Flexible funding call: Enabling environment for sustainable bioenergy

This call has now closed.

The Supergen Bioenergy Hub has launched a new flexible funding call focused on developing an enabling environment for sustainable bioenergy.

The successful scale‑up of sustainable bioenergy in the UK depends not only on technological advances but also on the clarity, consistency, and transparency of the policy and regulatory frameworks that govern the sector. As the UK moves towards net‑zero, there is increasing recognition of the need for clearer definitions, better visibility of deployment barriers, and practical, solution‑oriented approaches that address real-world problems and can help industry, policymakers, and stakeholders navigate the complexity of bioenergy systems. This includes identifying policy misalignments, regulatory uncertainties, infrastructure constraints, market obstacles, and social or organisational factors that hinder progress. Projects that examine these issues – by providing evidence, frameworks, and pathways that illuminate barriers and propose actionable solutions – are considered within the scope of this call. We particularly welcome work that connects engineering, biological sciences, economics, social sciences, and policy analysis to inform a more coherent enabling environment for sustainable bioenergy deployment.

The enabling environment for sustainable biomass deployment can be envisaged as a triangulation between market factors, societal acceptability, and the authorising environment. Market incentives and investment signals shape which biomass pathways become viable, but these operate within socio‑political conditions that determine who benefits and whose interests are prioritised. As highlighted by , biomass deployment is strongly influenced by public perceptions of fairness, legitimacy, and the distribution of benefits, with concerns that current policies favour incumbent energy producers and keep benefits ‘behind the scenes’. Societal acceptance of biomass deployment is therefore dynamic and tied to visible, local value creation and transparent communication. The authorising environment – spanning policy, regulation, and cross‑government alignment – remains fragmented, with siloed departmental remits and inconsistent sustainability criteria creating barriers to coherent system design. Understanding and addressing the interactions between these three dimensions is essential for creating a credible, socially legitimate, and deployable biomass strategy.

Key information

Up to £50,000* is available per project for UK academic institutions eligible for UKRI funding.
Projects are expected to demonstrate additional funding leverage of £50,000 (cash or in‑kind).
This call supports solution‑oriented, interdisciplinary projects that address the policy, regulatory, market, and societal barriers to sustainable bioenergy and bio-based product deployment in the UK.
Proposals should generate clear evidence, frameworks, or tools that support industry, policymakers, regulators, and local decision‑makers.
We anticipate funding up to 6 projects, subject to quality and strategic alignment.

*Projects can request up to £50,000 funding at 100% FEC for one project based at one UK research organisation. Payment of 80% (up to max £40,000) of the FEC costs will be made, as is normal in UKRI-funded research.

Priority focus areas

Development of policy, regulatory, or market mechanisms that support sustainable deployment of biomass and provide potential solutions for identified barriers in the UK bioenergy sector.
Investigation of the economic, environmental, and societal implications of scaling bioenergy within national and regional net‑zero strategies, including analysis of deployment obstacles and potential solutions.
Research that enhances understanding of infrastructure, organisational, and governance challenges, and proposes evidence-based approaches to overcome them.
Studies that develop or evaluate solution‑oriented frameworks to support decision‑makers, industry stakeholders, and local authorities/agencies in implementing sustainable bioenergy systems.

Call document and application form

Download the call document for full details (requirements, eligibility, assessment process, etc) and to apply.

Supergen Bioenergy Hub Flexible Funding Call May 2026 (Word doc)

Supergen Bioenergy Hub Flexible Funding Call May 2026 (PDF)

Submission deadline

Sunday 28 June 2026, 23:59 BST

Please send the completed application form to Supergen Bioenergy Hub Project Manager Rakhi Parmar at r.s.parmar@aston.ac.uk no later than Sunday 28 June 2026 at 23.59 BST.

Information webinar

An information webinar took place on Tuesday 2 June to provide an opportunity to learn more and ask questions about the funding call.

The presentation section is available below but the Q&A section was not recorded. Anonymised questions will be used to update the FAQs below.

Frequently asked questions

You can find answers to frequently asked questions below. The deadline to submit additional questions was 10 June 2026. All questions and responses have been updated below.

Eligibility

What is the eligibility criteria to apply?

The funding is available to UK academic institutes eligible to receive research funding. To check if you are eligible for research and innovation funding please visit the UK Research and Innovation website: www.ukri.org/apply-for-funding/how-to-apply/check-if-you-are-eligible-for-research-and-innovation-funding

Institutes receiving flexible funding must be partners of the Supergen Bioenergy Hub and sign the accession agreement to the Hub’s consortium agreement before returning their acceptance letter. Non-partners applying for funding are required to submit an institutional application for review and approval by the Supergen Bioenergy Hub project management group simultaneous with their proposal application.

Is this call open to early career researchers?

We are encouraging early career researchers to apply; however, it is not exclusive to them.

If I am a postdoctoral researcher and not an independent researcher or Principal Investigator (PI). Do I need to apply with an eligible PI?

Applicants should consult their academic institution and the funding guidelines to confirm eligibility requirements.

Is it possible for two academics to apply jointly?

Yes, joint applications are welcome. However, a single lead applicant must be identified, and they must be based at a recognised research organisation.

Hub membership

How can my institution become a member of the Hub?

Details of becoming a member of the Hub are on our partners page along with a link to the application form.

My institution was a partner of the previous Hub; can we apply again to become members?

Yes, you can reapply to join. Please see our partners page for details on how to join.

If I apply for Hub membership, will it last for the duration of my flexible funding project?

Once you are successfully registered as a Hub member, your membership will remain valid until the end of the Supergen Bioenergy Hub project in October 2027.

Partners and leverage

Do I need an industrial partner?

Our funders – UK Research and Innovation – favour leverage and it is a requirement of the call to provide leverage. Please see the call document for more information.

Does the industry partner have to be UK based?

The main applicant must be a UK researcher, but they can subcontract work overseas and/or overseas groups can join with their own funding providing the “non-UKRI” match funding.

Can I mention my industrial partner in my proposal?

If your partners are other UK universities then you should not mention them. You should say that you’re working with ‘other UK universities’ to ensure anonymity and to prevent bias. If you are bringing in an international partner, we do need you to name them. For due diligence purposes we need to know who the overseas partner is, in particular which country they come from.

Can I have a UK regulatory authority as a partner?

Yes.

Is a letter of support required from an industry partner, and how should it be submitted?

A letter of support from an industry partner is recommended. This should be submitted alongside your application, together with details of any associated contributions.

I already have letters of support from industry partners for the work I am doing, can these be used?

The letters of support need to be specific to your application for this funding call.

Is funding from another research funder permissible as leveraged funding for this call?

The Supergen Bioenergy Hub is able to consider a wide variety of external funding sources as leverage. Both the nature and level of funding will be scored under the criterion set out in the application form. Please see the call document (available to download above) for more information.

If my project does not include £50k of in-kind contribution, will it be rejected?

We expect contributions to be provided on a 1:1 basis for this call. Projects can be funded up to £50,000 at 100% full economic cost (FEC), and applicants are expected to provide a matching contribution of equivalent value.

For example, if your project has a total cost of £40,000, we would expect a £40,000 contribution. Contributions can include both in-kind and cash support. We encourage applicants to consider how additional contributions could add value—for example, increasing staff time or supporting additional research activities and associated costs.

Scope

What type of technologies/research area will you accept?

All applications will need to meet the criteria and scope of the thematic areas outlined in the call document (available above).

Would proposals exploring the international dimensions of UK bioenergy be considered within scope?

Yes, proposals that examine international aspects of UK bioenergy are in scope, provided they clearly demonstrate how this dimension contributes to solutions aligned with the Hub’s objectives.

Would this call support work to explore and meet regulatory requirements for low-carbon materials?

Yes, provided the materials are bio-based and fall within the Hub’s remit.

Application

Can I submit more than one application?

Yes, if it’s for a different project.

Can you help me to put my application together?

From an equality perspective and in fairness to all applicants, we cannot offer support to individuals. Information on how to apply can be found in the call document.

Is there a word limit for the application?

There is no official word limit. However, we request that applicants keep their answers concise.

Is it ok to apply for another fund as well as this one?

Yes. It is helpful to articulate the impact that you believe your project will have and mention in your proposal that you are also applying for other funding, and that there could be other activities happening in parallel.

Requirements

The call states that successful applicants must participate in two Supergen events. What if my project ends before these events take place?

If your project concludes before the second workshop, you will still be expected to participate in both events. Please note that applicants should not include these costs in their funding request, as the Hub will cover reasonable travel and accommodation expenses.