United States
The US is a research powerhouse and one of the UK’s top research collaborators. It is a priority partner under the UK Government’s International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF), signalling its strategic importance to the UK government, and potential opportunities for collaboration in DSIT priority areas (resilient planet; healthy people, animals and plants; transformative tech; tomorrow’s talent) and areas aligned to the UK’s Industrial Strategy.
UK-US Lead agency agreements
The primary funding mechanism to support research with the United States is UKRI's lead-agency agreement. This provides funding to support UK-US collaboration, offering academics the chance to submit joint proposals to one funding agency, either NSF in the US, or UKRI in the UK, depending on where the majority of the research lies. This is not new money for research, and in the UK applicants are assessed as part of standard responsive mode calls by their respective research councils e.g. AHRC, NERC, EPSRC. You can find more information on the University's staff intranet: funding research with the United States.
US National Institutes of Health (NIH)
UK academics can apply for funding on certain National Institutes of Health (NIH) programmes where the project demonstrates ‘special opportunities for furthering research programs through the use of unusual talent, resources, populations or environmental conditions in other countries that are not readily accessible in the United States, or that augment existing U.S. resources.’ Read the 'Information for Foreign Grants' on the NIH website.
UKRI project co-lead (international)
UKRI’s project co-lead (international) policy allows international collaborators to be costed into grants at up to 30% of the total cost of the project. You should check the call guidelines of the call you are applying to for confirmation of this.
Academic Exchange
The Royal Society runs an annual scheme to support new research collaborations with academics overseas. See the International Exchanges website for detailed guidelines on this opportunity, including specific 'Global rounds' for collaboration with the US.
US Philanthropy
There are a number of Trusts and Foundations, based in the US, who fund research. They do not usually accept unsolicited proposals, but you can learn more about what they do fund here:
US Trusts and Foundations (docx), File DownloadFurther reading
Learn more about UK-US joint research priorities in the UK Science and Innovation Network Summary
Get additional tips on applying for NSF-EPSRC funding.