The deadline for our latest funding call is now closed.
Thanks to everyone who applied - we really appreciate the time and effort involved!
Following our review process, we will be letting applicants know the results by the end of October 2025.

Within our funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), we have just over £750k (across 3 funding calls) to support innovative, short-term projects to further explore how we might define, enact or explore Ecological Citizenship for a sustainable digital society.

Our third and final funding call: Co-creating Everyday Ecosystems, is now closed. The deadline for this was 03.09.25 at 16:00 (4pm BST)

Please download and read the Application Guidance carefully for full details of this funding call.

What are we looking for?

For our third and final funding call, the Ecological Citizen(s) Network+ are looking to fund research projects that explore: the co-creation of resilient, place-based Everyday Ecosystems to collectively transition to a Sustainable Digital Society, through Ecological Citizenship.

We are investigating how academic research can collaborate with civic communities as project partners (see definition below) through co-creative, truly participatory processes.
We want to celebrate the diversity of cultures and concerns in communities, hear from seldom heard voices and understand the nuances of hyper-local and place-based ecosystems.

We are looking for research projects that create or develop action-focused methodologies that demonstrate how best to work with communities as ecological citizens for positive climate action. 

We are particularly interested in approaches that seek to create, test or experiment responsibly with sustainable digital outputs, such as feasibility studies, prototype, proof-of-concept or else systematic testing of something with an underrepresented, under-served or seldom-heard community.

We would expect project outputs to include a digital element, as we explore this theme in the context of a Sustainable Digital Society. This could be a dataset, digital interaction, a physical thing, tool or technology. It could build on an existing piece of technology, or use open-source or off-the shelf hardware, software, accessible platforms, or code in order to explore something collaboratively in a new way. When we talk about ‘existing technology’, we imagine projects utilising existing software or hardware in new and innovative ways, to reimagine how they could be used in place-specific ways, or for new unexplored uses.

Eligibility Requirements

In order to apply to the Ecological Citizen(s) funding, your project MUST be led by a principal investigator (PI) who is a member of research or teaching staff at an EPSRC eligible, UK-based institution*.

This includes most UK universities and various other research centres or establishments. You can check your / your institutions eligibility via the UKRI website here or get in touch with the Ecological Citizens Team via our email, ecological.citizens@rca.ac.uk

*If you are not currently affiliated with an eligible institution, we will aim to facilitate match making between researchers and non-academic partners where possible.

Funding Call #3: Co-creating Everyday Ecosystems

Everyday Ecosystems are the natural and human-made, or structural, cycles & processes that we engage with (often unconsciously) everyday. These ecosystems encompass complex, interconnected networks of key importance, such as Food, Water, Heating & Cooling, and Mobility and impact and affect us all.

Despite their complexity, when we look at these Everyday Ecosystems collaboratively, with a diversity of perspective, they present great opportunities for tangible, real-world change.

Applications are invited that align with one or more of the Everyday Ecosystems listed below, as well as those that fall outside of this list, or sit across multiple interconnecting themes:

  • Food
  • Water
  • Heating & Cooling
  • Low-emissions Mobility

Critical Dates

  • Review process: September 2025 
  • Notification of outcome: October 2025
  • Successful projects to commence by the 1st December 2025
Click here to download the Application Guidance for the EC Funding Call #3 Cliciwch yma i lawrlwytho'r canllaw ymgeisio Cymraeg ar gyfer yr 3ydd alwad ariannu.
Click here to download the PDF version of the Application Form the EC Funding Call #3
Click here to download the WORD version of the Application Form for the EC Funding Call #3

How to Apply

  • Step 1: Download the application form.
  • Step 2: Complete all sections of the application form.
    If you have any queries please join one of our fortnightly application support sessions on Fridays from 12.30 - 1.30pm via zoom (email the EC team for the zoom link)
  • Step 3: Ensure it has been signed by the applicant and has institutional sign-off.
  • Step 4: Email your completed application form, as a PDF document, to ecological.citizens@rca.ac.uk with the subject ‘Application for Funding Call #3’ by the new deadline, 4pm (16:00) on 3rd September 2025