Physics of Life Strategic Priority Fund:
​Building Collaboration at the Physics of Life Interface

PoL SPF 'Building Collaborations at the Physics of Life Interface' was delivered by UKRI and Wellcome off the back of the momentum created and lobbying led by PoLNET, as well as investment in Technology Touching Life UK Research and Innovation: Technology Touching Life. The network was delighted that this resulted in a total of £33M of community investment divided across  two calls.​

Call One

The first of two calls from the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Physics of Life Strategic Priority Fund was made in December 2018 for April 2019 start dates (See: https://epsrc.ukri.org/files/funding/calls/2018/collaborationphysicsoflife/). The call seeked to support internationally leading research which required collaborative, interdisciplinary working to address key challenges at the interface of physics and the life sciences. The call of £15 m funded 7 high-quality, interdisciplinary research projects each 3 years in duration. Funded research projects were relevant to human, animal, plant or microbial systems and work within and across length scales, from molecules to complex organisms. These projects demonstrate deep integration of cutting edge experimental, theoretical and/or computational physics with life sciences research to advance our understanding of living systems in biological or biomedical contexts. The funded projects were announced in April 2019, see here:

Physics of Life funded projects Call One

The Physics of Life Strategic Priority Fund programme is a unique opportunity for researchers who are working, or looking to work, in a truly integrated manner at the interface of physics and the life sciences, under a mechanism designed to better facilitate interdisciplinary research in the new UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) landscape. A second funding call of similar scale will be announced in 2021, for April 2022 grant start dates (see below). The role of Physics of Life Network 3 is to facilitate new ideas and support new ways of working in preparation for this call.

Call Two

Nine new Physics of Life projects from Call Two have now been announced. To view these projects follow the link below: 

Physics of Life funded projects Call Two

Alongside this announcement an EPSRC blog, authored by Professor Stephen Smye, has been written to highlight research being undertaken as part of the Physics of Life Network 3 and four animations, that showcase impacts from projects funded through Call 1's Physics of Life Programme have been published. The animations have relevance to agriculture, antimicrobial resistance, bioinspired metamaterials and air pollution  demonstrating how cutting edge physics is unlocking new insights across multiple domains. The films feature a as a UKRI Highlight, see here: Unlocking the physics of life (ukri.org).​

Physics of Life SPF Call One Case Studies 

How moths inspired new soundproofing metamaterials

The Physics of Life Biological Metamaterials for Enhanced Noise Control Technology project is led by Professor Marc Holderied at the University of Bristol and Professor Richard Craster at Imperial College London.

How plants know when it's safe to flower?

This work is led by Professor Martin Howard, John Innes Centre. Professor Dame Caroline Dean, John Innes Centre. and Professor Mark Leake, University of York ​

How do antibiotics kill bacteria?

The Physics of Antimicrobial Resistance study is led by Professor Jamie Hobbs and Professor Simon Foster at the University of Sheffield.

How air pollution affects our cells and health?
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The Physics of Life project Health assessment across biological length scales for personal pollution exposure and its mitigation (INHALE ) is a multidisciplinary research project, led by Professor Christopher Pain and Professor Fan Chung.