At a Glance
- Tasks: Access cutting-edge supercomputers for AI product development and research.
- Company: Join a collaborative initiative backed by UK Research and Innovation.
- Benefits: Gain access to 20,000 GPU hours for your innovative projects.
- Other info: No funding available; focus on rapid project development.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in AI while working with top-tier technology.
- Qualifications: Open to researchers from UK-registered micro, small, and medium businesses.
The predicted salary is between 30000 - 50000 £ per year.
Opportunity status: Open
Funders: UK Research and Innovation
Funding type: Other
Publication date: 18 August 2025
Opening date: N/A
Closing date: Open - no closing date
Last updated: 23 September 2025
This access route supports early-stage development of artificial intelligence (AI) products prior to market launch. Eligible research and development activities include:
- feasibility studies
- industrial research
- experimental development
Each project can access 20,000 graphics processing unit (GPU) hours on the Isambard-AI and Dawn AI Research Resource (AIRR) supercomputers, to be used within three months of project start. No funding is available to successful applicants. Your organisation must be a UK registered business and have a Companies House registration number.
Who can apply
This opportunity is open to eligible researchers from UK registered micro, small or medium-sized businesses across the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) remit. To be a project lead, you must have a contract (of longer duration than your proposed project) with your organisation. Your organisation must have a Companies House registration number. There is no limit to the number of applications from any one organisation. We welcome collaborative projects; however, this route is not aimed at large research programmes.
Equality, diversity and inclusion
We are committed to achieving equality of opportunity for all applicants. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and are committed to making our application process accessible to everyone.
What we’re looking for
The Rapid Access route, aimed at start-ups and small and medium enterprises, allows for small amounts of compute that can be secured quickly, with a minimum amount of friction. This is to allow them to conduct research and development activities at short notice and respond rapidly to market opportunities. This route is open to any eligible business; however, we are particularly keen to hear from projects that contribute to delivering against the government’s five missions:
- growing the economy
- an NHS fit for the future
- safer streets
- opportunity for all
- making Britain a clean energy superpower
This route covers activities that fall into the following categories:
- feasibility studies
- industrial research
- experimental development
Resources available
Each application can request 20,000 GPU hours on either of the AIRR services, Dawn or Isambard-AI. The GPU hours must be used within three months of the project being awarded. Projects may specify a preferred start date up to one month after submitting their application. While we will make every effort to honour this request, compute resources will be made available immediately upon project approval. The project start date will not be able to be deferred once the award is made. Project extensions can only be requested on a case-by-case basis and under exceptional circumstances. This application process is purely for compute resource. No funding is available to successful applicants.
Trusted research and innovation (TR&I)
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is committed to ensuring that effective collaboration in research and innovation takes place with integrity and within strong ethical frameworks. TR&I is a UKRI work programme designed to help protect all those working in our thriving and collaborative international sector by enabling partnerships to be as open as possible, and as secure as necessary. Our guidelines set out UKRI’s expectations of projects awarded through this route in relation to due diligence for UK and international collaboration.
Subsidy control and state aid where applicable
All AIRR access routes provide awards in line with the Subsidy Control Act 2022.
How to apply
You can use the AIRR Portal to apply to use AIRR. If your application does not follow this guidance, it may be rejected. General guidance on using the AIRR Portal can be found at: Before submitting, it is the lead applicant’s responsibility to ensure that:
- all information provided in the application is accurate
- all project information details requested have been provided
- the application meets the eligibility and scope criteria for the chosen access route
- the application contains the additional documents requested in the guidance (templates for the documents to be uploaded are available on the AIRR Portal)
Processing personal data and data sharing
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) will need to collect some personal information to manage your application. We will handle personal data in line with UK data protection legislation and manage it securely. For more information, including how to exercise your rights, read our privacy policy. UKRI will need to share the application and any personal information that it contains with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) so that they can participate in the assessment process.
How we will assess your application
Rapid Access applications will be subject to a light touch review by a member of the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) delivery team. The aim is that this will be done on a weekly cadence, with a maximum time-to-resource-access of two weeks after the date of submission. The UKRI and DSIT delivery team will use the following assessment criteria:
- are the project objectives in scope for the AIRR programme?
- has the project demonstrated that access to AIRR would add value to the project?
- have any concerns been raised regarding the project compliance information?
We reserve the right to modify the assessment process as needed.
Contact details
Contact us to ask for guidance.
Additional info
Background: The AIRR programme intends to address the significant shortage of publicly available computing resources in the UK. In January 2025 the government announced expanding AIRR capacity by at least 20 times by 2030. The government has committed to spending an extra £1 billion to scale up our compute power by a factor of 20, giving Britain the power to become an AI leader. AIRR is a partnership between:
- UK government
- UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)
- University of Cambridge
- University of Bristol
- Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)
- Nvidia
- Intel
- Dell
AIRR compute clusters
The government is investing significantly in the Isambard-AI and Dawn AIRR clusters and will have invested over £350 million by 2030.
Isambard-AI (University of Bristol)
The Isambard-AI facility is the UK’s most powerful public compute facility. It is made up of 5,448 Nvidia GH200 Grace-Hopper superchips (supplied by HPE) and operated by the University of Bristol at Bristol’s National Composites Centre.
Dawn (University of Cambridge)
The Cambridge Dawn facility is made up of 1,024 Intel Data Centre GPU Max 1550 GPUs. It is a close partnership between Cambridge, Intel and Dell at the Cambridge Open Zettascale Lab.
Supporting documents
Guidance on how to apply to the Rapid Access route:
Updates 23 September 2025: Updated 'Description', 'Resources available', 'Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I)' and 'How to apply' sections.
Isambard-AI and Dawn AIRR supercomputers: Rapid Access route in Swindon employer: NERC - the Natural Environment Research Council
As a leading initiative under UK Research and Innovation, we offer an exceptional work environment that fosters innovation and collaboration among researchers from micro, small, and medium-sized businesses. Our commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion ensures that all voices are heard, while our rapid access to cutting-edge supercomputing resources empowers employees to drive impactful AI research and development. Join us in a culture that values creativity and responsiveness to market opportunities, all within the vibrant academic landscapes of Bristol and Cambridge.
Contact Details:
NERC - the Natural Environment Research Council Recruitment Team
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