection has already taken place:
- NERC AI for Environmental Solutions
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NERC has issued a call for Artifical Intelligence for Environmental Solutions which will fund bold, ambitious projects that accelerate the development of leading-edge data science tools and AI to help deliver transformative solutions to the intractable environmental challenges of today and the future.
Institutions can only submit 4 applications. An internal selection has already taken place and bids selected.
- NERC Pushing the Frontiers
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NERC's Pushing the Frontiers call looking to fund ambitious, high risk and high reward curiosity-driven projects in environmental research. Sussex will be able to submit a single application to the next deadline in January 2026 therefore an internal selection process was needed.
An internal selection process took place in October 2025 and the bid has been selected.
NERC will be introducing a temporary pause to their institutional quotas from February 2026 which means we will not be limited in the number of bids we can submit to the July 2026 deadline.
- NIHR Research Professorships
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The annual call opened in September and has a 1pm, 10 December 2025 deadline.
The 5-year highly competitive award allows outstanding academics of all professions to work at professorial level based at a higher education institution, in partnership with an NHS organisation or another provider of health, public health and/or health services.
NIHR limits the number of bids an institution can sumbit. An internal selection process was undertaken in July 2025 and candidates have been selected.