Application form for host sites for the Phase One of UKRI National Compute Resources (NCRs)

Application and assessment process

Applicants must provide answers to the questions in the form below. Answers should be submitted via the UKRI Engagement hub. We must receive your application by 31 October 2025 at 4:00pm UK time.

Please note that the information requested in this form is to enable assessment. Further clarifications and additional data may be requested by the panel, and by UKRI, before formal decisions are made.

It is intended that your application will be assessed in November 2025 by an independent panel of experts convened specifically for this hosting opportunity. Applicants should note that this process will include an interview stage, which will take place w/c 24 November 2025. Further details will be communicated in due course. UKRI reserves the right to vary the planned assessment process.

Please note that UKRI reserves the right to reject applications which do not meet the minimum criteria before the panel assessment stage.

Following interviews applicants will be scored and ranked by the panel.

In order to achieve the desired balance of compute provision, proposals will be placed into two streams: one for CPU-based architectures and one for heterogeneous architectures. These streams will be assessed according to the common criteria set out below but will be ranked against other applications in that stream.

The panel will make recommendations to the UKRI Digital Research Infrastructure programme, who will make the final decision on the preferred hosting sites.

Assessment criteria:

1. Capability to provide large-scale compute services and quality of service
   1. The host entity’s experience in delivering and providing high-quality large-scale compute services, in particular to non-local users.
   2. Leadership, and suitability of the team in facilitating high performance computing services that enable research and innovation, reaching and supporting new user communities and leading research communities in the adoption of new architectures.
   3. The capabilities of the host entity, with respect to delivering a secure and resilient service, connectivity, and support services, including embedding UKRI’s approach and principles to Trusted Research and Innovation.
   4. The host site should have or be demonstrably working towards gaining ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 within or the service lifetime.

2. Credibility of the hosting entity’s plans for procurement, commissioning and operations
   1. Whether the host site can deliver the minimum necessary site requirements to support their proposed national large scale compute system, with appropriate power, space, cooling, security, and supporting services.
   2. The credibility of the approach to commission the system to the required timeline, including realistic planning timetables that meet the required timeframe.
   3. The hosting entity’s proposed approach to managing delivery and operating risks.
   4. Future expansion potential, as the ambition is for these host sites to be invested in over the long term not just for one service cycle.
   5. The credibility of the approach to procuring a system of the required specification.

3. Value for money and sustainability
   1. The quality of the hosting entity’s proposed approach to minimising the environmental impact of the service, including the energy efficiency of the facility.
   2. The degree to which the proposal intends to ensure value for money for the duration of the service e.g. energy costs (per MW), CO2 emissions, support costs.
   3. The added value of the hosting entity’s contributions to the operation of the service; in-kind (e.g. existing support infrastructure) or real contributions such as new staff posts.