STFC’s Resource Allocation Committee puts out an annual invitation to the UK theory and modelling communities in astronomy and cosmology, astrophysics, solar system physic, particle astrophysics, particle physics and nuclear physics to apply for computational resources on the DiRAC HPC Facility.
There is no current call for proposals. Details for previous calls can be found below for record.
Each new Call for full Proposals is widely advertised amongst All DiRAC Users, through STFC’s mailing lists and via DiRAC’s social media channels. DiRAC welcomes applications from Early Career Researchers. Seedcorn applications can be made at any time, the information for which can be found in the tab above.
16th
DiRAC Resource Allocation Committee Facility Time Opportunity: RAC18
The DiRAC Resource Allocation Committee facility time opportunity (RAC18) is now open. The UK theory and modelling communities in astronomy and cosmology, astrophysics, solar system physics, particle astrophysics, particle physics and nuclear physics are invited to apply for computational resources on the STFC DiRAC HPC Facility.
The deadline for submission of proposals is Thursday 18th September 2025 at 16:00 UK time. The submission process is as follows:
Applicants may discuss their request for resources with the DiRAC RSE Team in advance by emailing DiRAC support (dirac-support@epcc.ed.ac.uk) and adding the heading ‘RAC 18 technical enquiry’ into the subject of the email.
The RSE application form and guidance can be found on the UKRI Funding Finder under the Additional info section. Applicants are strongly encouraged to discuss RSE requests with the RSE team in advance of the closing date via email: dirac-support@epcc.ed.ac.uk.
Please visit the UKRI website for full information regarding The new Funding Service including videos to show how to use the system.
No single application can request more than 80% of the availability of a DiRAC machine within a given year. Availability figures are provided in the guidance notes at annex 1, which can be found on the UKRI Funding Finder. Please note the availability figures are provisional, and the resources which are allocated may be lower depending on confirmation of the levels of systems availability.
Applicants should ensure they are aware of and follow any internal institutional deadlines that may be in place for the submission of their proposal. These deadlines may be similar to those for standard grant applications and it is the applicant’s responsibility to confirm this, as they may be significantly earlier than the STFC submission deadline of Thursday 18th September 2025 16:00 UK time.
Successful awards will be scheduled to begin on 1st April 2025.
Please be aware that applications will not be reviewed by external reviewers, therefore there will be no applicant response process.
STFC welcomes applications from Early Career Researchers.
Applicants are strongly advised to read the RAC guidance notes and information available on the UKRI Funding Finder under the Additional info section.
Enquiries:
Enquiries should be directed as follows:
Phone lines are open:
Monday to Thursday 8:30am to 5:00pm Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm
16th
The call is now closed.
Proposals for Short and Thematic projects will not be accepted unless both a scientific application has been submitted via the UKRI Funding Service and a technical application has been submitted to DiRAC.
Please refer to the UKRI Funding Finder for full instructions on how to submit proposals.
Applicants are encouraged to visit the UKRI website to see information regarding the new funding service including videos to show how to use the system.
Applicants should ensure they are aware of and follow any internal institutional deadlines that may be in place for the submission of their proposal. These deadlines may be similar to those for standard Je-S grant applications and it is the applicant’s responsibility to confirm this, as they may be significantly earlier than the STFC submission deadline.
Successful awards will be scheduled to begin on 1st April 2025.
STFC welcomes applications from Early Career Researchers.
No single application can request more than 80% of the availability of a DiRAC machine within a given year. Availability figures are provided in the guidance notes at annex 1, which can be found on the UKRI Funding Finder. Please note the availability figures are provisional, and the resources which are allocated may be lower depending on confirmation of the levels of systems availability.
Applicants are strongly advised to read the RAC guidance notes and information available on the UKRI Funding Finder under the Additional info section.
The submission process is the same as last year (RAC16), via the new UKRI Funding Service (TFS) as follows:
Scientific proposals for Short and Thematic projects must be submitted using The new UKRI Funding Service (TFS), the replacement for Je-S. This will cover the information which in previous facility time opportunities (calls) would have been provided as part of the scientific application form, scientific case for support, and the project management and data management plans which were submitted as separate attachments via email to STFC.
Applicants are no longer required to submit documents via email to STFC; any documents sent to STFC via email will not be accepted. Proposals must be submitted by the closing date.
A technical proposal form for Short and Thematic projects must be completed and sent directly to DiRAC via email: dirac-support@epcc.ed.ac.uk by the closing date. The technical form can be found on the UKRI Funding Finder. Applicants may discuss their request with the DiRAC RSE Team in advance of submitting a technical case by emailing DiRAC support (dirac-support@epcc.ed.ac.uk) and adding the heading ‘RAC 17 technical enquiry’ into the subject of the email.
Applicants requesting Research Software Engineer (RSE) support must complete the RSE application form and send it directly to DiRAC via email: dirac-support@epcc.ed.ac.uk by the closing date. The RSE application form and guidance can be found on the UKRI Funding Finder. Applicants are strongly encouraged to discuss RSE requests with the RSE team in advance of the closing date.
16th
Proposals for both short and thematic projects are accepted. Applicants must submit both a scientific application via the UKRI Funding Service and a technical application directly to DiRAC in order to be considered. In addition, applicants requesting Research Software Engineer (RSE) support must complete the RSE application form and return it to DiRAC. More information on how to submit these applications can be found below.
For the 16th call, there is now a new submission process which can be found below:
For each Call, the RAC produces a set of documentation that includes a number of forms that every applicant must complete. The RAC also provides a comprehensive set of guidance notes.
Please note that all applicants must submit a technical case (technical application form) otherwise a full proposal submission will not be accepted.
The Announcement, Forms and Guidance Notes for the 15th Call can be accessed at the links below are below.
For each Call the RAC produces a set of documentation that includes a number of forms that every applicant must complete. The RAC also provides a comprehensive set of guidance notes.
In addition to the scientific proposal application form, applicants must also submit a technical case (one per proposal) and an RSE Support application.
The Announcement, Forms and Guidance Notes for the 14th Call can be accessed at the links below are below.
14th Call for Proposals Webinars
The DiRAC RSE team is a group of Research Software Engineers who have experience and training in all areas of HPC and Research software engineering methods, tools and techniques. Their mission is to help research groups to achieve good levels of development, management and coding practise in their research software. The RSE team can provide help with code optimisation, porting, re-factoring and performance analysis. Applications for Research Software Engineering Support time can be made via the DiRAC annual RAC process.
For researchers who would like to get a feel for HPC, test and benchmark codes, or see what DiRAC resources can do for you before making a full application, an application can be made for seedcorn time. Existing users may also apply for seedcorn allocations to enable code development/testing on a service that is not currently part of their project allocation. You can apply for Seedcorn Time at any time.
The maximum allocation of seedcorn time will be 100,000 x86 core hours or 1,000 GPU hours. Your hours can be used at any time within three months from the date it is allocated. If you require a larger seedcorn allocation in order to carry out the necessary testing of your code, please contact the DiRAC Director to discuss your requirements.
An overview of the DiRAC hardware resources can be found here.
If you would like to apply please fill in this simple DiRAC Seedcorn application form and send it to diracseedcorn@jiscmail.ac.uk
You will need to provide your personal details, the codes that you intend to run and what libraries and tools are required for you to run the code, if known. We also would like to know what you intend to achieve with your allocation and of course which of the four DiRAC systems you would like to use.
You should be able to complete the form in around 15 minutes.
The decision process for Seedcorn applications is streamlined and should take no more that 1 week.
From time to time the DiRAC Director invites the UK theory and modelling communities in astronomy and cosmology, astrophysics, solar system physics, particle astrophysics, particle physics and nuclear physics to apply for discretionary allocations of computational resources. Discretionary time can also be applied for if you find you will be using your code at a larger scale than was previously requested in a full call for proposals.
Applications may be made at any time. For more information please email DiRAC’s Director, Mark Wilkinson, miw6@leicester.ac.uk
The Resource Allocation Committee (RAC) is responsible for overseeing the allocation process on DiRAC Resources, including compute time, storage and Research Software Engineering effort. Following an annual Call for Proposals, STFC’s Resource Allocation Committee (RAC) oversees time allocations. The RAC has two sub-panels, one for Particle Physics & Nuclear Physics and one for Astronomy and Cosmology, each of which consider proposals within their respective remits. A RAC meeting with representatives from both sub-panels then determines the overall allocation of DiRAC time across the whole portfolio of proposals.
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Title
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Name
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Host Institution
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Dr
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Katy Clough (Chair)
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Queen Mary University of London
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Prof
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Baojiu Li (Deputy Chair)
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Durham University
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Dr
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Miguel Bezares
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University of Nottingham
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Dr
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Rebecca Nealon
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University of Warwick
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Prof
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Radostin Simitev
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University of Glasgow
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Dr
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Dimitris Stamatellos
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University of Central Lancashire
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Dr
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Freeke van de Voort
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Cardiff University
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Dr
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Anna Lisa Varri
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University of Edinburgh
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Dr
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Vishnu Varma
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Keele University
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Dr
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Daniel Verscharen
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UCL
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Title
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Name
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Host Institution
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Prof
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Maurizio Piai (Chair)
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University of Swansea
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Prof
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Christopher Thomas (Deputy Chair)
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University of Cambridge
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Prof
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Christoph Englert
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University of Glasgow
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Dr
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Vera Guelpers
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University of Edinburgh
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Dr
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David Schaich
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University of Liverpool
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Dr
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Matteo Vorabbi
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University of Surrey
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For academics interested in playing a more active role in the UK’s research infrastructure, joining DiRAC’s Resource Allocation Committee (RAC) is a meaningful opportunity. The committee plays a vital part in shaping how computational resources are distributed to support leading-edge science across the country. In this conversation, Professor Rob Crain reflects on his six years of service—highlighting not only the impact RAC members have in shaping access to world-class computing resources, but also the personal and professional rewards of being involved. From influencing the direction of groundbreaking research to gaining unique insight into best practices, serving on the RAC is an opportunity to play an active role in advancing UK computational science.
