Fire Engineering Scholarships Programme FAQs

HEIs will need to declare if they’ve received funds, or have applied/are applying for funds, from other sources for similar work/facilities/equipment to that covered in their application to the Academy and/or EPSRC. HEIs cannot apply for funds that cover the same work, so you will need to withdraw from this or the other application if you are successful for both. 

Academy funding: No, both single HEI and consortium applications are welcome. An HEI can apply both individually and as part of a consortium if the funding covers different work. 

EPSRC funding: Yes, a consortium must be a minimum of two HEIs. We encourage more than two HEIs per consortium, as this will support the broad foundation of knowledge and skills outlined in the Fire Engineers Advisory Panel’s Authoritative Statement.

If the application is being submitted as part of a consortium, only the lead HEI representative can complete and submit the application form on behalf of the whole consortium.  The consortium lead may also apply as a single HEI. 

Identification of the consortium lead should not be interpreted as recognition as the dominant partner or where most scholarships will be provided.

Further detail on what a consortium should consist of and how it should be managed can be found in the ‘What we are looking for’ section of the Funding opportunity listed on the UKRI funding finder. 

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) may decide to make awards to more than one consortium but is not looking to award to more than two.

Academy funding: The Academy has published a comprehensive Essential Application Guidance Document on the How to Apply section above. It is expected that all applicants will download a copy of these guidance notes, which will support the applicant through all stages of the application process, from setting up an account to completing the questions, to finally submitting an application. 

No, HEIs can choose to apply to either the Academy funding, or the EPSRC funding, or both.

Academy funding: No, you can just apply for MSc scholarship places, or you can apply for promotion and marketing of the MSc scholarships and/or future fire engineering talent strands. You do not need to apply for all three strands. 

EPSRC funding: Yes. There are three parts to the skills and training provided by this funding and consortia applicants must deliver all three parts: 

• a doctoral training programme to support the next generation of researchers in fire engineering through a cohort based, highly tailored training programme 
• the development of taught postgraduate (level 7 or equivalent) development programmes for the fire engineering community with innovative modes of study to cater for a range of audiences 
• the development of level 7 or equivalent fire engineering continuing professional development training for the wider fire engineering community and adjacent professions wishing to upskill or re-train into fire engineering 

For HEIs in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, “level 7” qualifications refer to a master’s degree: What qualification levels mean: England, Wales and Northern Ireland - GOV.UK 

The equivalent level in Scotland is level 11, as described in the SCQF: Find your qualifications using our interactive diagram

Academy funding: During the application process, you have the flexibility to save your progress at any stage and return to the form whenever needed. This allows you to answer questions in any order, and if you prefer, you may skip certain sections and revisit them later. 

EPSRC funding: The Funding Service allows applicants to complete the application in stages and save as you go. The Lead institution will be responsible for completing the application on behalf of the consortium. It will be essential for internal coordination amongst the consortium to provide the detail required. 

Academy funding: If you have any questions, please contact [email protected]   

EPSRC funding: If you have any questions regarding the content of the funding opportunity, please Email: [email protected] 

Any queries regarding the system or the submission of applications through the Funding Service should be directed to the helpdesk. Email: [email protected]

• The Academy will manage the funding relating to full and part-time MSc scholarships, the HEI promotion and marketing fund for the scholarships, and HEI promotional work to enhance the recognition of fire engineering as a profession and attract more people into it, namely the Future Fire Engineering Talent fund. 
• EPSRC will manage the funding relating to taught postgraduate (level 7 or equivalent) development programmes, including continuing professional development and doctoral studentships using their Skills Hub model.

If your need is outside this remit, then it means that it is not covered by the funding made available by MHCLG. For example, the funding does not cover postdoctoral research, scholarships for undergraduate students or salaries for students’ internships in the fire engineering industry.  

The funding does not cover the costs of the supervision of MSc dissertations or doctoral research, nor does it cover the purchase of equipment, software or capital funding whose sole purpose is for research or consultancy work. The EPSRC funding can, however, cover equipment, software or labs to be used as part of the delivery of level 7 or equivalent credit-bearing taught programmes that will prepare students for fire engineering practice (in the limit of £400K per consortium). 

If you are unsure about the scope of any funding, please contact the delivery partner with the appropriate funding available for your area of need. We also encourage you to attend one of the two live webinars during which we will answer queries relating to this programme of funding. Note these will be identical, so you only need to attend one of the webinars. The slides and a recording will be available after the second webinar.

Webinar dates 

• Wednesday 16th September 2026 from 14:00 – 15:30 (link to register) 
• Tuesday 29th September 2026 from 10:00 – 11:30 (link to register)  

A joint panel of up to seven invited experts, including experts in fire engineering from both industry and academia, will review applications made to both the Academy and EPSRC. They will review applications according to published assessment criteria that can be found within the Academy’s essential application guidance document, which can be downloaded from the ‘How to Apply’ section of the scheme webpage and on the EPSRC portal. No panellist will review an application where there is a conflict of interest.  

Academy funding: decisions will be based solely on the written applications. 

EPSRC funding: a sifting process may occur if more than 5 applications are received. The selected consortia will then be invited for interview during which the panel will ask questions regarding their proposed consortium. Applications will be ranked by the panel based on their written applications and the interview. 

The standard format of an EPSRC interview consists of applicants being invited to give a short 5-minute verbal presentation (no slides). There will then be a 45-minute Q&A session with the panel, which will cover the published assessment criteria. The interview will last 50 minutes. Interviewee guidance will be provided in advance. 

This will depend on the strength of applications received this year. There will only be a second round of applications if the successful applications in 2026 do not cover the totality of the funding allocated to this programme.

Yes, the panel will consider applications on their respective merits. If several applications meet the requirements on equal footing, the funder may choose to split the funding, meaning that applicants will not receive as much of the funding as they applied for.

As per Academy and EPSRC processes, there is no appeal process for either of the funding strands. Feedback will be provided for unsuccessful applicants only if requested.

Academy funding: Applications can be returned to applicants upon request prior to the submission deadline, for resubmission by the same deadline. Please contact [email protected] to request that an application be returned, providing the application reference number. 

EPSRC funding: Applications once submitted cannot be amended. Please ensure your application is complete before submitting.

We encourage applicants to demonstrate their links with the fire engineering sector (public or private). You may give some examples of industry links, but this is not mandatory, nor does it have to be an exhaustive list. 

The development of new, or updating of existing, taught level 7 programmes in the area of fire engineering, as defined by the Fire Engineers Advisory Panel’s Authoritative Statement. Various modes of delivery are welcome (in-person, blended or online), to accommodate for diverse audiences, e.g. newcomers into the profession, those with some experience in fire engineering but lacking qualifications, those in cognate disciplines (e.g. structural engineering) wishing to retrain. 

These programmes would need to be credit-bearing and include students’ assessment. They could be short e.g. 20 credit-module, PG Cert, PG Dip, as well as full taught Master's.

This funding can cover the work on modules or units that will be used for other level 7 or equivalent programmes.

A comprehensive list of eligible and ineligible activities for this funding strand is provided in Section 4 of the Academy’s Essential Application Guidance Document published on the How to Apply section above. Eligible activities include a wide range of awareness-raising activities that promote fire engineering to several identified groups, and include things such as internships, research placements in HEIs, and staff time related to the development of CPD and short courses (that are not Level 7 or Level 11 in Scotland), for example.

This list, and that provided in the guidance document, are not exhaustive, and we would be looking to the HEIs to demonstrate creativity and innovation in their approaches to this strand of funding. 

Academy funding: Applicants will be required to provide a detailed justification of the funds being requested for the Promotion and Marketing of MSc Scholarships and activities they intend to deliver under the Future Fire Engineering Talent strands of funding. In the final part of the application form, Total Funding Requested, applicants must complete a costings template summarising all funding requested, included the MSc scholarships themselves, and submit this with their application. Full instructions on how to complete these sections is provided in Section 9 of the Academy’s Essential Application Guidance Document published on the How to Apply section above. 

EPSRC funding: Applicants will be required to complete a costings template and submit this with their application.  They will need to indicate the number of doctoral students they propose to train, and the costs associated with that training. They will also need to include the funds they are requesting to cover the level 7 (or equivalent) programme development. Within the Costs application question on their application, they should provide a description of what those costs will be used for.

The funding covers the period from January 2027 to the end of March 2029. You may not claim for work that has been carried out before the grant award winners are announced. 

The funding must cover work that will happen and be completed by the end of March 2029, except for students’ scholarships. 

For doctoral and master’s students’ scholarships and fees, students must have started their studies by 1st February 2029 at the very latest, and the funding will be allocated to cover the whole duration of their studies. For example, if a student starts an MSc in Fire Engineering on 1st September 2028 on a two-year part-time basis, the funding will cover their university fees and living costs until the end of August 2030. 

The data will be shared with MHCLG and with review panel members who will have signed a confidentiality agreement. The data will not be made public.  Details on data handling are covered in the respective funding portals.

Yes. The Fire Engineers Advisory Panel’s Authoritative Statement. outlines that a competent fire engineer needs strong technical knowledge and the ability to work across disciplines with an understanding of core architectural and engineering principles. To support the entrance of suitable individuals, the below requirement should be set for student applicants: 

1.          Completed a minimum 2:1 honours bachelor's degree in engineering (BEng) or equivalent qualification and grade in a relevant engineering or scientific discipline. The degree must be accredited by the Engineering Council or an equivalent body. 

Or 

2.          Completed an integrated master's (MEng) or equivalent qualification in a relevant engineering or scientific discipline. The degree must be accredited by the Engineering Council or an equivalent body. 

All scholars will need to be UK-domiciled (i.e. living in the UK on a permanent basis), eligible to pay UK home fees, and study in the UK campus of the HEI they are registered at, not any satellite campuses abroad.  

Yes. Applicants should have completed an integrated master's (MEng) or and MSc or equivalent qualification in a relevant engineering or scientific discipline. The degree must be accredited by the Engineering Council or an equivalent body. 

Students will mostly have UK home fee status (70% of the funding) but up to 30% can be overseas students, though they will need to reside in the UK while completing their doctoral training and study at the UK campus of the HEI they are registered at, not at a satellite campuses abroad. 

No, students will need to reside in the UK during their MSc or doctoral training. For MScs, they will need to be “UK residents” (pay UK fees). For doctoral training, we will fund a small proportion of “international” fee students (c. 30% of the total number of doctoral students) 

The EPSRC funding opportunity includes some possible doctoral research topics. These are indicative and other research topics in Fire Engineering are welcome. 

Yes. The Academy funding is available solely for places on level 7 MSc taught programmes preparing for Fire Engineering practice. It does not apply to MRes or MEng. 

If your level 7 programme development work (EPSRC strand of the funding) includes modules or units to be used not only for an MEng or MRes but also as part of a taught MSc or its component (e.g. PGCert, PGDip), then the funding can cover the design and development of these modules and units, but not the award itself. 

Funding is available to support master’s programme(s) in fire engineering which align with the Fire Engineers Advisory Panel’s Authoritative Statement of the knowledge and skills to be expected of a competent fire engineer.  This includes strong technical knowledge and the ability to work across disciplines with an understanding of core architectural and engineering principles. 

Applicants should ensure that graduates of master's programme(s) will have attained foundational scientific and engineering knowledge alongside specific learning in fire engineering principles and practice including the development and stewardship of the fire safety strategy, ethical professional conduct, fire dynamics, prevention, human behaviour, building structures, systems and operations, fire-fighting needs, and good analytical and communication skills. 

For level 7 programme development, you should also explain how your provision will align with the direction of reform for the profession, including: 

• Specialist fire engineering teaching capacity with recognition given to government’s commitment the fire safety strategy is the central, protected function of the profession; 
• Emphasis on the ethical practice fundamental to ensuring life safety; 
• Demonstrable fire engineering research capability sufficient to support research-led teaching, dissertation supervision, and engagement with emerging fire safety challenges, including the ability to contribute to the future development of the profession; 
• Assessment of students’ ability to apply fire engineering knowledge to realistic design, risk and regulatory scenarios; 
• Evidence that students develop skills necessary to work effectively within multidisciplinary design, construction and regulatory environments 
• Clear routes towards accreditation or professional recognition; 
• Meaningful links with industry, professional bodies, and the fire sector; 
• Credible plans for financial sustainability including plans beyond the funding period; and 
• Evidence that provision will widen access across geography, career stage (including accessibility for those in work), and student background. 

Applicants will be informed of the outcome of both strands of the funding in w/c 14 December 2026.

Yes. 

Academy funding: a list of successful applicants will be published on the scheme pages of the Academy’s website and announced via a news release in January 2027 once contracting is complete. 

EPSRC funding: UKRI publishes details of the awards it has funded on  Gateway to Research.  

If successful, the Academy will contract with the lead HEI who will be responsible for the monitoring and reporting on behalf of the consortium. Funds will be paid to the lead HEI who will be responsible for distributing funds to consortium members.

Successful applicants may publicise their award(s) once they have received and signed formal offer letters from the relevant funding body.

You / your consortium can start spending the funds allocated as soon as you have been informed of the funding available. The funding covers the period from January 2027 until the end of March 2029. You should keep a record of spending to demonstrate your spending, which you will provide as evidence to the funding provider/s. 

All funds should be spent by the end of March 2029, except for students’ scholarships.