We are running this funding opportunity on the new UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service so please ensure that your organisation is registered. You cannot apply on the Joint Electronic Submissions (Je-S) system.
The project lead is responsible for completing the application process on the Funding Service, but we expect the UK partner, other team members and any project partners to contribute to the application.
Check if the lead African research organisation is available in the Funding Service. You are encouraged to check this early as there may be additional steps for the organisation to be set up before you can apply.
Only the lead research organisation can submit an application to UKRI.
To apply
Select ‘Start application’ near the beginning of this Funding finder page.
- Confirm you are the project lead.
- Sign in or create a Funding Service account. To create an account, select your organisation, verify your email address, and set a password. If your organisation is not listed, email support@funding-service.ukri.org Please allow at least 10 working days for your organisation to be added to the Funding Service.
- Answer questions directly in the text boxes. You can save your answers and come back to complete them or work offline and return to copy and paste your answers. If we need you to upload a document, follow the upload instructions in the Funding Service. All questions and assessment criteria are listed in the How to apply section on this Funding finder page.
- Allow enough time to check your application in ‘read-only’ view before sending to your research office.
- Send the completed application to your research office for checking. They will return it to you if it needs editing.
- Your research office will submit the completed and checked application to UKRI.
Where indicated, you can also demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. You should:
- use images sparingly and only to convey important information that cannot easily be put into words
- insert each new image onto a new line
- provide a descriptive legend for each image immediately underneath it (this counts towards your word limit)
- ensure files are smaller than 5MB and in JPEG, JPG, JPE, JFI, JIF, JFIF, PNG, GIF, BMP or WEBP format
Watch our research office webinars about the new Funding Service.
For more guidance on the Funding Service, see:
Deadline
We must receive your application by 24 April 2024 at 4:00pm UK time.
You will not be able to apply after this time.
Make sure you are aware of and follow any internal institutional deadlines.
Following the submission of your application to the funding opportunity, your application cannot be changed, and applications will not be returned for amendment. If your application does not follow the guidance, it may be rejected.
Personal data
Processing personal data
MRC, as part of UKRI, will need to collect some personal information to manage your Funding Service account and the registration of your funding applications.
We will handle personal data in line with UK data protection legislation and manage it securely. For more information, including how to exercise your rights, read our privacy notice.
Medical Research Council (MRC), as part of UKRI, will need to share the application and any personal information that it contains with the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) so that they can participate in the assessment process. Find out more about how FCDO uses personal information.
Publication of outcomes
MRC, as part of UKRI, will publish the outcomes of this funding opportunity at African research leaders – funding decisions.
If your application is successful, we will publish some personal information on the UKRI Gateway to Research.
Summary
Word limit: 550
In plain English, provide a summary we can use to identify the most suitable experts to assess your application.
We may make this summary publicly available on external-facing websites, so make it suitable for a variety of readers, for example:
- opinion-formers
- policymakers
- the public
- the wider research community
Guidance for writing a summary
Clearly describe your proposed work in terms of:
- goals to be addressed, identifying a concise and clearly articulated ultimate aim of the research
- context
- the African challenge the project addresses
- potential applications and benefits
Core team
List the key members of your team and assign them roles from the following:
- project lead (PL)
- project co-lead (UK) (PcL)
- project co-lead (international) (PcL (I))
- specialist
- grant manager
- professional enabling staff
- research and innovation associate
- technician
- visiting researcher
Only list one individual as project lead, this should be the African Research Leader candidate. All projects should also list a UK partner as the project co-lead.
Find out more about UKRI’s core team roles in funding applications.
Application questions
Keywords
Word limit:10
Provide up to five keywords that describe your application.
What assessors are looking for in your response
Provide up to a maximum of five keywords, for example: maternal health, malaria, implementation science, sub-Saharan Africa.
This is for administrative purposes to help with the initial application processing and will not affect the overall assessment of your application.
Vision
Word limit: 500
What are you hoping to achieve with your proposed work?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Explain how your proposed work:
- is of excellent quality and importance within or beyond the field(s) or area(s)
- has the potential to advance current understanding, or generate new knowledge, thinking or discovery within or beyond the field or area
- is timely given current trends, context, and needs
- impacts world-leading research, society, the economy, or the environment
- is driven by the needs of populations in the SSA country where the research is taking place
- is generalisable beyond the research setting
Within the Vision section we also expect you to:
- identify the potential direct or indirect benefits and who the beneficiaries might be
- identify potential improvements in human or population health, whether through contributing to relieving disease or disability burden, improving quality of life or providing benefit to the health service or health-related industry
- identify the evidence-gap that the research will fill
- describe the changes that might be implemented as a result of the project, and by whom
You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.
Approach
Word limit: 5,000
How are you going to deliver your proposed work?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Explain how you have designed your approach so that it:
- is effective and appropriate to achieve your objectives
- is feasible, and comprehensively identifies any risks to delivery and how they will be managed
- summarises the previous work and describes how this will be built upon and progressed (if applicable)
- will maximise translation of outputs into outcomes and impacts
- uses a clear and transparent methodology, ensure you:
- provide details of the methodological approaches, study design and techniques that will be used. Enough detail must be given to show why the research is likely to be competitive in its field. Particular care should be taken to explain any innovation in the methodology or where you intend to develop new methods
- briefly describe any pilot or preliminary data you have available to help the reviewers assess the feasibility of the proposed study
- if applicable, clearly explain the intervention you will be testing, what it consists of and why
- if applicable, demonstrate that you have carried out a datasets review, and explicitly state why currently available datasets are either appropriate or inadequate for the proposed research
- explain the proposed timeline including milestones and a diagrammatic workplan, such as a Gantt chart, which can be embedded within the text box
You have the option to use 500 words to provide additional information about reproducibility and how you will ensure reliability and robustness of your work, such as further details of statistical analyses, methodology and experimental design. If this information is not applicable, then you should not use this space to expand on other areas of your approach and your response to this section should be around 4,500 words.
The reproducibility information should be clearly identified using the heading ‘Reproducibility and statistical design’. We expect you to seek professional statistical or other relevant advice in preparing your response, which may include:
- experimental approach to address objectives
- sample and effect sizes
- planned statistical analyses
- models chosen (for example animal model, cell line)
Refer to the MRC guidance for applicants, section 2.2.3.5 ‘Reproducibility and statistical design’, for further information, examples and online tools.
You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.
Gender equality
Word limit: 500
How will your research project contribute to reducing gender inequalities?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Outline how you have taken meaningful yet proportionate consideration to how the project will contribute to reducing gender inequalities. Within this section we expect you to consider:
- whether measures have been put in place to ensure equal and meaningful opportunities for people of different genders to be involved throughout the project. This includes the development of the project, the participants of the research and innovation, and the beneficiaries of the research and innovation
- the expected impact of the project (benefits and losses) on people of different genders, both throughout the project and beyond
- the impact on the relations between people of different genders and people of the same gender. For example, changing roles and responsibilities in households, society, economy, politics or power
- how any risks and unintended negative consequences on gender equality will be avoided or mitigated against, and monitored
- whether there are any relevant outcomes and outputs being measured, with data disaggregated by age and gender (where disclosed)
ODA compliance
Word limit: 500
How does your proposed work meet ODA compliance eligibility?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
As part of your application, you are required to provide an ODA compliance statement which explains how your research is compliant. Your statement should answer the following questions:
- which country or countries on the OECD DAC list of ODA recipients will directly benefit from this application and are these countries likely to continue to be eligible to receive ODA for the duration of the research? Refer to the DAC list for information about countries that will be considered for graduation at the next review
- how is your application directly and primarily relevant to the development challenges of these countries? Provide evidence of the development need and articulate how the proposed activity is appropriate to address this need
- how do you expect that the outcome of your proposed activities will promote the economic development and welfare of a country or countries on the DAC list?
- what approaches will you use to deliver development impact within the lifetime of the project and in the longer-term? Consider the potential outcomes, the key
beneficiary and stakeholder groups in the DAC list country or countries and how
they will be engaged to ensure opportunities for them to benefit and to enable development impact to be achieved
The African environment or institution: demonstration of a research-conducive environment
Word limit: 1,500
How will the African research institution support the candidate and the project?
This section should be used to describe the proposed African institution’s research environment including:
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Ensure you explain:
- the African institution’s mission, scientific objectives, strategy, management and governance policies
- the level of the African institution’s commitment to the mid to long-term career of the proposed research leader. Describe how the institution intends to increase its level of financial support of the proposed research leader
- the commitment of the African institution for supporting the proposed programme of research and career goals of the candidate
- what relationships have been established with the research relevant health services and Ministry of Health
- what the African institution’s commitment is to developing systems for translating research outputs towards health policies, practices and products
- that the institution is a valued partner in south-south or north-south links (or both), demonstrated through contribution to research networks, joint training and development of initiatives nationally and internationally
- how the proposed research leader’s activities will generate added value or synergies for the African institution
- that any request relating to the African institution’s institutional development needs relating to the proposed African research leader candidate (appropriateness, quality, feasibility, value for money and likely benefit)
Vice Chancellor statement of support
Upload a PDF containing a letter of support from your host organisation. This must be a maximum of two sides of A4 (or equivalent), on headed paper.
This is a statement of support from the vice chancellor or equivalent at your research organisation. It should include:
- a declaration that it is a government-owned or not-for profit institution
- confirmation that you have a contract in place. If you are moving back to SSA, we require confirmation that you will have a contract in place if awarded
- commitment to the continuity of support for the African research leader. Describe how the research organisation will support you following the end of the award
- formal confirmation that the institution agrees to the roles and responsibilities as detailed in the application
- provide access to laboratory space or investment in equipment to establish the applicant’s laboratory, and access to communal departmental resources
Stakeholder statement of support (Optional)
Upload a PDF containing a letter or email of support from a single key stakeholder. This must be a maximum of one side of A4 (or equivalent), on headed paper or 450 words in an email from an institutional email account.
If applicable, have appropriate co-production plans been embedded in the study, as well as appropriate engagement and dissemination plans with relevant stakeholders?
The African-UK institutional partnership
Word limit: 1,000 words
How will the African-UK partnership benefit the candidate and the project?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Describe how the partnership will enable the research including:
- the existing strength and equity of the research partnership between the UK and African institutions, demonstrating a commitment to research excellence, capacity development and research to improve the health of disadvantaged populations
- how the existing partnership provides a platform for the proposed research leader activities, both in scientific and developmental terms
- any existing links between the African research leader candidate and UK co-investigator
- the proposed broader benefits of the partnership to the African research leader candidate over and beyond collaboration on the specific research proposed
- how the partnership will provide a unique opportunity to catalyse both leadership and research activities for the candidate.
Upload a PDF containing a letter or email of support from your UK partner. This must be a maximum of two sides of A4 (or equivalent), on headed paper or 700 words in an email from an institutional email account.
This should describe:
- how the UK partner will support you in terms of providing scientific and developmental guidance and why they consider you to be a suitable candidate for an African research leader grant
Research placement
Will you undertake a placement during the project?
Word limit: 250
What the assessors are looking for in your response
A research placement may take place at the UK partner institution, or any other UK or African organisation including a biomedical or pharmaceutical company. If you plan to undertake a placement in an organisation other than the host African research institute, then provide the following:
- the name of the proposed research organisation and head of department
- the duration and timing of the placement
- justification for the placement, including the benefits to the applicant, indicating why the training or career development cannot be effectively achieved within the African institution
- how the learning will be used for the wider benefit of the African partner
Upload a PDF containing a letter or email of support from the Head of Department of the proposed placement organisation, confirming their willingness to host the African research leader’s proposed training visit. This must be a maximum of one side of A4 (or equivalent), on headed paper or 450 words in an email from an institutional email account.
If this does not apply to your proposed work, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.
Career progression
Word limit: 700 words
Why is the proposed work, the environment it will be conducted in, and the support provided by the host organisation and UK partnership the right way to develop your career?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Ensure that you have identified:
- career progression goals appropriate to the opportunity
- necessary support to enable you to transition, change and grow to the next career stage and achieve your stated career progression goals
- how the proposed work will provide a feasible and appropriate trajectory for you to acquire additional skills, like leadership, communication and management skills
Applicant and team capability to deliver
Word limit: 1,500
Why are you the right individual or team to successfully deliver the proposed work?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Evidence of how you, and if relevant your team, have:
- the relevant experience) to deliver the proposed work
- the right balance of skills and expertise to cover the proposed work
- the appropriate leadership and management skills to deliver the work and your approach to develop others
- contributed to developing a positive research environment and wider community
- demonstrated you are a rising star in African research with the potential to lead an independent research group
You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.
The word count for this section is 1,500 words: 1,000 words to be used for R4RI modules and, if necessary, a further 500 words for Additions.
Use the Résumé for Research and Innovation (R4RI) format to showcase the range of relevant skills you and, if relevant, your team (project and project co-leads, researchers, technicians, specialists, partners and so on) have and how this will help deliver the proposed work. You can include individuals’ specific achievements but only choose past contributions that best evidence their ability to deliver this work.
Complete this section using the R4RI module headings listed. Use each heading once and include a response for the whole team, see the UKRI guidance on R4RI. You should consider how to balance your answer, and emphasise where appropriate the key skills each team member brings:
- contributions to the generation of new ideas, tools, methodologies, or knowledge
- the development of others and maintenance of effective working relationships
- contributions to the wider research and innovation community
- contributions to broader research or innovation users and audiences and towards wider societal benefit
Additions
Provide any further details relevant to your application. This section is optional and can be up to 500 words. You should not use it to describe additional skills, experiences, or outputs, but you can use it to describe any factors that provide context for the rest of your R4RI (for example, details of career breaks if you wish to disclose them).
Complete this as a narrative. Do not format it like a CV.
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has introduced new role types for funding opportunities being run on the new Funding Service.
For full details, see Eligibility as an individual.
References
Word limit: 1,000
List the references you have used to support your application.
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Include all references in this section, not in the rest of the application questions.
You should not include any other information in this section.
We advise you not to include hyperlinks, as assessors are not obliged to access the information they lead to or consider it in their assessment of your application.
If linking to web resources, to maintain the information’s integrity, include persistent identifiers (such as digital object identifiers) where possible.
You must not include links to web resources to extend your application.
Project partners
Add details about any project partners’ contributions. If there are no project partners, you can indicate this on the Funding Service.
A project partner is a collaborating third party organisation, such as an industrial partner, who will have an integral role in the proposed research. This may include direct (cash) or indirect (in-kind) contributions such as expertise, staff time or use of facilities.
Important note: If your application includes industry project partners, you will also need to complete the Industry Collaboration Framework (ICF) section. Find out more about ICF.
You must ensure that any third party individual or organisation you include within the Funding Service as a project partner, also provides you with a supporting statement (see next section ‘Project partners: letters or emails of support’).
The individual (including their organisation) named as the project partner contact, cannot also be included within your application as an applicant, such as project lead or any other core team role.
You cannot include a different department (based within the same organisation as a member of your core team) as a project partner.
Add the following project partner details:
- the organisation name (searchable via a drop-down list or enter the organisation’s details manually, as applicable)
- the project partner contact name and email address
- the type of contribution (direct or in-direct) and its monetary value
If there are specific circumstances where project partners do require funding for minor costs such as travel and subsistence, these project partner costs should be claimed and justified within the resources and costs section of your application.
For audit purposes, UKRI requires formal collaboration agreements to be put in place if an award is made.
If an individual or organisation outside the core team is responsible for recruitment of people as research participants or providing human tissue for this project, list them as a project partner.
Important information when completing the Project partners section within the Funding Service
When completing your application in the Funding Service, if you discover that you have entered project partner information incorrectly and you have saved the entry, you should remove the specific project partner record and re-add it with the correct information.
Project partners: letters (or emails) of support
Word limit: 10
Upload a single PDF containing the letters or emails of support from each partner you named in the ‘Project partners’ section.
If you do not have any project partners, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.
What supporting statements we are looking for
Important note: we are only looking for you to provide a project partner letter or email of support from the following:
- a third party individual
- a third party organisation
You must ensure that any third party project partner providing a supporting document, are also added to the ‘Project partners’ section.
For audit purposes, UKRI requires formal collaboration agreements to be put in place if an award is made.
What supporting statements we are not looking for
We are not looking for you to provide any supporting emails or letters of support related to any individual or organisation already included within your application (this includes other departments within the same organisation). Any individual or organisation included in your application with a role cannot also be a project partner.
Check the opportunity specific roles available in the core team section for the definitive list.
Do not include any additional documents, email communications or any other type of information we have not requested, including supporting statements (letters or emails), simply expressing supportive opinions. We only expect to see emails or letters of support from third party project partners uploaded to this section.
If you include any information not requested by MRC, your application will be rejected.
Supporting document guidance for third party project partners
Each third party project partner supporting letter or email you provide, should:
- be no more than two A4 pages, only one email or letter of support is permitted for each project partner
- confirm the partner’s commitment to the project
- clearly explain the value, relevance, and possible benefits of the work to them
- describe any additional value that they bring to the project
- include the name of the project partner organisation and contact information. This should match the partner contact and organisation name details you must add to the separate ‘Project partners’ application section)
Project partners letters and emails of support are not required to be on headed paper or include handwritten signatures (electronic signatures are acceptable from the nominated partner contact).
Project partner responsibility for the recruitment of people
If the project partner is responsible for the recruitment of people as research participants or providing human tissue their email or letter of support should include:
- agreement that the project partner will recruit the participants or provide tissue
- confirmation that what is being supplied is suitable for the proposed work
- confirmation that the quantity of tissue being supplied is suitable, but not excessive for achieving meaningful results (if applicable)
Multiple project partners
If you have multiple project partners, you should:
- ensure each separate email or letter of support, does not exceed two pages of A4
- consolidate all the supporting documents provided by each project partner into a single PDF file before uploading
- ensure the PDF does not exceed the maximum file size of 8MB
For the file name, use the unique Funding Service number the system gives you when you create an application, followed by the words ‘Project partner’.
The Funding Service will provide document upload details when you apply.
Industry Collaboration Framework (ICF)
Word count: 1,500
Does your application include industry project partners?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
If industry collaboration does not apply to any of your project partners, or you don’t have any project partners, simply add ‘N/A’ into the text box.
If your research project involves collaboration between an academic organisation and an industry or company you are likely to need to follow the industry collaboration framework and answer this question, check using the ICF decision tree.
By ‘industry or company’ we mean an enterprise that puts goods or services on a market and whose commercial activities are greater than 20% of their overall annual capacity.
The assessors are looking for information relating to the nature, goals and conditions of the collaboration and any restrictions or rights to the project results that could be claimed by the project partner.
Find out more about ICF, including:
- collaboration agreements
- definitions of basic or applied research
- internationally based companies
- subsidy control
- Intellectual property (IP) arrangements
- fully flexible and gated contributions
- the ICF assessment criteria
In addition to the project partner information completed in the previous section, confirm your answers to the ICF questions in the text box, repeat this process for each ICF project partner:
- Name the industry or company project partner considered under ICF.
- Indicate whether your application is either basic research or applied research.
- Explain why, in the absence of the requested UKRI funding, the collaboration and the planned research could not be undertaken.
- State whether your application is under the category of either fully flexible contribution or gated contribution (based on the IP sharing arrangements with the ICF partner).
- Outline the pre-existing IP (‘background IP’) that each project partner, including the academic partner, will bring to the collaborative research project and the terms under which project partners may access these assets.
- Outline the IP that is expected to be developed during the collaborative research project (‘foreground IP’) and briefly outline how it will be managed, including:
- which project partners will own this IP
- what rights project partners will have to use academically-generated foreground IP during and after the research project, for internal research and development or for commercial purposes
- any rights of the academic partner to commercialise the foreground IP (including foreground IP generated by project partners)
- Outline any restrictions to dissemination of the project results, including the rights of the project partner to:
- review, approve or delay publications (including the time period associated with such rights)
- request or require the removal of any information
- Declare any conflicts of interest held by the applicants in relation to the project partners and describe how they will be managed.
- If applicable, justify collaborating with an overseas industry or company under ICF.
Failure to provide the information requested for industry partners under ICF could result in your application being rejected.
You are recommended to discuss the goals and conditions of any collaboration with an industry or company project partner with your university technology transfer or contracts office before applying.
Facilities
Word limit: 250
Does your proposed research require the support and use of a facility?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
If you will need to use a facility, follow your proposed facility’s normal access request procedures. Ensure you have prior agreement so that if you are offered funding, they will support the use of their facility on your project.
For each requested facility you will need to provide the:
- name of facility, copied and pasted from the facility information list (DOCX, 35KB)
- proposed usage or costs, or costs per unit where indicated on the facility information list
- confirmation you have their agreement where required
If you will not need to use a facility, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.
Data management and sharing
Word limit: 1,500
How will you manage and share data collected or acquired through the proposed research?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Provide a data management plan which should clearly detail how you will comply with MRC’s published data management and sharing policies, which includes detailed guidance notes.
Provide your response following the MRC data management plan template.
The length of your plan will vary depending on the type of study being undertaken:
- population cohorts; longitudinal studies; genetic, omics and imaging data; biobanks, and other collections that are potentially a rich resource for the wider research community: maximum of 1,500 words
- all other research, less complex, the plan may be as short as 500 words
Ethics and responsible research and innovation (RRI)
Word limit: 500
What are the ethical or RRI implications and issues relating to the proposed work? If you do not think that the proposed work raises any ethical or RRI issues, explain why.
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Demonstrate that you have identified and evaluated:
- the relevant ethical or responsible research and innovation considerations
- how you will manage these considerations
Consider the MRC guidance on ethics and approvals.
You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.
Genetic and biological risk
Word limit: 700
Does your proposed research involve any genetic or biological risk?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
In respect of animals, plants or microbes, are you proposing to:
- use genetic modification as an experimental tool, like studying gene function in a genetically modified organism
- release genetically modified organisms
- ultimately develop commercial and industrial genetically modified outcomes
If yes, provide the name of any required approving body and state if approval is already in place. If it is not, provide an indicative timeframe for obtaining the required approval.
Identify the organism or organisms as a plant, animal or microbe and specify the species and which of the three categories the research relates to.
Identify the genetic and biological risks resulting from the proposed research, their implications, and any mitigation you plan on taking. Assessors will want to know you have considered the risks and their implications to justify that any identified risks do not outweigh any benefits of the proposed research.
If this does not apply to your proposed work, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.
Research involving the use of animals
Word limit: 10
Does your proposed research involve the use of vertebrate animals or other organisms covered by the Animals Scientific Procedures Act?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
If you are proposing research that requires using animals, download and complete the Animals Scientific Procedures Act template (DOCX, 74KB), which contains all the questions relating to research using vertebrate animals or other Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 regulated organisms.
Save it as a PDF. The Funding Service will provide document upload details when you apply. If this does not apply to your proposed work, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.
Conducting research with animals overseas
Word limit: 700
Will any of the proposed animal research be conducted overseas?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
If you are proposing to conduct overseas research, it must be conducted in accordance with welfare standards consistent with those in the UK, as in Responsibility in the use of animals in bioscience research, page 14. Ensure all named applicants in the UK and overseas are aware of this requirement.
If your application proposes animal research to be conducted overseas, you must provide a statement in the text box. Depending on the species involved, you may also need to upload a completed template for each species listed.
Statement
Provide a statement to confirm that:
- all named applicants are aware of the requirements and have agreed to abide by them
- this overseas research will be conducted in accordance with welfare standards consistent with the principles of UK legislation
- the expectation set out in Responsibility in the use of animals in bioscience research will be applied and maintained
- appropriate national and institutional approvals are in place
Template(s)
Overseas studies proposing to use non-human primates, cats, dogs, equines or pigs will be assessed during NC3Rs review of research applications. Provide the required information by completing the template from the question ‘Research involving the use of animals’.
For studies involving other species, select, download, and complete the relevant Word checklist or checklists from this list:
Save your completed template as a PDF and upload to the Funding Service. If you use more than one checklist template, save it as a single PDF.
The Funding Service will provide document upload details when you apply.
If conducting research with animals overseas does not apply to your proposed work, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.
Research involving human participation
Word limit: 700
Will the project involve the use of human subjects or their personal information?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
If you are proposing research that requires the involvement of human subjects, provide the name of any required approving body and whether approval is already in place.
Justify the number and the diversity of the participants involved, as well as any procedures.
Provide details of any areas of substantial or moderate severity of impact.
If this does not apply to your proposed work, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.
Research involving human tissues or biological samples
Word limit: 700
Does your proposed research involve the use of human tissues, or biological samples?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
If you are proposing work that involves human tissues or biological samples, provide the name of any required approving body and whether approval is already in place.
Justify the use of human tissue or biological samples specifying the nature and quantity of the material to be used and its source.
If this does not apply to your proposed work, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.
Resources and cost justification
Word limit: 1,200
What will you need to deliver your proposed work and how much will it cost?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Justify the application’s more costly resources, in particular:
- project staff
- significant travel for field work or collaboration (but not regular travel between collaborating organisations or to conferences)
- costs associated with any placements (if applicable)
- costs in relation to the African institution’s development
- any equipment that will cost more than £10,000
- any consumables beyond typical requirements, or that are required in exceptional quantities
- all facilities and infrastructure costs
- support for preserving, long-term storage, or sharing of data
- support for public and patient involvement and engagement
- support for international co-leads, demonstrating this is within the 30% costs cap for co-leads from developed countries, India and China. There is no cap on costs requested for international applicants from DAC list countries
- animal costs, such as numbers that need to be bred or maintained and to maintain high welfare standards
Assessors are not looking for detailed costs or a line-by-line breakdown of all project resources. Overall, they want you to demonstrate how the resources you anticipate needing for your proposed work:
- are comprehensive, appropriate, and justified
- represent the optimal use of resources to achieve the intended outcomes
- maximise potential outcomes and impacts
You may claim up to an additional 20% on top of the total host African organisation exception costs claimed. This additional 20% is a contribution towards indirect costs related to the work being undertaken at the host African organisation. This additional cost is claimed as an exception cost, under the ‘Other’ funding heading within the Funding Service.
Related applications
Word limit: 500
Is this application related to another application to MRC or other funding organisation?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
If not enter ‘N/A’.
If yes, state your previous reference number and explain how this new application is related to the other application.
If the related application was submitted to another funder you should identify the name of the funder and when you applied.
If this is a resubmission describe how it differs from the previous application and how feedback on the previous application has been considered and acted on.
