UK National Programmes

UK Research Councils

The United Kingdom funds research through a network of specialist research councils, each responsible for a broad disciplinary area. Together, these councils operate under the umbrella of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), which coordinates national research strategy and investment. For businesses working at the intersection of technology, science, and industry, these councils represent significant opportunities for funded collaboration with world-leading university research groups.

The councils most relevant to Digital Tactics and our clients include:

• EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council) -- the UK's main agency for funding research in engineering, mathematics, and computer science, including AI, software engineering, and data science
• AHRC (Arts and Humanities Research Council) -- funds research in digital humanities, creative industries, and cultural heritage, areas where technology plays an increasing role
• MRC (Medical Research Council) -- supports biomedical and health research, including the growing field of AI in healthcare and medical data analytics
• UKRI cross-council programmes -- strategic initiatives that span multiple councils, such as the AI for Science programme and the Digital Security programme

Funding Mechanisms

Research councils offer several types of funding. Responsive mode grants are open-topic, allowing researchers to propose projects on any subject within the council's remit. Strategic programmes focus funding on nationally important challenges. Doctoral training partnerships (DTPs) and centres for doctoral training (CDTs) fund PhD students, often with industry collaboration built in. Industrial CASE studentships specifically require an industry partner to co-supervise and part-fund a doctoral researcher.

How Digital Tactics Contributes

Digital Tactics provides industry collaboration and technical delivery for research council-funded projects. We work with university partners as the industry collaborator on grants that require real-world application and commercial context. Our contributions typically include providing access to production data and systems, co-designing research questions that address genuine business challenges, and translating research outcomes into deployable software.

We are particularly active in projects where AI, software engineering, or data science research needs to be grounded in practical application -- from sustainable computing and green software to medical AI and intelligent automation. Our experience in international R&D means we can also help university teams connect with European networks and programmes.

Get Involved

If you are a university researcher looking for an industry partner, or a business wanting to collaborate on research council-funded work, Digital Tactics can help. We bring genuine technical capability and a commitment to translating research into impact. Contact us to discuss collaboration opportunities.