Japan–UK Advanced Connectivity Technologies Grant 2026–2027: Up to £897,000 and ¥200 Million for Joint Research

Japan–UK Advanced Connectivity Technologies Grant 2026–2027: Up to £897,000 and ¥200 Million for Joint Research

The Japan–UK joint call for collaborations in Advanced Connectivity Technologies is an open research grant opportunity for teams that already have, or can quickly form, a serious partnership across the two countries. The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and Japan’s National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) are looking for internationally competitive projects in three connected areas: artificial intelligence in digital networks, non-terrestrial networks, and advanced optics and photonics.

The call is particularly relevant to university researchers, public research organisations, and industry-linked research teams working on the foundations of Beyond 5G and 6G communications. The official UKRI page says that every application must involve researchers from both Japan and the UK. A project based in only one country is not a fit, even if its subject is advanced communications.

The closing date is 8 September 2026 at 4:00pm UK time. UKRI currently asks interested teams to submit an expression of interest if they intend to submit a joint proposal, while also stating that full application details are published through the live funding opportunity as the call opens. That makes partner coordination and an early check with both research offices important: an expression of interest is not a substitute for the eventual funding application.

Key details

The monetary limits are country-specific. The UK ceiling is not a single award that a Japanese partner can spend, and the Japanese ceiling is not an additional UK budget. Build two coordinated budgets that respect each agency’s rules and then show how the work fits together.

What the programme is trying to support

This call is designed around a bilateral research partnership, not a conventional single-country grant with an overseas adviser. UKRI describes the goal as supporting internationally competitive collaborative research that uses the strengths of both countries and helps build research ecosystems for the next generation of advanced connectivity researchers. The programme has direct support from the UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

The Japanese side places the activity within the Innovative ICT Fund Project for Beyond 5G/6G. NICT describes the relevant work as early-stage research, normally beginning around Technology Readiness Levels 1 to 3, where foundational technologies and new technical seeds need time before social implementation. A proposal therefore does not need to present a commercially finished 6G product. It does need to make a credible case that the research question is important, technically difficult, and capable of producing knowledge or a platform that advances the field.

The UKRI page also makes clear that the work must fit the EPSRC remit. The call is a poor match for a general digital-transformation project, routine network deployment, or a product-development plan with no substantial research question. Teams should be able to name the technical uncertainty they will resolve and explain why a Japan–UK collaboration is necessary to resolve it.

The three eligible research areas

AI in digital networks

The first scope area covers AI-driven communication networks built on robust, trustworthy, and traceable AI architecture. The page points to distributed and federated AI, data-centric and AI-native networks, automatic management and optimisation, and measurement methods that keep datasets usable for machine learning.

A strong project in this area would define a network problem that cannot be solved by simply adding a generic model. It might address trustworthy orchestration across distributed systems, interpretable or physics-informed optimisation, energy-efficient operation, interoperability, privacy, assurance, or governance. The application should connect the proposed method to measurable network behaviour: for example, resilience under changing conditions, latency, energy demand, reliability, security, or the quality of decisions made by the network.

Non-terrestrial networks

The second area concerns communications involving satellites, drones, and high-altitude platforms. UKRI lists challenges including new waveforms, hybrid optical and radio-frequency links, AI-driven optical tracking, smaller and lower-power hardware, antennas for fast-moving platforms, next-generation satellite and quantum communication, spectrum management, and interoperability among space, air, and ground networks.

The scope also includes resilient Internet of Things platforms operating across oceans, satellites, and embedded systems; shared testbeds and global field trials; digital-twin prediction; multi-vendor Open RAN and non-terrestrial architectures; and security against evolving threats and supply-chain vulnerabilities. The best fit will be a focused research programme rather than a catalogue of every challenge in the sector. Choose the problem where each partner contributes something essential and where the work can produce evidence within a three-year award.

Advanced optics and photonics

The third area covers next-generation optical and wireless networks, scalable and energy-efficient optical infrastructure, physics-informed AI, ultra-wideband fibre, and energy-efficient digital signal processing. It also includes optical–wireless integration, large-scale sensing, end-to-end photonic networks using All Photonics Network concepts, and quantum-enabled communication links that work alongside classical optical networks.

Resilience, interoperability, cyber-physical security, variable traffic, space-system integration, cost, energy use, and global standardisation are all part of the stated context. A proposal does not need to cover all of them. It should instead show how its technical contribution relates to one or two of the stated barriers and how the joint team will test the claim.

Who is eligible and who is a practical fit

The non-negotiable eligibility test is bilateral participation. The UKRI page says the application must involve researchers from Japan and the UK, and each side must be eligible for funding from its own agency. UK applicants must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for EPSRC funding and must meet EPSRC’s standard rules. Japanese applicants must meet NICT’s requirements.

For proposals submitted by Japanese universities or other academic institutions, NICT recommends an industry–academia consortium. That is a recommendation rather than a statement that every project must include a company, but it is a useful signal about the kind of pathway NICT wants to see. A Japanese academic team should ask whether an industry partner can contribute a real test environment, implementation knowledge, standardisation connection, or route toward later use. Adding a name without a defined role will not strengthen the partnership.

The UKRI–Research Council of Norway Money Follows Cooperation Agreement does not apply. The call therefore cannot use that mechanism to include a Norway-based international co-project lead. The page also says that uninvited resubmissions of projects submitted to UKRI or another funder will not be accepted. If a related proposal has been submitted elsewhere, explain what is genuinely different only where the rules allow it; do not simply recycle an earlier application.

Researchers should verify organisational status with their research office before committing to the deadline. EPSRC’s eligibility guidance notes that the host organisation must have a research-office account to access the UKRI Funding Service before applications are submitted. NICT-side teams should perform the corresponding institutional and e-Rad checks under the Japanese call documentation.

Funding, project length, and the 2027 start window

EPSRC has a total of £3.37 million, rounded from £3.365 million, and NICT has ¥600 million for the activity. The funders expect to support approximately three collaborations. Each project can last up to three years, with the earliest anticipated start date in April 2027.

The UK component may request up to £897,000 at 80% of full economic cost. UKRI’s page lists eligible categories including contributions to project-lead and co-lead salaries, research, project-management and technical posts, consumables, travel and subsistence, data preservation and sharing, dissemination, estates, and indirect costs. A budget should make those costs serve the research plan. The ceiling is not a reason to spend to the maximum: a smaller, well-supported request is more credible than a large budget with weak links to the work packages.

The Japanese component may request up to ¥200 million per proposal. Because the two agencies operate with country-specific requirements, the partners should not merge the budgets into one undifferentiated spreadsheet. Build a shared work-plan table that identifies the lead for each task, the country paying for it, the deliverable or evidence produced, and the dependency on the other side.

Application process and deadline

The opportunity opened on 15 June 2026 and closes on 8 September 2026 at 4:00pm UK time. UKRI asks teams that intend to submit a joint Japan–UK proposal to submit an expression of interest. The page says full details on how to apply are published when the funding opportunity opens, so applicants should use the live UKRI page and the corresponding NICT instructions as the controlling documents.

Treat the process as a sequence of coordination deadlines even if your institution has only one formal submission date:

1. Confirm that the UK and Japanese organisations are eligible and that the research topic is within the three stated areas.
2. Submit the UKRI expression of interest if the current page requires or requests it for planned joint proposals.
3. Agree the scientific question, work packages, responsibilities, budget split, data arrangements, and intellectual-property approach with the partner institution.
4. Ask both research offices for their internal approval and submission deadlines. These may be earlier than 8 September.
5. Complete the country-specific funding applications using the current UKRI and NICT instructions, then verify that both sides have submitted through the correct system.

Do not wait for a partner to discover a missing institutional registration in the final week. Cross-border proposals often fail operationally because the science is ready but one organisation, investigator, or submission account is not.

Required materials: what is confirmed and what is not

The official UKRI page confirms the expression-of-interest route and the need for a joint proposal, but it does not, on the page checked for this guide, provide a complete final checklist of full-application attachments or page limits. That absence matters. Do not present a guessed list as a formal requirement.

You can still prepare the substance that a serious application will need: a concise project summary, a clear explanation of the technical gap, a work-plan diagram or table, partner roles, evidence of relevant capability, a country-split budget, milestones, risk controls, data and dissemination plans, and an explanation of how the collaboration builds a durable research ecosystem. These are preparation items, not a substitute for the final application instructions.

The proposal should also be ready to address trusted research and innovation. UKRI says applicants may be asked to demonstrate how international collaboration risks will be identified and proportionately controlled. Consider sensitive technologies, data access, export controls, cyber security, intellectual property, dual-use concerns, and who will own or access test results. State what has been agreed and what still needs institutional review.

How to prepare a competitive proposal

Start with the reason the partnership must be bilateral. “We have collaborators in both countries” is not enough. Explain what the UK team can do that the Japanese team cannot easily do alone, what the Japanese team contributes, and what new result becomes possible because the capabilities are combined. The answer might involve a specialised testbed, complementary theory and hardware, access to a network environment, a standards relationship, or a distinct dataset. Tie the argument to specific work packages.

Next, make the technical claim testable. Define the starting point, the research uncertainty, the method, and the evidence that would count as progress. Early-stage research can have uncertain outcomes, but it should not have vague outcomes. A useful milestone might be a validated communication method under a defined channel condition, a reproducible network-control result, a photonic component tested against stated parameters, or a model shown to remain reliable under a specified distribution shift.

Keep the scope narrow enough for three years. The call names AI networks, non-terrestrial networks, and advanced photonics as broad areas; reviewers still need to understand exactly what your team will build, measure, compare, and publish. Distinguish foundational research from later deployment. If a field trial or industry demonstration is included, explain the research question it tests rather than treating the demonstration itself as the outcome.

Finally, make the budget an argument about feasibility. Show why each major cost is needed, which country pays it, and how the timing aligns across the two systems. Include realistic travel, technical support, data, testbed, and dissemination needs where eligible. Have both institutions review currency assumptions and agency-specific cost rules; do not assume that an amount eligible in one country transfers automatically to the other.

Common mistakes to avoid

Applying with no Japanese or UK counterpart

A one-country proposal is outside the call’s central design. A letter of support from an overseas researcher is not the same as a coordinated funded partnership.

Treating the topic labels as enough

Mentioning “6G” or “AI” does not establish fit. Map the project to one of the three scope areas and state the specific technical challenge and measurable advance.

Hiding the budget split

The UK and Japanese ceilings apply to different components. A shared narrative with no country-level cost logic creates avoidable uncertainty for both funders.

Overclaiming readiness

NICT describes the activity as early-stage research around TRL 1 to 3 at project start. Do not present a speculative concept as a market-ready system, but do not undersell the path to a meaningful test either.

Assuming the expression of interest is the grant application

The expression of interest signals intent. The full proposal must follow the live application instructions. Keep checking the official page for updated submission details.

Leaving trusted-research issues until the end

International advanced-technology work can raise questions about data, intellectual property, security, and export controls. Discuss the risks early with institutional experts and show proportionate controls in the proposal.

FAQ

Can a UK team apply without a Japanese partner?

No. UKRI states that the application must involve researchers from both Japan and the UK, and both sides must meet their own agency’s eligibility rules.

Is the £897,000 amount the total value of the whole collaboration?

No. It is the maximum UK component request at 80% FEC. The Japanese component has a separate ceiling of ¥200 million per proposal. The programme totals are £3.365 million for EPSRC and ¥600 million for NICT.

When would funded work begin?

The earliest anticipated start date is April 2027. The award can last up to three years.

Does every Japanese academic proposal need a company?

NICT recommends an industry–academia consortium for proposals from universities or other academic institutions. Applicants should read the current NICT rules to confirm the final requirement for their organisation and proposal type.

Is a Norway-based co-lead allowed through Money Follows Cooperation?

No. UKRI says that agreement does not apply to this opportunity, and the call cannot include a Norway-based international co-project lead through that route.

Where should applicants ask questions?

UK teams can contact the EPSRC Future Communications Team at [email protected] and should include “Japan-UK Joint Call” in the subject line. Japanese teams can contact NICT at [email protected]. Questions about costings and submission timing should also go to each institution’s research office.

Official links and next steps

Start with the official UKRI funding opportunity page. Review the EPSRC eligibility guidance and the NICT eligibility and administrative documents linked from the opportunity page. Then contact a potential counterpart, agree the research question and budget split, and ask both research offices to confirm the current submission route before the 8 September 2026, 4:00pm UK time deadline.

This is a specialised international research call. If your team cannot explain the bilateral value, the exact advanced-connectivity scope, and the evidence it will produce by 2027–2030, it is better to monitor the funders for a closer call than to force a generic communications project into this one.