STRATEGIC LONGER AND LARGER GRANTS: FRONTIER BIOSCIENCE 2020/21

1. Title: STRATEGIC LONGER AND LARGER GRANTS: FRONTIER BIOSCIENCE 2020/212. Awarding Authority: UKRI-BBSRC, GB Email: bbsrc.lolagrants@bbsrc.ukri.org. Web: 3. Contract type: Service contract4. Description: Advancing the frontiers of bioscience discovery is a strategically important long term objective of the Awarding Authority Delivery Plan. The 2020/21 strategic Longer and Larger (sLoLa) call invites proposals focused on frontier bioscience: leading-edge discovery research that addresses significant fundamental questions in bioscience. Proposals are expected to be ambitious and have the potential to lead to a major advance in our understanding of the ‘Rules of Life’ which govern living systems. We anticipate that innovative approaches, methods or technologies will be used to produce a significant and distinctive contribution to bioscience knowledge.Proposals must provide a clear justification for the need for funding through the sLoLa mechanism, demonstrating a coordinated and fully integrated programme of work that could not be undertaken through a series of smaller awards. A strong case must also be made regarding how the proposal will enhance the UK’s international position in the area of investigation.The indicative budget for this call is up to £16 million, subject to the quality of applications received. Proposals must be over £2 million (100% FEC project value) and can be up to five years in duration. We anticipate awarding 3-5 sLoLa grants in the 2020/21 call.Proposals must address the scope of the call and be predominantly within our remit. It is anticipated that awarded grants will start in the latter half of 2021.ScopeUnderstanding living systems and how they function is at the heart of bioscience research and innovation. Curiosity-driven research at the limits of our current understanding has a strong record of revealing, or rewriting, fundamental ‘Rules of Life’ which can lead to transformational developments within the life sciences, as well as more broadly stimulating social and economic benefits and contributing to the UK’s international competitiveness.In the 2020/21 sLoLa call, we are seeking to support cutting edge, innovative and ambitious research that addresses key fundamental questions in bioscience. We welcome applications working across any scales of biological organisation, and particularly those employing quantitative, multi-scale approaches that integrate bioscience research from different sub-fields. To produce major advances, proposals are expected to employ (or develop) the latest technologies, methods and approaches that will result in world leading capability in bioscience within the UK. There is no requirement for proposals to address our Responsive Mode priorities.RequirementsProposals must fully address the scope of the sLoLa call, clearly demonstrating a primary focus on generating a significant advancement in fundamental bioscience knowledge.The work to be undertaken must be primarily within UKRI-BBSRC remit. We encourage multidisciplinary proposals but we strongly advise potential applicants to contact us before submission if aspects of the proposal are outside of our remit.Proposals must provide a clear justification for the necessity for funding through the sLoLa scheme in order to deliver the programme of work. The proposal must demonstrate overall coherence, connectivity, coordination and integration of the work to be carried out, to the extent that the work could not be undertaken through funding a series of separate smaller awards.ExclusionsIn addition to its focus on research excellence, UKRI-BBSRC takes a strategic approach to investment, considering overall balance of our portfolio in world-class bioscience research. Proposals in areas in which there is already substantial UKRI-BBSRC investment, particularly existing sLoLa-scale awards or research in areas covered by current UKRI-BBSRC Institute Strategic Programme grants, are therefore likely to be at a competitive disadvantage in this call and may be excluded at the registration or outline stage (see downloads and external links for list of currently active >£2 million UKRI-BBSRC grants).Proposals that are not primarily motivated by fundamental advances in biological knowledge are excluded. For example, proposals where the primary aim is to tackle a user-driven challenge from within industry, including areas covered by the UKRI Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, are excluded. However, work that is potentially impactful within one or more of the UKRI-BBSRC Strategic Challenges set out in the UKRI-BBSRC Delivery Plan – bioscience for sustainable agriculture and food, bioscience for renewable resources and clean growth, bioscience for an integrated understanding of health – is not excluded, but the primary driver must be to make fundamental advances in biological knowledge.Proposals that fall within the context of UKRI-BBSRC or other UKRI programmes for strategic investment in bioscience that are driven by Official Development Assistance (ODA) strategic aims (Global Challenges Research Fund and Newton Fund) are excluded.ResourcesProposals must be over £2 million (100% FEC project value, net of any industrial contribution) and can be up to five years in durationIt is anticipated that awarded grants will start in the latter half of 2021.EligibilityThis call for proposals is open to eligible researchers at Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), Research Council Institutes (RCIs), and approved Independent Research Organisations (IROs). Full information about organisational eligibility is available on the UK Research and Innovation website (see external links and downloads).Principal and Co-Investigators must meet our standard eligibility criteria, as outlined in our grants guide, section three (see downloads section).In addition to our standard eligibility criteria, the team of applicants (PI and Co-Is) must demonstrate that, collectively, they have the capability to realize the objectives of an integrated programme of work at the required scale and complexity of a sLoLa project. Key indicators will include:A track record of making internationally important research contributions relevant to the proposed project. This may be evidenced through a variety of different measures of peer recognition and success which may include but are not limited to: publications, key note conference presentations, development and implementation of novel technologies, and patents.A recent track record (within the last 10 years, excluding career breaks) of significant financial support from major funding bodies. This excludes research equipment grants, studentships and grants that have not been competitively awarded.A track record demonstrating the capability of the Principal Investigator to effectively lead and manage teams. This should be evidenced through their role in specific projects or programmes, and professional development undertaken in leadership/project management.Inclusion of early career researchers,Research Co-Investigators, within teams is encouraged. Evidence of significant accomplishments commensurate with their career stage should be provided and they will be expected to contribute distinctive expertise to the proposal. In such cases, the Principal Investigator must also commit to the mentoring and career development of the early career researcher, and demonstrate previous successful experience of this. Applicants are encouraged to consider the expectations laid out in the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers, to which UKRI-BBSRC is a signatory.The Principal Investigator must not already be a PI on an existing sLoLa (unless the grant is in its final year). Multiple applications with the same PI are not permitted.UKRI-BBSRC is committed to encouraging equality, diversity and inclusion by eliminating unlawful discrimination in accordance with the Equality Act 2010 and encouraging applications from research teams exploiting the strength of diversity in the wider UK research and innovation community. Applicants are expected to consider these issues from the earliest stage of building their teams through to the delivery of awarded projects. Consideration of equality, diversity and inclusion is important for all applications to UKRI-BBSRC for funding, and we expect particular care to be taken for larger projects involving multiple co-applicants such as those supported through the sLoLa scheme. 5. CPV Code(s): 73000000, 73100000, 731100006. NUTS code(s): UKK, UKK1, UKK147. Main site or location of works, main place of delivery or main place of performance: UK8. Reference attributed by awarding authority: Not provided.9. Estimated value of requirement: The indicative budget for this call is up to £16 million10. Registration deadline (mandatory): 30.7.2020 (16:00).11. Address to which they must be sent: For further information regarding the above contract notice please visit:# funding opportunity