Apply for funding for mid-range equipment for research across BBSRC’s scientific areas.
You must be a researcher from an eligible UK research organisation.
You can only lead on one application.
The full economic cost of your equipment can be up to £1 million. We will fund 100% of the full economic cost.
Awards must start by 1 August 2022 and will last for 12 months.
This is the latest round of ALERT funding.
The ALERT 2021 opportunity is open to institutions and researchers normally eligible to apply to BBSRC, as described in section three of the BBSRC research grants guide.
As an individual you can only lead on one submitted application.
As principal investigator on one proposal you can still be a member of a consortium on a different application, as long as you do not take a leading role as principal investigator. However, as such applications will be in direct competition this is not recommended unless the applications are in very different areas.
As the first funder to sign the Technician Commitment, UKRI recognises the value of technical expertise to the UK research workforce. To reflect this, BBSRC welcomes applications eligible facility staff as either principal investigators or co-investigators.
All co-investigators must meet the eligibility criteria outlined in section 3 of the BBSRC grants guide.
Postdoctoral research assistants can be included as researcher co-investigators.
Please email the BBSRC ALERT team at bbsrcalert@bbsrc.ukri.org if you are unsure of staff eligibility.
An institution may submit more than one application, but we strongly encourage institutions to discuss and prioritise their submissions given the limited budget available.
Advanced research equipment and the development of capability in this area is a key component in maintaining the competitiveness of the UK research base.
BBSRC recognises that new technologies, tools and approaches, often spanning several disciplines, are revolutionising biology. They are providing unprecedented opportunities to:
To support this approach, this funding opportunity, like previous opportunities of this nature, encourages you to apply for:
The maximum duration of grants is 12 months and grants must start by 1 August 2022 at the very latest.
The indicative capital budget for ALERT 2021 is approximately £10 million.
Applications may seek the cost of capital equipment over £200,000, including VAT, requested under the ‘directly incurred equipment’ heading only. No other cost types are eligible under this opportunity. Any applications submitted with costs in any other heading will be rejected without consultation.
Costs such as initial installation or service maintenance contracts can be included if they are one-off costs and part of the manufacturer’s offer. These costs should be included in the equipment quotation.
Contributions from the host institution or institutions and other external sources are welcome but not mandatory.
Only one piece of capital equipment may be funded, although this can include equipment that requires assembly or involves several components (not necessarily physically linked) provided they constitute a single technology platform.
If you plan to request several components that could constitute a platform, it is important that you approach BBSRC for permission before submission, providing a short one page document outlining how your proposal enables novel research that would not otherwise be possible. See ‘how to apply’ for more details.
In a large multi-component application that is otherwise in scope, one or more small components costing under £10,000 can be supported, but these must be from the same supplier so that they can come together as one invoice. If they cannot be sourced from the same supplier, the applicant’s research organisation will need to fund the sub £10,000 component themselves.
All equipment must be on the market at the time of the opportunity closing date to be considered for funding.
Host contributions towards the purchase of equipment are not mandatory.
Costs such as initial installation or service maintenance contracts can be included if they are one-off costs and part of the manufacturer’s offer. These costs should be included in the equipment quotation.
Service maintenance contracts may extend a maximum of 24 months past the end date of the award (36 months in total), but the contract cost must be paid within the lifetime of the grant (12 months). Should the expected length of the contract exceed 36 months, then the cost included in the application should be reduced on a pro rata basis so as to fit within the conditions as stated.
BBSRC expects that institutions will make longer term arrangements to ensure appropriate ongoing support over the lifetime of the equipment. Separately negotiated service contracts are not eligible for this opportunity.
If you expect that a significant portion of the equipment user base will be undertaking research in areas outside BBSRC remit, you must seek an appropriate level of additional upfront contributions and support from external sources and provide information on this external support in the application.
Read more about the BBSRC remit.
Applications in the following areas will not be accepted and BBSRC withholds the right to reject these applications without consultation:
You should refer to the opportunity guidance for full details. Applications must be submitted using the Joint Electronic Submission (Je-S) system by 16:00 on 25 November 2021.
Please consider the time required by your research office to process the application as late submissions will not be accepted.
Applicants should select:
In addition to the completed Je-S proforma, the application should include the following attachments:
BBSRC recommends the use of typefaces Arial, Helvetica or Verdana. A strict minimum font size of 11 must be used for the entire case for support, justification of resources and CVs (excluding text on diagrams and the use of mathematical symbols). A minimum of single line spacing and standard character spacing must be used. Margins must not be less than 2cm.
You should discuss your application with your relevant procurement and finance officers prior to submission, particularly bearing in mind the EU tender and procurement rules.
Applicants should detail how staff roles will support the use of the equipment and how they will be supported in their careers. Please refer to the UKRI statement of expectations for technology and skills specialists.
If you expect the expenditure to be challenging within the given time constraints regarding grant duration or start date (for example, because the equipment may require an export license or involves lengthy customisation or construction times) you must contact BBSRC before submitting an application.
In order to ensure compliance with basic requirements of the opportunity, you should refer to the ALERT 2021: Pre-submission checklist (PDF, 50KB) and all associated guidance before submitting your application. Once the application has been submitted, no further modifications can be made.
If you are requesting more than one piece of equipment, please contact bbsrcalert@bbsrc.ukri.org and provide a one-page summary document outlining the following:
Applications will be assessed by a multidisciplinary panel of experts covering scientific, managerial, technical and user aspects of equipment provision and management. External reviews will not be sought.
The following assessment criteria (not listed in order of priority) will also apply.
This includes:
Scientific quality and strategic relevance of the proposed research to be conducted using the equipment.
In particular the arrangements to secure the expertise in its operation and to provide access to the equipment and expertise in its use.
Award holders will be expected to put arrangements in place for providing advice and support to others wishing to assess the potential of the technology for their own research.
Provision for staff development, training and sustainability for staff employed to operate and manage the equipment, including the professional development of technical and support staff will be part of the assessment by the panel and will inform the final score.
The contribution the investment will make to the physical research infrastructure in the applicant institution or institutions and in the UK (for example, how the equipment will complement related infrastructure and equipment) and the broader environment in which the equipment will be placed (for example, lab space, running costs, technical support, scientific expertise, data management).
Evidence of the capacity to deliver excellent research and where possible experience directly relevant to this opportunity, for example a track record in managing facilities is strongly encouraged. Where applicants do not have prior experience, they should be able to clearly demonstrate their potential relevant to these points.
This includes the credibility of the financial and management proposals. Contributions from the host institution or institutions and other external sources are welcome but not mandatory.
Consideration will also be given to any ethical and societal issues that may be raised by the proposal.
Email: bbsrcalert@bbsrc.ukri.org.
Please provide as much information as possible in your email to ensure a rapid response.
Email: eligibility@bbsrc.ukri.org
Any queries regarding the submission of proposals through Je-S should be directed to the Je-S helpdesk.
Email: jeshelp@je-s.ukri.org
Telephone: 01793 444164
Opening times: Je-S opening times
If you are successful in your application as a principal investigator for ALERT, you will still be eligible for a new investigator scheme. This is because there are no postdoctoral research assistant costs associated with the ALERT scheme that would disqualify you.
If you have been unable to enter a figure of zero in Je-S for the researcher co-investigator’s salary, entering a nominal value of 0.01 should fix this issue.
ALERT 2021: Opportunity guidance (PDF, 77KB)
ALERT 2021: Additional guidance (PDF, 128KB)
ALERT 2021: Pre-submission checklist (PDF, 50KB)
ALERT 2021: Justification of resources (PDF, 45KB)
