Restricted call: NetDRIVE Second Funding Call (internal deadline: 1st September 2025)

The Network for sustainable Digital Research Infrastructure Vision and Expertise (NetDRIVE) project has announced the NetDRIVE Second Funding Call

The UKRI Net-Zero Digital Research Infrastructure Vision and Expertise (NetDRIVE) project, hosted at the University of Oxford and funded via the University of Leeds, aims to bring together visionary insight from across UKRI remit to work towards the goal of sustainable working practices in the Digital research infrastructure (DRI) communities. With the second call now open, the project will fund community activities through three calls in total to drive forward innovation and overcome barriers in service of the roadmap to net zero DRI. Funds will be awarded based on excellence, relevance, and ability to deliver, and applicants are expected to address at least two of the three NetDRIVE objectives in their proposals: immediate progress towards net zero DRI, enhancing community confidence in the roadmap to net zero DRI, and international leadership.

Total funding for the second call is £200k for early career (EC) projects and £800k for community and champion applications (amounts at 100% fEC). Three champions in total will be awarded, one in “community change” and two dedicated for EC stages. For more details on the Champion role, please refer to the project website and the call guidance document. Given the size of the total funds, larger projects are considered £50k and upwards, with a duration of between 3 and 6 months. The projects will be funded at 80% fEC.

For the EC applicants, a sandpit event is organised ahead of the submission deadline to ensure community discussions can help shape the projects on EC topics. For the early career Champion application, attendance at the sandpit event is not mandatory but encouraged. NetDRIVE’s classification of career stages are outlined in the appendix in the call guidance link.

University Internal selection:

Institutions can only submit / lead on one application across each of the four categories (i.e. four applications in total):

• One Community Project application to open topics under headings 1-3, and
• One Community Project application under topic 4 (UK Compute Roadmap), and
• One Community Project application to early career topics, and
• One Champion application

Therefore, this call will be managed according to the University’s restricted calls procedure. Your Department’s Research Grants Team and/or Departmental Administrator (or equivalent) must be made aware of your internal application, and a support letter signed by the Head of Department is required. 

To take part in the internal selection, please complete online form (NB: if asked to log-in, please use your crsID/Raven details; note that a Form cannot be saved and returned to) by Monday 1 September 2025.  You will need the following documents and information to complete the Form:

For all categories:

• Head of Department Letter confirming that the Department is happy to host the project

For Community Project Topics 1-4:

• Project Summary that addresses the assessment criteria (max. 600 words):

• 1. Excellence: is the proposed work breaking new ground and changing the way in which we view sustainability within the DRI?
  2. Fit to objectives: will the proposed work produce substantial impact in the selected domain? Do they clearly address the UKRI Sustainability Strategy, the NetDRIVE objectives, and the selected topic?
  3. Ability to deliver: is there a clear plan of work? Have the proposal team thought through the process well enough to deliver the project? Is there a clear approach to knowledge translation planning?

For Champion applications:

• Personal statement that addresses the assessment criteria (max. 600 words):

• 1. Engagement and vision: how will the applicant engage with a wider community and help set the vision for community activities? How are they going to ensure the community projects are supported and actionable advice are formulated collaboratively?
  2. Contribution to objectives: how will the applicant contribute to the NetDRIVE objectives of immediate progress, building confidence, and demonstrating leadership?
  3. Ability to deliver: The applicant’s track record in acting as a domain expert, working collaboratively, building networks, working across disciplinary boundaries, and embracing new ways of working with digital technology. How will the applicant ensure their existing role will work alongside the champion role?

For Early career sandpit applications:

Since the timeframe between the internal deadline and the EC sandpit application deadline is very short, interested applicants are asked to upload a completed copy of the NetDRIVE Early Career Sandpit template requested by the NetDRIVE team. It is hoped that this will be more expedient for all parties considering the tight timeframe and reduce duplicated effort.

Internal Assessment Criteria:
Please note that the assessment of internal applications for each category will focus on the abovementioned funder criteria:

• Excellence, engagement, and vision
• Contribution to objectives
• Ability to deliver

Funder deadline:

Sandpit Application Due (EC): 10 September 2025
Submissions Due: 10 October 2025
Submissions Due (EC): 24 October 2025

If you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to contact researchstrategy@admin.cam.ac.uk.

Posted on 13/08/2025