Funding opportunity

Funding opportunity: Global Centres (GC) addressing global challenges through bioeconomy

Apply for funding to support large-scale international research projects to address global challenges through the bioeconomy.

BBSRC will support Global Centres that facilitate international, interdisciplinary collaborations and workforce training with diverse stakeholders. BBSRC funding is available for UK eligible researchers for partnerships which must include a US partner and encouraged to include partners in one or more participating countries.

The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £2.13 million. BBSRC will fund 80% of the FEC for projects of up to five years in duration.

Who can apply

Before applying for funding, check the Eligibility of your organisation.

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has introduced new role types for funding opportunities being run on the new UKRI Funding Service.

For full details, visit Eligibility as an individual.

Who is eligible to apply

Standard eligibility criteria apply to this funding opportunity, applicants in the UK must meet the BBSRC eligibility requirements.

Institutions and researchers normally eligible for our funding include, but are not limited to:

  • higher education institutions (HEIs)
  • research council institutes (RCIs)
  • approved independent research organisations (IROs)
  • public sector research establishments (PSREs)

Applicants in the US, Canada, Finland, Japan and Republic of Korea must ensure that they meet the eligibility requirements as specified by the participating funding agencies.

Who is not eligible to apply

Applicants not based within a competition participating partner country (US, Canada, Finland, Japan, Republic of Korea) are not eligible to apply for this funding opportunity.

Equality, diversity and inclusion

We are committed to achieving equality of opportunity for all funding applicants. We encourage applications from a diverse range of researchers.

We support people to work in a way that suits their personal circumstances. This includes:

  • career breaks
  • support for people with caring responsibilities
  • flexible working
  • alternative working patterns

Find out more about equality, diversity and inclusion at UKRI.

What we're looking for

Aim

The Global Centres programme is an NSF-led effort implemented in partnership with like-minded international funders. The programme aims to fund international, interdisciplinary collaborative research centres that will apply best practices of broadening participation and community engagement to develop use-inspired bioeconomy research to address one or more global challenges identified by the scientific community.

The 2024 Global Centres competition topic is ‘Addressing Global Challenges through the Bioeconomy’ and may include research from any combination of research disciplines supported by NSF.

This programme offers a unique opportunity for interdisciplinary teams of scientists, educators, and practitioners to use knowledge of the bioeconomy to co-develop and execute a research plan for an international centre that will address a global challenge facing humanity. The Global Centres programme is meant to support multidisciplinary research that can only be achieved through international partnerships uniting complementary areas of expertise and facilitating access to unique expertise or resources of the participating countries. The proposal should explain how the centre will maximise the benefits of international collaborations and describe the unique contributions and the roles and responsibilities of each national team in achieving the goals of the proposed Global Centre. Successful proposals will describe how the centre will tackle a global challenge that can only be addressed through the diversity of knowledge, skills, and resources united in this centre.

The proposed research should maximise the benefits of international, interdisciplinary collaborations, and describe the roles and responsibilities of each national team in achieving the goals of the proposed Global Centre. Global challenges must be addressed through international collaboration and researchers are encouraged to develop international teams to address research questions that can only be addressed through multilateral efforts.

The Global Centres funding opportunity offers UK researchers a unique opportunity to participate in international multilateral projects. Working collaboratively to address important challenges not possible except through multidisciplinary international partnerships, projects should develop innovative solutions to accelerate the transition to use of sustainable bio-based solutions in the green economy by bringing together unique and synergistic teams, resources, technologies and expertise.

Scope

The bioeconomy is the share of the economy based on products, services, and processes derived from living systems. Research investments to advance the bioeconomy serve to accelerate scientific discovery and to enable the harnessing, engineering, and rational modulation of biological systems to create goods and services that contribute to the agriculture, health, security, manufacturing, energy, and environmental sectors of the global economy; or that provide access to unique systems that help us understand the processes and issues that we can use biotechnology to solve.

Bioeconomy is built on the foundation of biotechnology and biomanufacturing, and in addition to biological science and engineering includes contributions from fields such as:

  • chemistry
  • materials science
  • geosciences
  • mathematics
  • data sciences
  • humanities
  • social sciences

The world is facing many serious challenges, including, but not limited to:

  • adapting to or mitigating the effect of climate change
  • developing clean energy approaches
  • identifying and advancing sustainable food systems
  • addressing water insecurity
  • exploring solutions to emerging infectious diseases
  • creating resource efficiency
  • sustaining biodiversity
  • addressing inequalities in access to biotechnologies
  • and developing a circular bioeconomy

For example bio-based materials offer heightened biodegradability and biosafety as compared to reusable plastic materials that shed microplastics during use and washing and affect water security and human health.

Within the general theme of bioeconomy, proposals submitted in the framework of this funding opportunity must be centred on either or both of the two subtopics. All proposals must integrate both of the two crosscutting themes into the proposed work. The subtopics and themes are:

  • subtopic 1:  Leveraging Biodiversity Across the Tree of Life to Power the Bioeconomy
  • subtopic 2: Biofoundries, using the Design-Build-Test-Learn process in biology
  • crosscutting theme A: Public engagement and co-generation of research activities to strengthen the global science and technology enterprise
  • crosscutting theme B: Workforce development and education

For greater detail on the subtopics and crosscutting themes, please visit the NSF Solicitation web page.

BBSRC scope

This funding opportunity is aligned with UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)’s ‘National Engineering Biology Programme’, aiming to:

  • deliver a step change in discovery and application-inspired engineering biology transformational research and innovation
  • harness the transformative potential of engineering biology by supporting knowledge exchange and translation for economic and public benefit
  • promote collaboration across disciplines and sectors
  • leverage and enhance the UK’s national capabilities
  • address skills needs and develop talent

The funding opportunity is also aligned with UKRI’s strategic theme ‘Build a Green Future’, an effort to:

  • accelerate the green economy
  • support research and innovation that unlock solutions essential to address the transition to a low-carbon economy

UK contributions to the Global Centres are expected to directly contribute to delivering ambitious goals relevant to either or both of following areas:

Biodiversity

We will support research and technology development activities in biodiversity that can be used for the purposes of innovation and translation within bioeconomy. This may be through delivering:

  • significant advances in the discovery of novel functions across diverse organisms in the tree of life, accelerating genomic identification, phenotyping and high-throughput functional characterisation, and (re)engineering, particularly where this will also support more rapid and reliable translation and scale-up within bio-based manufacturing
  • novel approaches that leverage the diversity of innovation within nature by supporting the prediction and (re)design of regulatory, metabolic, signalling, and cellular production systems; for example, using bioinformatics, artificial intelligence (AI) and engineering biology approaches to develop innovative systems that combine functions from diverse biological pathways or systems for production of sustainable chemicals, materials and other bio-based products
  • applications that demonstrate the approaches developed could reduce greenhouse gas emissions contributing to realising future net zero or provide bio-based alternatives that could help address other environmental factors contributing to biodiversity decline. Additionally, how ethical and sustainability criteria can be built into the data structures used to harness biodiversity genetic and genomic resources

Biofoundries

We will support research and technology development activities relevant to engineering biology and other biotechnological approaches towards innovation in biomanufacturing, underpinning the future processes of bio-based manufacturing and remediation in the bioeconomy. Projects should enable and combine automation, high-throughput equipment including process scale-up, computer-aided design, workflows and tools in an iterative design-test-build-learn cycle for the development of engineered biological systems for the bioeconomy. Areas of interest include:

  • applications across a range of bioeconomy sectors, including food, health (animals, plants and humans), chemicals and pharmaceuticals, as well as other allied areas covering remediation and waste treatment, novel materials and construction where, for example, contributing to biorefineries will help diversify how the bioeconomy can reduce our dependence on fossil-based feedstocks
  • new or improved bio-based processes that can contribute to a circular economy through reuse and regeneration of materials or products, such as those involved in the recovery of technology relevant metals and minerals and the processing of textiles
  • developing advanced technologies and platforms for precise engineering of diverse organisms, harnessing developments in technologies such as AI, measurement, and automation to improve and expand capabilities in biological design-test-build-learn cycles to progress from conceptualization to real-world application

Inclusion of other project partners (for example, within industry) is strongly recommended to accelerate the translation and uptake of research outcomes within the UK bioeconomy. Multidisciplinary applications involving bioscience researchers and also incorporating other disciplines are encouraged. UK components of the Global Centres must be focused primarily in the remits of BBSRC and address the requirements as outlined above as well as responding to the overall scope of the NSF solicitation.

For more information on the background of this funding opportunity, please visit the NSF solicitation web page.

Duration

The duration of this award is five years.

Funding available

The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £2.13 million.

BBSRC will fund 80% of the FEC.

Supporting skills and talent

We encourage you to follow the principles of the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers and the Technician Commitment.

International collaboration

UKRI is committed in ensuring that effective international collaboration in research and innovation takes place with integrity and within strong ethical frameworks. Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I) is a UKRI work programme designed to help protect all those working in our thriving and collaborative international sector by enabling partnerships to be as open as possible, and as secure as necessary. Our TR&I Principles set out UKRI’s expectations of organisations funded by UKRI in relation to due diligence for international collaboration.

As such, applicants for UKRI funding may be asked to demonstrate how their proposed projects will comply with our approach and expectation towards TR&I, identifying potential risks and the relevant controls you will put in place to help proportionately reduce these risks.

See further guidance and information about TR&I – including where applicants can find additional support.

How to apply

NSF submission process

Full information on the submission process can be found on the NSF solicitation web page.

We recommend that you start your application early with your non-UK partners and that you check any eligibility queries with the UK contact points.

BBSRC specifics

In addition to NSF, UK applicants must submit a PDF copy of the application submitted to NSF using the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service. The UK project lead will be required to incorporate additional information on Ethical Considerations on Use of Animals in Research, Managing Risks of Research Misuse and Trusted Research. Please ensure you fill out the requested information on the Funding Service in parallel with completing the joint application form.

UKRI Funding Service

We are running this funding opportunity on the new Funding Service. 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 all team members and project partners to contribute to the application.

Only the lead research organisation can submit an application to UKRI.

To apply

Select ‘Start application’ near the beginning of this Funding finder page.

  1. Confirm you are the project lead.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. Allow enough time to check your application in ‘read-only’ view before sending to your research office.
  5. Send the completed application to your research office for checking. They will return it to you if it needs editing.
  6. 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 must:

  • 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:

References

Applications should be self-contained, and hyperlinks should only be used to provide links directly to reference information. To ensure the information’s integrity is maintained, where possible, persistent identifiers such as digital object identifiers should be used. Assessors are not required to access links to carry out assessment or recommend a funding decision. Applicants should use their discretion when including reference and prioritise those most pertinent to the application.

Reference should be included in the appropriate question section of the application and be easily identifiable by the assessors, for example (Smith, Research Paper, 2019).

You must not include links to web resources to extend your application.

Deadline

BBSRC must receive your application by 11 June 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

BBSRC, 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.

Publication of outcomes

BBSRC, as part of UKRI, will publish the outcomes of this funding opportunity at Awarded research grants.

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 usually make this summary publicly available on external-facing websites, therefore do not include any confidential or sensitive information. 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:

  • context
  • the challenge the project addresses
  • aims and objectives
  • 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)
  • specialist
  • research and innovation associate
  • technician
  • visiting researcher
  • researcher co-lead (RcL)

Only list one individual as project lead.

Find out more about UKRI’s core team roles in funding applications.

US applicants

Please provide the following details of the US applicants on this application:

  • name
  • institute
  • job title
  • role in project (for example, project lead or project co-lead)
  • email address

Please also indicate who the lead US applicants will be.

Please do not include details of US applicants in the ‘Core team’ section.

Canadian applicants

If appropriate, please provide the following details of the Canadian applicants on this application:

  • name
  • institute
  • job title
  • role in project (for example, project lead or project co-lead)
  • email address

Please also indicate who the lead Canadian applicants will be.

Please do not include details of Canadian applicants in the ‘Core team’ section.

If this section is non-relevant then enter N/A.

Finnish applicants

If appropriate, please provide the following details of the Finnish applicants on this application:

  • name
  • institute
  • job title
  • role in project (for example, project lead or project co-lead)
  • email address

Please also indicate who the lead Finnish applicants will be.

Please do not include details of Finnish applicants in the ‘Core team’ section.

If this section is non-relevant then enter N/A.

Japanese applicants

If appropriate, please provide the following details of the Japanese applicants on this application:

  • name
  • institute
  • job title
  • role in project (for example, project lead or project co-lead)
  • email address

Please also indicate who the lead Japanese applicants will be.

Please do not include details of Japanese applicants in the ‘Core team’ section.

If this section is non-relevant then enter N/A.

South Korean applicants

If appropriate, please provide the following details of South Korean applicants on this application:

  • name
  • institute
  • job title
  • role in project (for example, project lead or project co-lead)
  • email address

Please also indicate who the lead South Korean applicants will be.

Please do not include details of South Korean applicants in the ‘Core team’ section.

If this section is non-relevant then enter N/A.

Application questions

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

You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service. Information provided here will be reviewed by UKRI and further information may be requested if the proposal is recommended for funding.

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

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.

If this section does not apply to you, please write ‘N/A’ and mark as complete.

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
Templates

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.

If this section does not apply to you, please write ‘N/A’ and mark as complete.

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.

If this section does not apply to you, please write ‘N/A’ and mark as complete.

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.

If this section does not apply to you, please write ‘N/A’ and mark as complete.

Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I)

Word limit: 100

Does the proposed work involve international collaboration in a sensitive research or technology area? Please note that projects under this funding opportunity fall under the ‘Synthetic Biology’ area listed within the UK National Security and Investment (NSI) Act.

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Demonstrate how your proposed international collaboration relates to Trusted Research and Innovation, including:

  • list the countries your international project co-leads, project partners and visiting researchers, or other collaborators are based in
  • if international collaboration is involved, explain whether this project is relevant to one or more of the 17 areas of the UK National Security and Investment (NSI) Act
  • if one or more of the 17 areas of the UK National Security and Investment (NSI) Act are involved list the areas

If your proposed work does not involve international collaboration, answer ‘N/A’ here.

We may ask you to provide additional information about how your proposed project will comply with our approach and expectation towards TR&I, identifying potential risks and the relevant controls you will put in place to help manage these risks.

Resources and cost justification

Word limit: 700

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)
  • 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
  • all resources that have been costed as ‘Exceptions’

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

This section should be used to discuss and justify UK costs only.

Additional documentation: NSF full application

Word limit: 10

Please upload a single PDF attachment with the full application submitted to NSF.

The Funding Service will provide document upload details when you apply.

Your organisation’s support

Word limit: 10

Provide details of support from your research organisation.

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Provide a Statement of Support from your UK research organisation detailing why the proposed work is needed. This should include details of any matched funding that will be provided to support the activity and any additional support that might add value to the work.

The committee will be looking for a strong statement of commitment from your research organisation.

Upload guidance for the PDF will be provided in the Funding Service.

Letters of support from the Japanese research organisation are not required for this section.

BBSRC recognises that in some instances, this information may be provided by the Research Office, the Technology Transfer Office (TTO) or equivalent, or a combination of both.

You must also include the following details:

  • a significant person’s name and their position, from the TTO or Research Office, or both
  • office address or web link

Upload details are provided within the service on the actual 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 organisation who will have an integral role in the proposed research. This may include private sector, non-governmental organisations, third parties that would not normally receive funding directly from the grant and may provide direct (cash) or indirect (in-kind) contributions such as expertise, staff time or use of facilities.

Add the following project partner details:

  • the organisation name and address (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 a detail is entered incorrectly and you have saved the entry, remove the specific project partner record and re-add it with the correct information.

For audit purposes, UKRI requires formal collaboration agreements to be put in place if an award is made.

Project partners: letters or emails of support

Upload a single PDF containing the letters or emails of support from each partner you named in the Project partner section. These should be uploaded in English or Welsh only.

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Enter the words ‘attachment supplied’ in the text box, or if you do not have any project partners enter N/A. Each letter or email you provide should:

  • 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

The Funding Service will provide document upload details when you apply. If you do not have any project partners, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.

Ensure you have prior agreement from project partners so that, if you are offered funding, they will support your project as indicated in the project partners’ section.

For audit purposes, UKRI requires formal collaboration agreements to be put in place if an award is made.

Data management and sharing

Word limit: 700

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 that clearly details how you will comply with UKRI’s published data sharing policy, which includes detailed guidance notes.

Facilities

Word limit: 750

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.

Please note this section should only be used to discuss facilities from the linked facility information list.

How we will assess your application

Assessment process

Subject to successful eligibility checks, proposals will be subject to an assessment process led by NSF.

NSF will coordinate and manage the review of proposals and in consultation with BBSRC and other partner agencies.

Full information on the assessment process can be found on NSF’s web page.

Principles of assessment

We support the San Francisco declaration on research assessment and recognise the relationship between research assessment and research integrity.

Find out about the UKRI principles of assessment and decision making.

We reserve the right to modify the assessment process as needed.

Contact details

Get help with your application

If you have a question and the answers aren’t provided on this page

Important note: The helpdesk is committed to helping users of the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service as effectively and as quickly as possible. In order to manage cases at peak volume times, the helpdesk will triage and prioritise those queries with an imminent opportunity deadline or a technical issue. Enquiries raised where information is available on the Funding Finder opportunity page and should be understood early in the application process (for example, regarding eligibility or content/remit of an opportunity) will not constitute a priority case and will be addressed as soon as possible.

Contact details

For help and advice on costings and writing your proposal please contact your research office in the first instance, allowing sufficient time for your organisation’s submission process.

For questions related to this specific funding opportunity please contact:

NSF contact email: globalcenters@nsf.gov

BBSRC contact email: global.centres.bioeconomy@bbsrc.ukri.org

Any queries regarding the system or the submission of applications through the Funding Service should be directed to the helpdesk.

Email: support@funding-service.ukri.org
Phone: 01793 547490

Our phone lines are open:

  • Monday to Thursday 8:30am to 5:00pm
  • Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm

To help us process queries quicker, we request that users highlight the council and funding opportunity name in the subject title of their email query, include the application reference number, and refrain from contacting more than one mailbox at a time.

Find out more information on submitting an application.

Sensitive information

If you or a core team member need to tell us something you wish to remain confidential, email: global.centres.bioeconomy@bbsrc.ukri.org

Include in the subject line: [the funding opportunity title; sensitive information; your Funding Service application number].

Typical examples of confidential information include:

  • individual is unavailable until a certain date (for example due to parental leave)
  • declaration of interest
  • additional information about eligibility to apply that would not be appropriately shared in the ‘Applicant and team capability’ section
  • conflict of interest for UKRI to consider in reviewer or panel participant selection
  • the application is an invited resubmission

For information about how UKRI handles personal data, read UKRI’s privacy notice.

Additional info

Research disruption due to COVID-19

We recognise that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused major interruptions and disruptions across our communities. We are committed to ensuring that individual applicants and their wider team, including partners and networks, are not penalised for any disruption to their career, such as:

  • breaks and delays
  • disruptive working patterns and conditions
  • the loss of ongoing work
  • role changes that may have been caused by the pandemic

Reviewers and panel members will be advised to consider the unequal impacts that COVID-19 related disruption might have had on the capability to deliver and career development of those individuals included in the application. They will be asked to consider the capability of the applicant and their wider team to deliver the research they are proposing.

Where disruptions have occurred, you can highlight this within your application if you wish, but there is no requirement to detail the specific circumstances that caused the disruption.

Webinar

We held a webinar on Tuesday 23rd April. This provided more information about the funding opportunity and a chance to ask questions.

Watch the webinar recording via Zoom.

Passcode: akQL6R^1

View the webinar slides (PDF, 3MB).

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