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Published 14 Oct 2025, 16:05 BST

Official UK procurement notice

AI Scientist Call · UK public procurement notice

Official notice

Authority: Advanced Research and Invention Agency (Central government)

ServicesCompetitive flexible procedureAbove thresholdSME suitableVCSE suitable
Sectors: Research & Development (R&D) (73) Delivery: Delivery location not published
Published estimate£417,000≈ £556k / year · £500,000 inc. VAT
Submissions closed 14 Nov 2025
Contract term 9 moends 30 Sept 2026 · extension options published · starts 1 Jan 2026

What is being bought

Published requirement description

To help guide and shape how ARIA thinks about AI Scientists, we are inviting proposals for a series of short exploratory projects, to be undertaken using AI Scientists. We are specifically looking for AI systems that are able to perform the full end-to-end workflow of scientific knowledge creation. This call will be backed by up to £3M and targets awards of up to £500K with a maximum duration of 9 months

  • How the procedure runs: See call document on https://www.aria.org.uk/ai-scientist/funding

CPV: Research services

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · value published
Lot #1 9 moSMEVCSEPublished value£417,000
Contract period: 1 Jan 2026 – 30 Sept 2026 (9 mo)Value: £417,000 exc. VAT · £500,000 inc. VAT
Eligibility: SME eligibleVCSE eligible
Extensions: Ability to extend for additional months
73110000 Research services

What it takes to win
i

How this buyer will score bids.

The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).

Evaluation split and conditions of participation as published; the tender pack may add more
How bids were scored
  • AI Scientist System Capability & Automation
  • Ambition, Clarity, and Suitability of the Research Problem
  • Value for ARIA's Learning and Future Strategy
  • Cost

Procedure terms & legal framework

From the official record
Procedure method
Competitive flexible procedure
Legal basis
UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
Procurement category
Services
Notice status
Closed
Procurement threshold
Above threshold (FTS publication)
Regulatory regime
Standard
Commercial structure
Stand-alone contract (no framework)
Competition type
Competitive procedure
GPA / WTO covered
Unspecified in notice
Recurring procurement
Unspecified in notice
First published
14 Oct 2025, 16:05 BST
Last source update
14 Oct 2025, 16:05 BST
Award evaluation window
Submission end – 28 Nov 2025
FTS notice number
2025/S 000-065310
Latest notice
Tender notice (UK4)
Classification (CPV)
Research services
Delivery area
Not published
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-05cc96 Find a Tender
How it runs

See call document on www.aria.org.uk/ai-scientist/funding ↗

How it was run

Official notice
Run through: portal not identified
Electronic submission allowedLanguage: EN
Submission deadline
14 Nov 2025, 14:00 GMT
Clarification deadline
7 Nov 2025, 23:59 GMT
Submission channel
Official e-sourcing portal
Electronic submission
Allowed
Accepted languages
en
Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release

www.aria.org.uk/ai-scientist/funding ↗

Timeline

14 Oct 2025 → 1 Jan 2026 · 5 dates
  1. Tender notice published379 days ago
    14 Oct 2025, 16:05 BST
  2. Clarification questions by354 days ago
    7 Nov 2025, 23:59 GMT
  3. Submission deadline348 days ago
    14 Nov 2025, 14:00 GMT
  4. Award decision expected by333 days ago
    28 Nov 2025, 23:59 GMT
  5. Contract starts300 days ago
    1 Jan 2026

Notice history

1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender
  1. Tender notice published
    14 Oct 2025, 16:05 BST
    UK4

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

Advanced Research and Invention Agency

Contracting authorityPublic authority - central government GB-PPON: PVHN-2521-XHNQ 5 Beaconsfield St, London, London, N1C 4EWContact email

Official documents & specifications (1)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Notices published for this procedure

  • Tender notice tenderTender noticeUK4Tender notice on Find a Tender