SUM4Products Research Project Scheme

Last updated: June 2026

About the Scheme

Our Research Project Scheme funding supports industry partners with 3-6 months of focused research to address a specific challenge they identify.

This funding is designed to foster strong, practical collaborations between industry and academic experts, helping translate research into tangible outcomes.

Projects will provide a structured mechanism to:

- Facilitate collaborative relationships between academia and industry partners

- Further understanding of expertise and interests between partners

- Progress mathematical ideas beyond the initial exploratory stage

- Generate impact within a self-contained project

Projects will normally last up to three months full-time, with flexibility for part-time working over a longer duration (up to six months).

To apply:

Download and complete our Expression of Interest form; teams should send their completed form to sum4products@contacts.bham.ac.uk by 9am UK time on Monday 15th June 2026.

Project delivery outputs

Successful applicants will be expected to act as ambassadors for the project and its aims. By the end of the project, teams will be required to:

- Produce a two-page lay-person summary describing the original challenge, the mathematics undertaken, and the implications of the results for the BIG, who will need to supply a short company testimonial

- Produce a three-minute video addressing the same points

- Deliver an in-depth technical presentation to the BIG

- Present at the SUM4Product Annual Meeting, if requested to do so

Projects approved for the first round of funding will shortly be published on our funded projects page.

Watch our information webinar

We hosted a webinar to share more information about the project and how to apply for this funding opportunity. Watch the recording to hear from project leads and learn more about how SUM4Products has supported other industry organisations.

The SUM4Products team will manage the scheme, promote it to industry partners, facilitate connection with academic teams, and oversee project delivery and follow-up activity.

The application process is as follows:

Application process

  • All expressions of interest should have an industry partner attached.

    Industry partners are welcome to submit an expression of interest without having an academic team in place (part of the follow-up will include matching the project with the most appropriate academic team to undertake the research)

  • Project teams (with or without academic partners) can submit an Expressions of Interest form with brief details of the proposed project and industry partner(s)

  • Each project will be assigned a SUM4Products liaison, who will then offer bespoke support to help shape the project.

  • After assessing feasibility, guidance provided can include developing the core concept, strengthening the project methodology, aligning proposals with timelines, and maximising outcomes and impact.

  • For industry teams that do not yet have pre-identified academic partners, additional support will be provided. SUM4Products will facilitate triage meetings with prospective academic teams.

  • Project teams will be supported to submit a full proposal according to an appropriate time frame. These will be assessed by a panel in gathered fields over the course of the summer and funding allocated accordingly.

  • Full project proposals are assessed under the following metrics, with scores given according to the amount and quality of detail provided:

    • Context and background

    • Methodology and research plan

    • Feasibility

    • Potential impact

    • Risk management (including financial and ethical concerns)

    • Overall fit with scheme

    Where applications do not meet a satisfactory standard but may benefit from revision, feedback will be provided to enable revisions and subsequent resubmission.

We will assign SUM4Products liaisons to teams as and when expressions of interest are received. We encourage teams to submit expressions of interest early, as we will be reviewing applications and allocating funding in batches over the course of the round.

Project teams

Projects are delivered by:

Academic team based at a UK University or Universities, consisting of:

- A Project Lead who should be an academic Mathematical Scientist (although not necessarily based in a Mathematics department). They are responsible for completing and submitting the application for the Research Project and for supervising the work of the Researcher

- Researcher (e.g. a SUM4Products Innovation Research Associate (InRA)), OR researcher or 3rd/4th year PhD student already employed by or studying with the University Partner

- Additional academic team members as required

The academic team is expected to work closely with one or more named industry partners.

SUM4Products InRA resourcing

From Autumn 2026 there will be four full-time InRAs employed by SUM4Products who can act as Researchers for projects.

It is possible to express a preference for specific InRAs based on their research interests, but their allocation is not guaranteed and will be decided in a gathered field to allocate the most suitable project to each InRA. Depending on project circumstances, there may be a higher requirement of online meetings rather than in-person collaboration.

Please contact SUM4Products directly to discuss potential InRA collaborations, rather than contacting InRAs directly.

Funding and cost details

SUM4Products welcomes collaboration with a diverse range of BIG partners, and its primary goal is to facilitate sustained partnerships and more flexible collaborative opportunities.

To support this, we operate three models:

- A tiered funding model for partner organisations; partner organisations pay a reduced (or waived) fee to participate in research projects.

- One-off and ad hoc participation in projects for organisations who may not wish to commit financial resources from the outset.

- In order to encourage multi-disciplinary and SME participation, certain types of projects can be undertaken with no financial contributions required.

These approaches combined ensure that exploratory work, collaboration and innovation can take place with as wide a range of organisations as possible.

Funding tiers for SUM4Products partner organisations

Requested financial contributions for projects will depend on the organisation’s partnership type and the type of project to be undertaken. Find out more about joining SUM4Products as a partner organisation.

Projects requiring no financial contributions from partners

- In order to encourage interdisciplinary collaboration, where two or more industrial partners are involved in a project, no contributions will be required.

- If an SME wishes to join the SUM4Products network as a partner organisation, this would come at no cost to the organisation, and would enable access to one research project with no financial contributions necessary.

One-off participation costs

The breakdown of costs is detailed below; an indication of the industry partner cost of funding (on a one-off basis) a project of 3 months’ full time duration would be as below:

  • Industry partner contribution £11,840 (reduced to £8,880 for SMEs) and a proportion (not more than a third) of proposed travel and subsistence costs. The cost for an early career researcher who is not a SUM4Products InRA is likely to be in a similar range; exact figures would be confirmed by the employing University.

  • Industry partner contribution would usually be £3,360 (reduced to £2,520 for SMEs); the approach to covering funding for a PhD student may differ by institution, so we would encourage academic partners to check their local arrangements when submitting an application.

Breakdown of costs

The cost required for a Research Project cover the salary/stipend and associated costs of the researcher (be that an InRA, local researcher or doctoral student).

Longer or shorter projects will have the cost (and other fees, where appropriate) scaled accordingly, and this will be agreed in advance with SUM4Products.

  • For academic institutions looking to propose their own researchers, the total project cost is calculated by totalling:

    1. Salary (including associated on costs), on the appropriate point on Grade 7 as determined by the University Partner employing the Researcher for the duration of the project

    2. Associated estates and indirect costs

    3. Travel and subsistence costs for visits to the BIG Partner

    These costs should be multiplied by 0.8 to arrive at the total project funding. No funding is available to cover the cost of the Project Lead academic’s time.

  • If a doctoral student is applying, the costs are normally fixed at £10,500 total. This will cover:

    1. Buyout for the student from their normal research project at the UKRI standard rate plus an enhancement of £750

    2. £2,400 to cover the Project Lead academic’s time

    3. Remainder for travel

    Situations involving a higher contribution:

    • If the Student has previously been in receipt of a higher stipend than the UKRI standard then it is recommended that the BIG make a higher contribution to cover the difference. This must be agreed in advance by all parties

    • If the total funding needed for travel, accommodation, and subsistence for visits to the BIG by the Student is estimated to be in excess of the remainder of the £10,500 fee, then the BIG should increase their contribution by the difference

    Student contributors

    We recognise that universities may have their own procedures for managing short-term project participation by doctoral students. Where a different administrative approach is preferred, the University may propose this provided that:

    • The Student receives equivalent financial support for the duration of the Short Project

    • The approach is approved in advance by SUM4Products

    • The arrangement complies with any relevant funder and visa requirements

  • SUM4Products will usually pay 60% of the project funding (80% FEC), while the industry partner is expected to pay 40%.

    In order to encourage participation, any projects involving SMEs (who do not wish to join SUM4Products network as a partner organisation) will have required contributions reduced from 40% to 30%.

  • Reasonable travel costs can be covered for all academic partners at 100% of cost.

Compliance and regulation

Applications should be submitted on the basis of agreement with the SUM4Products Ground Rules. These are in place to support the compliant and successful participation of all Project Partners.

Please note that the University Partner will also be asked to sign a further agreement with the University of Birmingham at the contracting stage. Research Projects will be approved only following receipt of a signed copy of the Award Letter and Grant Terms and Conditions.

Should further NDA or IP agreements be required by the Industry Partner, we would encourage conversations to start between project partners at the final project proposal stage.

Apply

Download and complete our Expression of Interest form; teams should send their completed form to sum4products@contacts.bham.ac.uk by 9am UK time on Monday 15th June 2026.

Questions?

Contact the SUM4Products team by emailing sum4products@contacts.bham.ac.uk.