BBSRC Future Priority Areas for Funding

 

On 27th September the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) released a report, Forward Look for UK Bioscience, which is the first strategy update since the creation of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

Forward Look identifies the backbone of BBSRC’s strategy and maps out key areas of direction for future funding, identifying three challenge-led priorities in which it believes UK research can deliver strong and sustainable impact:

• Sustainable agriculture and food security.
• Renewable resources and clean growth.
• Integrates understanding of health.

It seems the theme of future funding will be focused on advancing the frontiers of bioscience discovery, tackling strategic challenges and building strong foundations.

“There is a real opportunity for BBSRC to ensure the strength of the UK biotechnology and biological research and skills base continues to be selected as partner of choice globally and to harness the power of biology to drive a more healthy, prosperous and sustainable future” – Melanie Welham, Executive Chairwoman UKRI – BBSRC

You can read more about the BBSRC Forward Look report here and take a look at the full report here.

Advertisements

RISE: Secure Hardware & Embedded Systems Call for Research Projects

The Research Institute for Secure Hardware and Embedded Systems (RISE) is a joint venture of the EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council) and the NCSC (National Cyber Security Centre). The institute aims to identify and address the key issues that underpin our understanding of hardware security, they currently have two schemes available:

 Call for Research Projects

Award Amount: £300,000 in total

Duration: 3 years

Deadline for Application: 31st July 2018

Applications will be accepted with the following areas of interest:

• Micro-architectural and Analogue Security Evaluation
• Automated Security Verification in EDA Tools and Software Tool Chains
• Supply Chain Security
• Hardware-based Security Services

For a detailed description of each area and for more information please visit the website.

Small Equipment Bids

Award Amount: up to £140,000, although expecting bids in the range of £20k – £50k

Duration: Equipment must be purchased by 15th February 2019

Deadline for Application: 31st July 2018

Funding through this scheme is entirely to cover the purchase cost of equipment (incl. VAT) The equipment must be used for a project which addresses one or more of the RISE research challenges or specific themes (detailed above).

For further information about this call please visit the website.

If you wish to apply for either of these calls or would like to discuss them further then please get in touch with the Research Development team via our email.

 

ESRC Secondary Data Analysis – changes to eligibility including increase in £ and project duration

As of 17 May 2018, eligibility criteria for the ESRC Secondary Data Analysis Initiative (SDAI) will be changing.

Since December 2015, SDAI has operated alongside ESRC’s Research Grants open call. Following ESRC’s internal review of the Initiative, including an analysis of the volume and review outcomes of applications received so far, along with feedback from external stakeholders, it was concluded that changes to the Initiative were needed to improve the quantity and quality of proposals submitted.

As a result, the following changes to the SDAI have been introduced and will apply as of 17 May 2018:

• The maximum funding threshold for applications will increase from £200,000 (100% fEC) to £300,000 (100% fEC)
• The maximum duration of proposals will increase from 18 months to 24 months.
• Previous eligibility criteria to (a) use only one of ESRC-funded data resources and (b) to include at least one named early career researcher as principal investigator or co-investigator have been relaxed.
• Instead, as of 17 May, the ESRC will welcome proposals that aim to exploit secondary data from a range of UK and international data resources funded by ESRC and by other agencies, given sufficient justification and confirmation.
• ESRC will continue to encourage applications that include a named early career researcher as principal investigator or co-investigator and/or applications that seek to use one or more ESRC-funded data resources.

These changes to the eligibility criteria will allow applicants greater flexibility when utilising existing UK and international data resources to deliver high-quality and high-impact research. This also provides a huge opportunity for comparative analysis into some of the most pressing challenges facing society in the UK and internationally.

Please see

https://esrc.ukri.org/funding/funding-opportunities/secondary-data-analysis-initiative-sdai-open-call/

 

BBSRC Responsive Mode Funding

A reminder that research proposals can be submitted for consideration to the BBSRC at any time as part of their Responsive Mode Scheme, so long as it is within the remit of their portfolio:

• Plants
• Microbes
• Animals
• Tools and technology underpinning biological research

Your proposal will be assessed by the most relevant of their 4 committees:

• Animal disease, health and welfare
• Plants, microbes, food and sustainability
• Genes, development and STEM approached to biology
• Molecules, cells and industrial biotechnology

Research Committee meetings are held 3 times per year with the next deadline of Tuesday 25th September for submission to the February 2019 committees.

For more information you can visit the BBSRC website or contact us for assistance or advice on an application via our email