Applications Open for PETRAS National Centre of Excellence: Internal Strategic Projects and Engagement Fund (ISPEF)

Funding will support proposals from PETRAS’ existing academic partner universities for projects with demonstrable outcomes in the cybersecurity of devices and networks at the edge of the internet research to be undertaken jointly with user partners.

The PETRAS (privacy, ethics, trust, reliability, acceptability, and security) National Centre of Excellence for IoT Systems Cybersecurity exists to ensure that technological advances in the Internet of Things (IoT) are developed and applied in consumer and business contexts, safely and securely.

The PETRAS Internal Strategic Projects and Engagement Fund (ISPEF) invites proposals from existing academic partner universities for cybersecurity of devices and networks at the edge of the internet research to be undertaken jointly with user partners. Projects should be developed in collaboration with user partners (new or existing), which translate their research findings into practical applications/outcomes that can be showcased as impactful evidence of PETRAS research, transforming knowledge into practice.

Examples of impact (knowledge into practice) that may be funded through this call include:

  • Code/devices taken from the lab, TRL increased and Patent applied for.
  • Demonstration of a system or methodology. Projects can build upon work undertaken in a previous or existing PETRAS-funded project, which has not undertaken demonstration activities already.
  • Creation and adoption of policy options and/or advice to government departments or agencies.
  • Evidence of transformability eg, taking a scheme designed for one sector and porting to another sector, with new user partners.

Proposals must aim to evidence/validate their value and impact in a demonstrable and/or real-world environment. To achieve this, the proposed projects will need to be co-created and aligned with the needs of its user partner(s). This is important in ensuring that they can deliver concepts that are of mutual value to both parties as well as for PETRAS and other key stakeholders such as, EPSRC and UKRI.

Projects can last for up to six months. Applicants are expected to start their projects in January 2022 and complete their work by no later than end of March 2023.

Projects must be led by a Principal Investigator (PI) from one of the existing PETRAS academic partner universities, who is eligible to hold an EPSRC grant. If proposed Co-Investigators (CoIs) are requesting PETRAS funding through this call, the CoIs also need to be from one of the existing PETRAS academic partner universities, who are eligible to hold an EPSRC grant. The PI will be responsible for the delivery of the proposed work and required reporting requirements.

Each project should involve at least one new or existing User Partner(s) from industry and/or the public sector, with strong interests in the Centre’s research programme. Proposals must be co-created with the User Partner(s) and be convincing in the depth of the partner commitment.

£594,000 is available for the call at 80% full Economic Cost (fEC), bringing the available total to £475,000. This is expected to fund approximately four to eight projects each lasting up to six months (the duration is to allow six-month PDRA deployments where necessary.)

Applications should be submitted by the 8 October 2021 (9:00 BST) deadline.