AGILE

This funding stream is designed to tackle problems at speed. It is the most responsive of our funding streams and is open for applications year-round. The projects will typically be exploratory, targeting opportunities that require resources quickly, often in response to a time-limited opportunity.

Examples could include:

• Exploring a time-sensitive new initiative for an industry partner
• Responses to government calls in relevant fields such as cybersecurity or AI
• Initial research for a larger proposal
• Literature or tech reviews

Key differentiator: The project should be fast and responsive

IN NUMBERS:

• Up to £10,000 fEC (UKFin fund 80% of fEC) for each project*
• Required to start within 2 months of award
• Duration of up to 4 months
• Funding deadlines: Continuous

IMPACT

Impact funding is to explore how previous research can be applied and translated into practice.

Impact projects need to be led by a HEI or research organisation, and done in collaboration with a non-HEI partner in some form (industry, non-profit, public sector) who will be beneficiaries of the impact. This could include (but is not limited to):

• A new entity – e.g., a start-up, spin-out – created for the purposes of translating research to commercial/social impact
• An organisation that the research team have already worked with, who wish to put into practice insights from earlier collaborative research
• An organisation in a sector or domain which extends the impact of research conducted in another sector or domain

Key differentiator: Translating previous research and/or prototypes into real-world settings for impact

IN NUMBERS:

• Up to £15,000 for each project (directly incurred costs only)
• Required to start within 4 months of award
• Duration of up to 6 months
• Funding deadlines 5pm on: 21/4/26

IMPACT: Take a look: UKRI Impact Schemes

Some examples of what impact projects could focus on:

• Implementation of recommendations from academic research into organisational processes
• Exploratory commercialisation of a product, application, or service based on research
• Validation of a concept with a market
• Policy influence with all parliamentary groups, regulators, think tanks

Our Impact funding is modelled closely on other UKRI schemes focused on impact, such as impact acceleration accounts. Take a look at UKRI’s webpages on these schemes for more examples.

IMPACT: Underpinning research

Impact projects are not about conducting new research – they are about translating into practice already completed research.

As part of your application you will need to state what the underlying research is (e.g., summarise previous projects, the status of the research, any outcomes, any relevant publications). Underlying research needs to be at least 50% within EPSRC remit – but it does not need to have been funded by EPSRC, or indeed be “funded” research (i.e., it could be research you or your team have conducted without grant funding). Underlying research does not need to be explicitly about or in financial services, as long as the focus of the impact project is about financial services.

EDUCATION &

ENGAGEMENT

These projects are designed to support the growth of the financial services talent pool.

Examples could include:

• Developing new innovative ideas to support teaching in HEIs, in ways that meet the needs of the financial services sector
• Developing new courses, including continuing professional development
• Collaborations to improve working with companies/charities on education and talent development
• Outreach activities with schools/HEI to strengthen understanding of fintech career pathways

IN NUMBERS:

• Up to £6,000 for each project (directly incurred costs only)
• Required to start within 4 months of award
• Duration of up to 6 months
• Funding deadlines 5pm on: 12/11/24, 29/4/25, 11/11/25, 21/4/26

PILOT – CLOSED

Pilot projects should be for early-stage research which is of short duration. These projects are expected to be more exploratory with a clear lead to a bigger research project. They are often used for small-scale test studies or trailing a research idea/technology.

Key differentiator: Short duration, early-stage research

IN NUMBERS:

• Up to £20,000 fEC (UKFin fund 80% of fEC) for each project*
• Required to start within 4 months of award
• Duration of up to 4 months
• Funding deadlines 5pm on: 12/11/24, 29/4/25, 11/11/25

FEASIBILITY – CLOSED

Feasibility projects are expected to be mature research projects, typically following on from previous funding. This funding may be from UKFin+ Agile/Pilot schemes or could be from elsewhere. The project leads should have a great depth of experience in the subject matter.

They should be multi-disciplinary and have clear academic and applied outcomes for both academic and non-partners respectively.

The scheme’s concept is whether you can take early-stage research and apply it, bringing it into the real world to tackle complex challenges in financial services.

Key differentiator: Mature multi-disciplinary research projects

IN NUMBERS:

• Up to £100,000 fEC (UKFin fund 80% of fEC) for each project*
• Required to start within 9 months of award
• Duration of up to 12 months
• Funding deadlines 5pm on: 12/11/24, 29/4/25, 11/11/25