Planned procurement · Notice 091020-2026
RFI: AISI - Post-Award Research Grant Administration
- Value
- Value not stated
- Stage
- Early notice
- Where
- UK-wide
- Lots
- 1
- Suitable for SMEs
- Yes, says the buyer
- Contract
- 31 Dec 2026 – 1 Jan 2027
In plain English
This is a call for information (not a live tender) from DSIT's AI Security Institute, exploring whether an outside provider could handle the admin side of its research grants - things like paperwork, payments, monitoring and closing out grants - after awards are made. There's no contract on offer yet; any future work would likely go through the existing Fund Administration & Disbursement Services approved-supplier list (RM6322), so responding here doesn't guarantee any work.
Good fit for: Grant administration specialists or back-office finance/compliance firms experienced with research funding, including SMEs, who may want to also apply to join the RM6322 supplier list.
- This is a market information exercise only - no contract, value or deadline is set
- Any future procurement would likely run through the RM6322 Fund Administration & Disbursement Services DPS, so a listing on that list may be needed
- Responding to this RFI does not give any advantage in a future procurement
- Handling of overseas university grants and audit/counter-fraud controls is expected, which needs relevant experience
Written with AI from the official notice. Check the notice before relying on it.
What the buyer says
The Artificial Intelligence Security Institute (AISI), a directorate of the former Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), is seeking information from the market to help test the feasibility, deliverability, and commercial attractiveness of a proposed requirement for the AISI Grants Portfolio. The AISI funds external research through competitively awarded grant programmes. Awards are made to universities, research institutes and non-profit organisations. The Authority currently administers grants in-house and is considering whether a specialist delivery partner could provide all or part of the post-award administration function for future grant programmes. This Request for Information (RFI) is intended to inform the Authority's understanding of market capability and delivery models. This engagement does not constitute a procurement process and places no obligation on either the Authority or participating suppliers. The Authority's current portfolio comprises approximately: • £20m of live grant funding; • around 100 active grants; • individual grants ranging between £100,000 and £1,000,000; • typical grant durations of 6 to 24 months. Future programmes are expected to be broadly similar in nature, although scope, scale and delivery models may change. The grants are primarily research-focused and commonly involve: • UK universities; • overseas universities; • research organisations; • non-profit entities; • collaborative research projects. The Authority is seeking information on supplier capability to deliver post-award grant administration services. For the purposes of this engagement, "post-award" includes all activities following the Authority's funding decision, including due diligence activities conducted prior to execution of grant agreements. The…
Procedure: not stated. Published 25 Sep 2026.
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