Funding opportunity

BBSRC follow-on funding

• Opportunity status: Closed
• Funders: Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)
• Funding type: Grant
• Publication date: 19 August 2021
• Opening date: 4 August 2021 9:00am UK time
• Closing date: 6 October 2021 4:00pm UK time

Apply for funding to support translating your research into practical applications. This may include a spin-out, a licensing opportunity or creating a social enterprise.

You must be based at a UK research organisation.

You can collaborate or partner with industry or businesses.

Your project must draw on current or previous BBSRC supported research.

The full economic cost of your project can be up to:

• £250,000 for the standard follow-on fund (FOF)
• £800,000 for the super follow-on fund (superFOF).

We will fund 80% of the full economic cost.

We will not fund patent filing costs.

Projects can last between one and two years.

Who can apply

Standard BBSRC eligibility criteria apply, as described in section three of the BBSRC grants guide.

You must be based at a UK research organisation.

You can collaborate or partner with industry or businesses. Read the FoF supporting letters guidance document (PDF, 77KB) for more details.

What we're looking for

Follow-on fund projects must draw substantially on previous peer-reviewed research funded by us and fall within our portfolio.

Projects must fall within BBSRC’s remit. If you have any questions about the remit of your project, please get in touch.

Please apply to either the standard FoF or superFoF depending on what funding you need to complete your project. Please see section 2.1 ‘project scale and duration’ in the FoF guidance document (PDF, 116KB) for more detail.

Proposed applications are not anticipated to extend research grant funding or to be applied research for commercial partners.

How to apply

You must apply through the Joint Electronic Submission (Je-S) system.

When applying select ‘New document’ then:

• council: ‘BBSRC’
• document type: ‘standard proposal’
• scheme: Follow on Fund or Super Follow on Fund
• call/type/mode: 21FOF2 (for standard FoF) or 21SFOF2 Full (for superFoF).
• ‘create document’ and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the form.

How we will assess your application

Please see details within the BBSRC follow-on fund guidance document (PDF, 116KB).

Contact details

Ask a question about this opportunity

David Hendry, Portfolio Manager, Capability and Innovation

Email: david.hendry@bbsrc.ukri.org

Additional info

Background

The aim of the programme is to help researchers maximise the societal and economic benefits of their research. The FoF is a proof-of-concept programme to support bioscience innovation and provide funding where further work on an idea will take it through to a stage at which the route to application is clear. This may include a spin-out, licensing opportunity or the creation of a social enterprise.

The programme enables researchers to conduct activities essential to preparing a robust business plan and to secure, where appropriate, further funding and support to progress the project.

The FoF aims to bridge the funding gap between BBSRC-funded research and the point at which other non-BBSRC funding becomes available. By supporting early-stage projects, it also seeks to reduce the risk for future investors. The FoF should not duplicate other sources of public and private funding.

Read the list of BBSRC follow-on fund committee members (PDF, 72KB).

Supporting documents

Guidance document (PDF, 116KB)

Case for support template (Word, 39KB)

Supporting letters guidance (PDF, 77KB)

Presentation slides (PDF, 1.66KB)

BBSRC grants guide