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BBSRC Research Funding Seminar

Learn about BBSRC research funding opportunities and strategies. Discover how to improve your chances of securing funding for your molecular microbiology research.

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BBSRC Research Funding Seminar

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  1. The Seminar is being held 11am to 12.30pm in Room 104 upstairs

  2. My track record with BBSRC: 1993-1996 Responsive mode (New Investigator) £217K 1996-1997 Responsive mode (with Prof A Rowley) £40K 1997-2000 Responsive mode £213K 1999 Equipment grant £52K 2000-2003 Responsive mode £550K 2003-2006 Responsive mode £360K 2007-2009 Responsive mode £273K All grants with myself as sole PI in the area of molecular microbiology

  3. Strategy • Fit with BBSRC remit • Foot in the door • Continuing presence

  4. BBSRC remit • Non-clinical human life sciences: BBSRC funds human physiology, cell biology, and genetics and genomics research relevant to understanding normal human function, but not research focused on specific human diseases and disease processes or abnormal conditions, which fall within the remit of the Medical Research Council. Also excluded is research primarily involving animal models of human disease and human toxicology. • BBSRC also funds research in: Plants, microbes, animals, tools and technology underpinning biological research

  5. BBSRC remit • Developing and embedding ‘systems approaches’ that harness the power of mathematics, physics and engineering to generate new understanding of biological processes and enable effective and responsible intervention and utilisation of knowledge, in order to: • advance fundamental understanding of complex biological processes • underpin practical solutions to major challenges such as climate change, food security, healthier ageing, and the control of infectious diseases • Maintaining world-class UK bioscience by supporting the best people and best ideas, wherever they emerge, through ‘responsive mode funding’; and by securing national research capability in strategically important areas • Significantly increasing the economic and social impact of BBSRC-funded research, particularly through alignment with the Technology Strategy Board (TSB), and by helping to provide the skilled researchers needed for industrial R&D and academic research

  6. BBSRC remit • During the years 2008 to 2011, BBSRC’s budget will rise from £386M to £427M, £452.5M and £471M respectively • These funds secured from government on the basis of supporting critical areas of research – BBSRC therefore needs to deliver against these areas • Refer to BBSRC Delivery Plan 2008-11

  7. BBSRC remit • Energy - Renewable Bioenergy • Living with Environmental Change • Ageing Research: Lifelong Health and Wellbeing • Global Threats to Security • Nanotechnology new research and capacity building supported in following key areas:

  8. Foot in the door • New investigator scheme Assists early-career researchers (university lecturers in their first 3 years of employment) to secure their first major element of funding for research. Committees assess applications against the same criteria as other responsive mode proposals; however, research potential rather than track record is taken into account. Applications that are internationally competitive and within a designated percentage of the funding cut-off may be funded.

  9. Foot in the door • Team up as co-applicant with an established BBSRC-funded scientist • Researchers who have been co-applicants on successful grant applications are still eligible to apply as New Investigators

  10. Continuing presence • Adapt your research to fit with BBSRC remit • Increase your profile (high-impact publications, conferences, etc) so as to be recognised by committee members for your excellence • Engage in multidisciplinary collaborations • Help BBSRC by refereeing regularly • Become a BBSRC committee member

  11. Continuing presence • Find and exploit a niche area • Prepare your proposal well in advance • Rewrite and then rewrite again • Aim for a ‘page-turner’, not weighed down with experimental detail & methodology • Enhance your proposal with letters of support from end-users/industry • Minimise risk – describe pilot research or, better, support with publication(s) already in high impact journals • Convince the appraisers that the results will be published in high impact journals • Try to get departmental support to give you the time to maximise your chances • Enlist colleagues to ‘referee’ your proposal before submission

  12. Scoring criteria • Scientific excellence: aim to be competitive with the best equivalent activity anywhere in the world • Timeliness and promise: building on success & exploiting a window of opportunity, leading to high profile publications • Strategic relevance: fit with BBSRC remit • Economic and social impact: eg interactions with (industrial) end- users • Value for money • Staff training potential A proposal that meets the majority of these assessment criteria to a high level will attract a score >4.0 (on a scale 0.0-6.9) and may be funded. But, for a higher score and increased probability of funding, need to aim for ‘work that is at the leading edge internationally’, ‘meets …criteria to an exceptional level’ and ‘is likely to have a significant impact on the field’.

  13. Good luck (in a good year BBSRC funds 25% of proposals)

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