Doctoral focal award: chip design and verification
Limited submission
Doctoral focal award: chip design and verification supports doctoral students through interdisciplinary chip design and advanced compute training to strengthen UK semiconductor and AI hardware capability.
Funder: UK Research and Innovation
Due Dates: November 5, 2026, 4:00pm UK time (Mandatory EOI) | December 2, 2026, 4:00pm UK time (Full application)
Funding Amounts: Up to £6 million for an initial 66-month award supporting two student cohorts
Summary: Supports interdisciplinary doctoral training in chip design, verification and advanced compute to strengthen UK semiconductor and AI hardware capability.
Key Information: Successful applicants are expected to raise at least 20% cash contributions towards total studentship costs, expected from UK industry.
Description
Administered by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), this UKRI doctoral focal award will establish a national centre of excellence in semiconductor design. It supports the UK AI Hardware Plan through interdisciplinary, cohort-based doctoral training in very large-scale integration design, systems-on-chip, verification and advanced compute. The investment aims to build on existing UK research strengths, address skills shortages and translate research into industrial impact.
Training combines doctoral research, assessable taught coursework, practical design experience leading to physical demonstrators, and industry placements and shared supervision. Programmes must develop technical expertise alongside entrepreneurship and commercialisation skills, with responsible research, sustainability, inclusion and student wellbeing embedded throughout.
