Institution of Civil Engineers
At a glance
Key takeaways
- The Institution of Civil Engineers mostly gives scholarships and awards to individuals, so an organisation's most relevant route is its Research and Development Enabling Fund, which backs new and innovative civil engineering ideas and problems in design or construction.
- Grants to organisations in the annual report have typically fallen between £6,000 and £25,000, with a median of £25,000, and the fund is stated as up to £25,000, so a request within that range fits.
- Applications reopen in November and stay open until December, so plan the proposal around that window, email the completed application form to RDEfund@ice.org.uk, and expect a decision within one month of submission.
- Do not apply if your project is not of benefit to the ICE membership, since the institution excludes such projects.
- Check the current calls, which have focused on topics such as digital innovation, decarbonisation, flooding, sustainable infrastructure, and water and sanitation.
Overview
Institution of Civil Engineers is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 210252).
The Institution of Civil Engineers exists to foster and promote the art and science of civil engineering. It is a professional institution with 95,000 members and over 200 years of history. It awarded £184,000 in its latest reported year, and its grants are generally made to individuals as scholarships or awards from QUEST, Into Civil Engineering and Trust Funds. Its Research and Development Enabling Fund supports research in civil engineering.
What they fund
Priority Areas
The Institution of Civil Engineers generally does not make grants from its unrestricted funds; its grants are usually scholarships or awards for individuals. These include support for civil engineering students and members seeking voluntary work overseas, professional development, or new skills and knowledge. Its Research and Development Enabling Fund also gives grants for research in civil engineering to recipients in industry and academia. It is open to people working on projects that benefit ICE members and the infrastructure community, including members and non-members from across the industry spectrum. The fund backs new and innovative civil engineering ideas and problems in design or construction, with annual calls focused on topics for the engineering community, such as digital innovation, decarbonisation, flooding, sustainable infrastructure, and water and sanitation.
Themes
- Artificial intelligence
- Data and digital
- Decarbonisation
- Flooding
- Low-carbon energy
- Sustainable infrastructure
- Water and sanitation
Geographic Focus
The UK.
What they don't fund
- Projects that are not of benefit to the ICE membership
- QUEST Undergraduate Scholarship only: students who are not due to start the first year of a full-time degree course
- QUEST Technician Scholarship only: students who are not on further or higher education courses that could lead to becoming a qualified ICE technician member
- QUEST Continuing Education Award only: Graduates and professionally qualified members without over two years work experience
- QUEST Kenneth Watson Travel Award only:
- student members who are not studying in the UK
- student members who have not completed at least one year of study
- student members who do not want to travel abroad to take part in a civil engineering-related project
- QUEST Travel Award only: graduates or qualified members who are not looking to get experience abroad by working on a civil engineering project
How to apply
For organisational research grants, the Research and Development Enabling Fund is the relevant programme. Applicants email a completed application to RDEfund@ice.org.uk; the form explains what information the panel requires, and applications are assessed against the current calls and the likelihood of project delivery.
Deadlines: Applicants should submit proposals before the closing date of each call.
Application windows:
- Research and Development Enabling Fund: Reopens for applications in November; applications remain open until December
- QUEST Undergraduate Scholarship: Applications reopen in March
- QUEST Technician Scholarship: Applications are open until 13 November
- QUEST Continuing Education Award: Applications reopen in May
- QUEST Kenneth Watson Travel Award: Applications reopen in January
- QUEST Travel Award: Applications reopen in January
Who can apply:
- Research and Development Enabling Fund: The Fund is open to anyone working on projects for the benefit of our members and the infrastructure community, and at any stage in your career. We welcome those from across the whole industry spectrum, both ICE members and non-members - from engineers to academics, procurement and legal experts, to architects and surveyors.
What to send:
- Research and Development Enabling Fund: A completed application form.
Where they fund
Where it says it funds
- United Kingdom
Similar funders
Funders supporting work similar to Institution of Civil Engineers.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 9 grants in year to 31 December 2025 by size
Median £25,000 (year to 31 December 2025)
The largest grants to organisations in this funder’s latest annual report:
- Cardiff University · Digital assessment for the rejuvenation and reuse of infrastructure materials.£25,000year to 31 December 2025
- Expedition Engineering · Reversing/mitigating the impact of linear infrastructure on habitat fragmentation in the UK.£25,000year to 31 December 2025
- Liverpool John Moores University · Impact of Sedimentation Behind Weirs on Uncertainty in Flow Measurement.£25,000year to 31 December 2025
- Loughborough University · Assessment of stability of shallow foundation affected by erosion voids due to pipe leakage.£25,000year to 31 December 2025
- University College London · National Annexes for Eurocode 8: Is seismic design needed in the UK?£25,000year to 31 December 2025
- University of Birmingham · Fibre Optic-Based Monitoring System for Centrifuge Geotechnical Applications.£25,000year to 31 December 2025
- University of East London · Predictive Modelling of Road Settlement: A Machine Learning Approach Using Integrated Satellite and Sensor Data£24,000year to 31 December 2025
- Amcrete UK Limited · Concrete Decarbonisation Network and Index.£8,000year to 31 December 2025
Grant examples taken from the funder’s filed accounts. Not included above: 1 with no amount stated.
Five years of accounts
| Financial year | Income | Expenditure | Grants paid | Accounts document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| year to 31 December 2021 | £35,043,000 | £29,797,000 | £69,000 | Accounts for year to 31 December 2021 |
| year to 31 December 2022 | £40,403,000 | £37,386,000 | £118,000 | Accounts for year to 31 December 2022 |
| year to 31 December 2023 | £42,712,000 | £41,067,000 | £167,000 | Accounts for year to 31 December 2023 |
| year to 31 December 2024 | £43,050,000 | £46,551,000 | £184,000 | Accounts for year to 31 December 2024 |
| year to 31 December 2025 | £46,143,000 | £47,939,000 | £184,000 | Accounts for year to 31 December 2025 |
Income vs grants paid
IncomeGrants paid
Total value each financial year
Grants paid stayed within income across the 5 years shown.
- Grants paid, year to 31 December 2021; year to 31 December 2022; year to 31 December 2023; year to 31 December 2024: grants to institutions, as reported on the charity register (Part B).
- Grants paid, year to 31 December 2025: grants awarded in the year, as reported in the accounts.
Figures from the charity’s filed accounts and its register entry. The document icon links to the charity’s entry on the Charity Commission register, where its filed accounts can be found.
Sources
Registers and filings
Other sources
- ice.org.uk
- ice.org.uk/get-involved/awards-and-grants/research-and-development-enabling-fund · read on 31 October 2026
- ice.org.uk/get-involved/awards-and-grants/quest-scholarships · read on 31 October 2026
- ice.org.uk/contact-us · read on 31 October 2026
- ice.org.uk/download-centre/research-and-enabling-fund-application-form · read on 31 October 2026
- Annual report (year to 31 December 2025)
This profile draws on the funder’s own website as well as its filed accounts.
Sources last checked on 31 October 2026.
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At a glance
Applying to Institution of Civil Engineers?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- RDEfund@ice.org.uksource
- Institution of Civil Engineers One Great George Street Westminster London SW1P 3AAsource
- ice.org.uk
- Contact form
- Apply online
Applying to Institution of Civil Engineers?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- RDEfund@ice.org.uksource
- Institution of Civil Engineers One Great George Street Westminster London SW1P 3AAsource
- ice.org.uk
- Contact form
- Apply online