The CHEDDAR Telecoms Hub invites proposals from new partners to participate in a Sandpit for seed funding in Next Generation Telecoms Research. The purpose of this call is to build new Hub relationships and to support the initiation of longer-term collaborative activities among the UK academic telecommunications research community and this work is expected to be undertaken jointly with user partners.

The deadline for this call for sandpit proposals is 25th April 2025 with no extensions.

Funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) through Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), this second phase of the CHEDDAR funding is eligible to new PIs from universities that have not been funded by the CHEDDAR Hub previously.

Topics of interest are (but not limited to):

  • Native AI innovation in Open RAN or Core Network
  • Privacy and Security of Joint Sensing and Communications, Integrated Sensing and Communications Systems.
  • Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces for enhanced communications and/or sensing performance.
  • Aligned with 6G standardization maps or articulate clearly a Beyond 6G vision that is accepted by some parts of the industrial community.
  • Digital twins for wireless communications and networks.
  • Proposals should align with the work of CHEDDAR see (https://cheddarhub.org/)

We aim to confirm acceptance by 5th May 2025. The sandpit will be held in London and run on Friday 23rd May 2025. Due to group dynamics and continual evaluation, it is not possible to dip in and out of the process. Participants must join the sandpit in person and stay for the whole duration of the event.

Sandpit funding totals £400k and will not be spread evenly across participants: a variety of outcomes are possible, ranging from a single large research project to several smaller projects, feasibility studies, networking activities, and so on.  Outcomes are not predetermined but are defined during the sandpit. Evaluation of proposals will be carried out by stakeholders not formally belonging to the Federated Telecoms Hub (including CHEDDAR) and only checked for fit to programme by CHEDDAR.

Funding is subject to the usual EPSRC rules and eligibility and expenditure, and project work must be completed by 31st Mar 2026. 

To submit please complete the form below. Your proposal will be sent directly to j.mccann@imperial.ac.uk for review.