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Quick Reference Please note that you must read the full Call document for guidance before

submitting your proposal

Underpinning Power Electronics 2017 Call type: Expression of interest

Closing date: Workshop expressions of interest close 31 October at 16:00 Deadline for full proposals: 31 January 2017 at 16:00

Funding Available: Up to £6 million is available for three-year research programmes to be funded as part of the final two years of funding allocated in association with the Underpinning Power Electronics 2012 (https://www.epsrc.ac.uk/funding/calls/underpinningpowerelectronics/) call. This funding is expected to fund between three and five research programmes associated with the EPSRC Centre for Power Electronics (http://www.powerelectronics.ac.uk/power-electronics/index.aspx).

How to apply: Applications will be invited as a suite of proposals forming a single bid coordinated by the EPSRC Centre for Power Electronics. Those interested in forming part of this bid should submit an expression of interest to attend a workshop event hosted by the Centre for Power Electronics, as an opportunity to network with the centre and develop ideas for proposals. Applications will then be submitted as per standard EPSRC applications.

Assessment Process: Invited proposals will be assessed via postal peer review followed by an interview panel assessment.

Key Dates: Activity Date

Deadline to register for workshop 31 October 2016

Workshop hosted by EPSRC Centre for Power Electronics

14 November 2016

Deadline for Full Proposals 31 January 2017

Interview Panel 19 April 2017

Grant start date Summer 2017

Additional information: Note that proposals must be submitted as an invited suite of proposals coordinated by the EPSRC Centre for Power Electronics. The Centre has identified priority topics which are detailed in this call document.

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Contacts: • Ellie Gilvin, EPSRC ICT Theme (ellie.gilvin@epsrc.ac.uk)

• Vicki Marshall, EPSRC Engineering Theme (vicki.marshall@epsrc.ac.uk)

• Kate Bowman, EPSRC Energy Theme (kate.bowman@epsrc.ac.uk)

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Underpinning Power Electronics 2016/17 Call type: Expression of interest

Closing date: Workshop expressions of interest close 16:00 on 31 October 2016 Deadline for full proposals is 16:00 on 31 January 2017

Related themes: ICT, Energy, Engineering, Manufacturing the Future

Summary This call forms the final three years of a seven-year research investment in power electronics, with up to £6 million available. The EPSRC call Underpinning Power Electronics 2012 funded the EPSRC Centre for Power Electronics (CPE) hub, which acts as a coordinating investment to bring together the best research groups in a UK-wide, world-leading, multi-disciplinary, virtual centre. Funding for research projects associated with this hub is now available, as part of the second tranche of funding for this investment.

Funded proposals will need to collaborate in close partnership with the CPE hub, and demonstrate a fit to the hub’s future aims detailed in this document. EPSRC are looking to fund a balance of research from across relevant disciplines, to deliver high quality and adventurous research that will work through the Hub to drive innovation and contribute to increasing the UK’s academic and industrial success in this field.

The outcome of this funding is to support and strengthen the UK’s research base in Power Electronics, with ‘Power Electronics’ defined as described in the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) Report: “Power Electronics, A Strategy for Success” (https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/31795/11-1073-power-electronics-strategy-for-success.pdf).

Background Power Electronics has been identified as a high priority area for investment by EPSRC due to its pivotal role in delivering many low carbon technologies from electric vehicles to renewable energy generation, and distribution and Smart Grid implementation. These research outcomes will play a critical role in a future resilient (https://www.epsrc.ac.uk/newsevents/news/deliveryplanupdate/resilience/) and productive (https://www.epsrc.ac.uk/newsevents/news/deliveryplanupdate/productivity/) nation.

The EPSRC has been working with government, academic and industrial stakeholders to understand the strategic challenges for this research area and the role of EPSRC funding in it. Further background to the consultation and planning for the resulting investments can be found in the call document Underpinning Power Electronics 2012

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(https://www.epsrc.ac.uk/files/funding/calls/2012/underpinning-power-electronics-2012-call-document/).

In 2013, EPSRC funded the Centre for Power Electronics Hub and four associated themes. The hub is funded for six years, with the expectation that the hub develop a plan for sustaining activities after funding for the future. This call is set up to fund the second tranche of projects associated with the hub, as illustrated below. Note this illustration is to clarify funding tranche cycles only, and is not intended to imply any topical overlaps or connections.

The EPSRC Centre for Power Electronics The virtual centre for power electronics currently comprises the coordinating hub, supporting four key themes in converters (http://www.powerelectronics.ac.uk/power-electronics/research/converters.aspx), drives (http://www.powerelectronics.ac.uk/power-electronics/research/drives.aspx), components (http://www.powerelectronics.ac.uk/power-electronics/research/components.aspx), and devices (http://www.powerelectronics.ac.uk/power-electronics/research/devices.aspx). The Centre aims to be the UK’s internationally recognised provider of world-leading, underpinning power electronics research, combining the UK’s best academic talent.

The Centre supports the growth of power electronics in the UK by delivering transformative and exploitable new technologies, highly skilled people and by providing long-term strategic value to the UK power electronics industry.

2016/17 Call The current funding call focuses on research supporting the onward development and application of wide band-gap (WBG) semiconductors. Research will build on previous work, increasing capability and capacity in critical areas of underpinning power electronics research.

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The EPSRC Centre for Power Electronics has identified the following priority areas for the current round of funding:

1) Switch optimisation, for example: device design; device process optimisation; device reliability and stability; gate drive optimisation

2) Heterogeneous integration, for example: co-packaging of semiconductor dies, passive components, drive and control circuitry; passive component technologies; sensors; electromagnetic management; thermal management; integration of power electronics with electrical machines and other loads; techniques for assembly and manufacture.

3) Reliability and health management, for example: characterisation of wear-out mechanisms; development and validation of physics-of-failure models; techniques for condition monitoring, estimation of life consumption, prognostics and diagnostics.

4) Virtual prototyping, for example: techniques for rapid, multi-physics simulation and design optimisation including electromagnetic, thermal, mechanical and reliability domains; multi-scale simulation methods; component geometry and layout optimisation.

5) Converter architectures, for example: topology and control optimisation for WBG power electronics; weight/cost/efficiency optimisation strategies; techniques for assembly and manufacture.

Please note that the above list of priority topics is intended to provide a starting point for the development of proposals rather than an exhaustive list. A workshop (details below under ‘How to Apply’) will be held to progress these ideas and formulate an integrated research programme across all priority areas.

Proposals should also look to respond to the challenges outlined in EPSRC’s new Delivery Plan 2016-2021 (https://www.epsrc.ac.uk/about/plans/deliveryplan/). Within the Delivery Plan, our overall science strategy is articulated through our Prosperity Outcomes framework; this framework represents EPSRC’s expectations for what we expect our investments to deliver on behalf of the UK: Productivity, Connectedness, Resilience and Health. Examples of some of the ambitions which could be of relevance when addressing the Prosperity Outcomes include:

P1. Introduce the next generation of innovative and disruptive technologies, for example by creating power electronics devices with enhanced switching capability and which are smaller and more efficient for use in low-carbon technology concepts

R1: Achieve energy security and efficiency through energy-efficient conversion and control solutions

R4: Manage resources efficiently and sustainably with increasing use of virtual prototyping

R5: Build new tools to adapt to and mitigate climate change, by ensuring more efficient and reliable delivery of electrical power and enabling more effective exploitation of renewable forms of energy

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For more information about EPSRC’s portfolio and strategies, see our website: https://www.epsrc.ac.uk/research/ourportfolio/

Funding available £6m funding is available to support projects associated with the EPSRC centre for Power Electronics. This is expected to support between three and five projects. Funding is available to cover eligible costs as per EPSRC Standard Grants, and multi-institutional bids are welcome. For this call, a single Je-S form must be submitted for each project.

Equipment Capital funding under equipment rules is not available through this call.

For more information on equipment funding, please see: https://www.epsrc.ac.uk/research/facilities/equipment/

Eligibility For information on the eligibility of organisations and individuals to receive EPSRC funding, see the EPSRC Funding Guide: https://www.epsrc.ac.uk/funding/howtoapply/fundingguide/

As this call is a targeted funding opportunity provided by EPSRC, higher education institutions, and some research council institutes and independent research organisations are eligible to apply. A list of eligible organisations to apply to EPSRC is provided at: http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/funding/eligibilityforrcs/

EPSRC will only be inviting research projects that are submitted as part of a unified set of bids coordinated by the CPE following the workshop.

How to apply

Workshop: 14 November at The University of Nottingham, Jubilee Conference Centre.

To register your interest in attending the workshop to as an opportunity to network with the EPSRC Centre for Power Electronics Hub contacts and develop ideas for proposals, applicants will need to complete an application online. If demand for this workshop exceeds capacity, places will be allocated to ensure balance of institutional representation.

Full Bids (by invitation) Full bids must be submitted as part of a single, invited suite of applications, coordinated by the EPSRC Centre for Power Electronics, and should demonstrate that they meet one or more of the centre priorities, and that their activities will complement other proposals submitted for this bid.

Applicants are requested to submit the names of two international reviewers as part of their reviewer suggestions for this call.

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Submitting an application You should prepare and submit your proposal using the Research Councils’ Joint electronic Submission (Je-S) System (https://je-s.rcuk.ac.uk/).

When adding a new proposal, you should select:

• Council ‘EPSRC’

• Document type ‘Standard Proposal/Outline Proposal/Fellowship Proposal’

• Scheme ‘Standard/Outline/Advanced Research Fellowship/…’

• On the Project Details page you should select the ‘[call name]’ call.

Note that clicking ‘submit document’ on your proposal form in Je-S initially submits the proposal to your host organisation’s administration, not to EPSRC. Please allow sufficient time for your organisation’s submission process between submitting your proposal to them and the call closing date. EPSRC must receive your application by 16:00 on 31 January 2017.

Guidance on the types of support that may be sought and advice on the completion of the research proposal forms are given on the EPSRC website (https://www.epsrc.ac.uk/funding/howtoapply/) which should be consulted when preparing all proposals.

Guidance on writing an application Applicants should use the Ethical Information section on the Je-S form to demonstrate to peer reviewers that they have fully considered any ethical issues concerning the material they intend to use, the nature and choice, current public perceptions and attitudes towards the subject matter or research area. EPSRC will not fund a project if it believes that there are ethical concerns that have been overlooked or not appropriately accounted for. All relevant parts of the Ethical Information section must be completed. If the research will involve human participation or the use of animals covered by the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 it is recommended that applicants pay particular attention to the guidance highlighted below. EPSRC reserves the right to reject applications prior to peer review if the Ethical Information sections are not completed correctly.

Further guidance on completing the Je-S form can be found at https://je-s.rcuk.ac.uk/Handbook/pages/GuidanceonCompletingaStandardG/EthicalInformation.htm. Other relevant guidance includes: EPSRC’s policy on animal use in research (https://www.epsrc.ac.uk/about/standards/animalresearchpolicy/)and the Responsible Innovation Framework (https://www.epsrc.ac.uk/research/framework/).

Please note that on submission to EPSRC all non-PDF documents uploaded onto Je-S are converted to PDF, the use of non-standard fonts may result in errors or font conversion, which could affect the overall length of the document.

In addition, where non-standard fonts are present, and even though the converted PDF document may look unaffected in the Je-S System, when it is imported into the Research Councils Grants System some information may be removed. We therefore recommend that where a document contains any non-

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standard fonts (scientific notation, diagrams etc), the document is converted to PDF prior to attaching it to the proposal.

As part of their management plans, EPSRC encourage all grant applicants to consider equality and diversity in the design of their proposals. Please refer to RCUK statement of expectation for further guidance http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/funding/diversity/.

For advice on writing proposals see: https://www.epsrc.ac.uk/funding/howtoapply/preparing/

Assessment

Assessment process Expressions of interest for workshop attendance: If demand for this workshop exceeds capacity, places will be allocated to ensure balance of institutional representation.

Full proposals: For this call, EPSRC will only be accepted proposals invited as part of a suite of applications coordinated by the EPSRC Centre for Power Electronics. Proposals will be sent out to postal peer review, and will be interviewed by an external panel.

Note that EPSRC reserves the right to reject proposals at interview stage should they be of insufficient quality.

Assessment criteria The following criteria will be assessed both at postal peer review and interview stages.

Research Excellence (Primary)

Including:

• The novelty, relationship to the context, and timeliness of the proposal

• The ambition, adventure, and transformative aspects identified

• The appropriateness of the proposed methodology

Strategic & National Importance (Primary)

Including how the proposal:

• Contributes to, or helps maintain the health of other disciplines contributes to addressing key UK societal challenges and/or contributes to future UK economic success and development of the Power Electronics industry.

• Meets national needs by establishing/maintaining a unique world leading research activity in this area

• Complements other UK research already funded in Power Electronics, including activities within and outside the direct sphere of influence of the EPSRC Centre for Power Electronics.

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Impact

Including:

• How complete and realistic are the impacts identified for this work

• The effectiveness of the activities identified to help realise these impacts, including the resources requested for this purpose

• The relevance and appropriateness of any beneficiaries or collaborators

Applicant

Including:

• Appropriateness of the track record of the applicant(s)

• Balance of skills of the project team, including academic partners

Resources and Management

Including:

• The effectiveness of the proposed planning and management, including how considerations of interactions with the EPSRC Centre for Power Electronics have been factored in.

• Whether the requested resources are appropriate and have been fully justified.

• The viability of any arrangements described to access equipment needed for this project, and the viability of any university or third party contribution.

Feedback Post-interview feedback will be available to applicants as part of this call.

Guidance

Guidance for reviewers EPSRC will provide reviewers with call background information. Information about the EPSRC peer review process and guidance for reviewers can be found at: https://www.epsrc.ac.uk/funding/assessmentprocess/review/

Additional grant conditions In addition to the standard terms and conditions for grants, successful applicants will be required to demonstrate engagement with the EPSRC Centre for Power Electronics Hub, and participate in reporting requirements. A grant condition will be included to this effect.

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Key dates

Activity Date

Deadline to register for workshop 31 October 2016

Workshop hosted by EPSRC Centre for Power Electronics

14 November 2016

Deadline for Full Proposals 31 January 2017

Interview Panel 19 April 2017

Grant start date Summer 2017

Contacts • Vicki Marshall, EPSRC Engineering Theme (vicki.marshall@epsrc.ac.uk -

01793 444066)

• Ellie Gilvin, EPSRC ICT Theme (ellie.gilvin@epsrc.ac.uk - 01793 444260)

• Kate Bowman, EPSRC Energy Theme (kate.bowman@epsrc.ac.uk - 01793 444099)

Change log

Name Date Version Change

Ellie Gilvin 23/9/16 1 N/A

Ellie Gilvin 15/12/16 2 Date changes: Deadline updated from 17 to 31 Jan 2017, Interview date moved from 18 to 19 April.

Je-S attachments Check List Full proposals should include the following attachments:

Attachment Type

Maximum Page length

Mandatory/Optional Extra Guidance

Case for Support 8 pages Mandatory Comprising up to two A4 sides for a track record, and six A4 sides describing proposed research and its context.

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Pathways to Impact

2 pages Mandatory

Workplan 1 page Mandatory

Justification for Resources

2 pages Mandatory

CVs 2 pages each As Required For named and visiting researchers, and researcher co-investigators only.

Project Partner Letters of Support

No page limits As Required Must be included from all named project partners. Must be on headed paper, and be signed and dated within six months of the proposal submission date.

Letters of Support

No page limits As Required In exceptional circumstances a maximum of three letters can be submitted.

Equipment Quotes

No page limits As required

Equipment Business Case

2 pages each As required Required for any items or combined assets with a value above the OJEU limit.

Technical assessment

No page limit As required

Proposal Cover Letter

No page limit As required The cover letter can be used to highlight any important information to EPSRC. This attachment type is not seen by

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reviewers or panel members.

Other attachment No page limit As required This can be used for a document that does not fit under any of the headings above. This attachment type is not seen by reviewers or panel members.

Please ensure you adhere to the above attachment requirements when submitting your proposal. Any missing, over length or unnecessary attachments may result in your proposal being rejected.