UKOMAIN Call for Proposals Round 2
For any questions regarding the call, please email us at omaib-ukomain-group@sheffield.ac.uk.
The UK Open Multimodal AI Network (UKOMAIN) invites proposals for the second funding call under the Open Multimodal AI Benchmark (OMAIB) initiative. OMAIB (pronounced “Oh-Maybe”) is a major implementation strategy of UKOMAIN to address Tomorrow’s Engineering Research Challenges (TERCs) systematically through open, interdisciplinary, and community-driven benchmarking. We define Multimodal AI broadly as the integration of any two or more types of data, not limited to text and images.
We expect this second round to fund up to 8 well-scoped, cost-effective research projects across a diverse range of domains and TERCs.
Online briefing: An online briefing was held on 11 March 2026 at the Second Multimodal AI Community Forum to highlight the key differences from the first round and answer community questions. Slides are shared above. Video recording now available.
This call is open to academic researchers based at UK institutions eligible for UKRI funding. Following the EPSRC individual eligibility guideline, fixed-term researchers (e.g. PDRAs) are also eligible as a PI if they can obtain support from their organisation (e.g., line manager approval) and the term of employment extends beyond the duration of the proposed research project. We strongly encourage applications from:
In addition to the typical eligibility above, proposals must meet the following scope expectations:
Round 1 funding call: The first round of the OMAIB call is available at https://multimodalai.github.io/omaib-r1/.
Projects funded in Round 1: Summaries of the four projects funded in the first round of the OMAIB call are available at https://multimodalai.github.io/omaib-projects/.
These questions were raised during the OMAIB Round 1 launch webinar on 11 July 2025. They cover common queries about the funding scope, eligibility, proposal process, and more. Click on a question below to view the answer.
Yes. There is no restriction on the number of proposals a PI may submit.
Yes. International collaborators, including researchers and industry partners outside of the UK, are welcome to participate. However, only UK-based applicants (PIs and Co-Is) and institutions are eligible to receive funding under this call.
PI or Co-I roles must meet EPSRC eligibility rules (see the call document). Visiting researchers who want to be a PI or Co-I must seek clarification and support from their line manager and institution (typically research office or equivalent).
PIs must meet EPSRC eligibility. Full-time PhD students cannot be PIs. Please refer to the EPSRC eligibility guidance in the call document for further details. For part-time PhD students, it depends on their employment status and institutional policies. However, they are welcome to contribute to the project as team members, either in partially funded (part-time) or unfunded roles.
They do not necessarily need to deliver something directly, but should be actively engaged and contribute meaningfully to the project. This could include providing data, resources, expertise, feedback, validation, or other technical input. Their involvement should enhance the project’s relevance and impact.
Industry partners are one type of stakeholder. Stakeholders can include any other relevant parties, such as policy makers, NGOs, or community groups.
Yes, indirect costs are eligible. Please refer to the call document for details on eligible costs.
Three rounds are planned in total.
No. The essential requirements outlined for EOI screening must be satisfied. Full proposals will then be assessed against a broader set of qualitative criteria listed in the call document. These are not numerically weighted but considered holistically in shortlisting and final decisions.
The eight TERC challenge domains are: Space, Transportation Systems, Materials, Health and Wellbeing, Robotics and AI, Responsible Engineering, Nature-based Engineering, and Global Engineering Solutions. Please refer to the Tomorrow’s Engineering Research Challenges document for more details.
It means engaging with the wider multimodal AI community, including researchers, practitioners, end users, and other stakeholders to shape your project and its outputs for maximum impact. This can involve sharing your work openly (e.g. on GitHub), engaging with the community through open discussions, and ensuring your project addresses real-world needs and challenges that are relevant and meaningful to them.
Yes, as long as it aligns with the call’s goals and demonstrates clear relevance to real-world applications. All proposals will be assessed based on the criteria outlined in the call document, including their potential impact and feasibility within the funding period.
For further details, please refer to the full call document provided above.
UKOMAIN is funded by EPSRC (UKRI396).