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EPSRC - Open Call for Tier-2 HPC Access

The information below is a brief overview of the application process and supporting information required for the EPSRC's call for open access to five of the UK's Tier-2 HPC Centres. Comprehensive guidance and documentation can be found on the EPSRC website by following links at the bottom of this page.

The Aim of the Call

The aim of this call is to provide researchers with access to our national Tier-2 HPC facilities for adventurous high-risk, high-reward projects that will benefit from the diversity of computing architecture available at Tier-2.

How to Apply

Application is a two-stage process. Stage 1 will see applicants submit a Technical Assessment to the contact at the centre they wish to use. Once the Technical Assessment is approved a more comprehensive application form needs to be submitted along with supporting documentation.

Stage 1

Technical Assessment forms will be reviewed at the Tier-2 Centre you have submitted your form to, this will be done by a technical reviewer such as a research software engineer.

Technical reviewers will offer feedback on the proposal and applicants should respond to these by amending the technical aspects of their forms. Once the technical reviewer is satisfied that their comments have been addressed the Technical Assessment will be approved and the form returned with sections 1 and 2 completed - as required for the full proposal stage. The deadline for these initial Technical Assessments is Thursday 17 October 2019 at 4pm.

Applicants should note that there will be a triaging committee as part of the stage 1 process, made up of representatives of each Tier-2 centre, the ARCHER Service Provider and EPSRC. This committee may decide that your proposal is better suited to a different centre and you will be notified and encouraged to submit an application to that centre. This is to help coordinate resource allocation across HPC centres in the UK.

Stage 2

The second stage of the process is based on an application form that can be downloaded from the EPSRC’s call page. The form gives applicants the space to outline their track record, associated resources, objectives, science case, resources management and pathway to impact.

Alongside the application form and approved Technical Assessment form, applicants will need to include a one-page diagrammatic work plan and an optional covering letter.

Applications to this call are not subject to postal peer review and will be reviewed and prioritised directly by a Resource Allocation Panel (RAP). There will be one RAP meeting at each Tier-2 Centre where proposals will be ranked in priority order for allocation.

The assessment criteria will be:

  • Scientific Quality (Primary)
  • Appropriateness and Technical Suitability (Secondary Major)
  • Applicant(s) (Secondary)
  • Pathways to Impact (Secondary)
  • Resources and Management (Secondary)

The closing date for application submissions is Thursday 31 October at 4pm. Panels will meet towards the end of November with successful projects starting in December or January 2019.

Further Information

Documentation for this call is available on the EPSRC website. Some basic information about the call and each of the participating centres can be seen here: https://epsrc.ukri.org/funding/calls/rapopenaccesstier2autumn2019/

The EPSRC’s Quick Reference guide to the application process can be found here: https://epsrc.ukri.org/files/funding/calls/2019/resource-allocation-panel-rap-open-access-to-tier-2-autumn-2019/

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