To apply for Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) funding, you must meet BBSRC’s standard eligibility criteria. You should also check the funding opportunity for any opportunity-specific eligibility requirements.
Find out more about roles in funding applications.
If you have any queries about your eligibility, you should contact your organisation’s research office for support, who may then get in touch with us if they need advice.
Organisational eligibility
To apply, you must be based at an eligible organisation. Check if your organisation is eligible.
Applicant eligibility
In determining whether an application will be accepted, BBSRC will consider a range of factors in relation to the applicants, such as their status and the duration and nature of their employment.
The decision on eligibility resides with BBSRC and is final. Applications will only be accepted from the categories of researchers specifically mentioned on this page as being eligible to apply to BBSRC.
Project leads and project co-leads
Project leads and project co-leads must meet the criteria under each of the following sections.
UK residency
When submitting an application, you must be one of the following:
- a UK resident, spending 183 or more days in the tax year in the UK
- be moving to the UK to take up an already agreed contract at an eligible organisation, the contract must not be dependent on the outcome of the application
You must remain resident in the UK for the duration of the proposed project.
Employment status
At the time of application you must either be employed at an eligible research organisation or have an agreed contract with an eligible organisation, that covers the duration of the project.
Employed at an eligible organisation
You can apply as a project lead if you are employed by the eligible research organisation submitting the application. You must hold a research staff appointment there, at academic lecturer level or equivalent, which is paid from the central funds of the organisation.
For research council institutes, lecturer equivalent will be researchers who are research council Band E. For the Natural Environment Research Council this will be researchers at the NERC Band 5 level.
Medical Research Council external scientific staff located within university departments holding honorary university appointments may also apply, if the appointment will outlast the period of a proposed grant
Agreement with eligible organisation
You can apply if you are not employed by the submitting organisation but have an existing written formal arrangement with them. The agreement must confirm that the:
- research will be conducted as if you were an employee at lecturer level or equivalent but without salary costs
- organisation will enable you to carry out research there and receive all the necessary management and infrastructural support
- organisation commits to take full responsibility for the research and its proper governance
Moving to an eligible organisation
You can apply if you are scheduled to move to the submitting organisation before the proposed start date of the grant. Your employment at the organisation should not be dependent on the success of your funding application.
In this case, the affiliation shown for the applicant should be the organisation that would hold the grant.
Employment contracts
At the time of application, they must have either:
- a contract of employment at lecturer level or equivalent that extends beyond the duration of the proposed grant (or, if not employed by the submitting organisation, a formal non-salaried arrangement as described above that extends beyond the duration of the proposed grant)
- an assurance from the submitting organisation that, if the application is successful, a pre-existing contract of employment (or pre-existing formal commitment to provide support if not employed at the organisation) at lecturer level or equivalent will be extended beyond the end date of the grant
Fellows
Postdoctoral fellows may be able to apply if they are equivalent level to lecturer and their fellowship was awarded by one of the following:
- a UKRI research council
- award-giving bodies such as the Royal Society and the Wellcome Trust
- internal university fellowship awards
Before submitting an application, potential applicants to BBSRC opportunities who are fellows should confirm their eligibility by emailing: eligibility@bbsrc.ukri.org
All fellowships must have been secured in open competition.
With the exception of internally awarded university fellowships, all fellowships must be tenable at any BBSRC eligible academic institution.
Information to include in your application
Information on the type and nature of the fellowship held, together with its end date and the funding it provides, must be included within the Approach or Applicant and team capability to deliver sections of the application.
BBSRC may request written notification from the fellowship provider permitting the fellow to undertake the additional research and other activities required in association with any research grant application submitted.
UKRI Academic Fellowships
Holders of UKRI Academic Fellowships are eligible to apply. However, they must ensure that any commitments they have to existing research projects are discussed with their organisation prior to the completion and submission of a research grant application.
Recipients of UKRI Academic Fellowships who are initially supported as postdoctoral research assistants (PDRA) on research grants are eligible to apply for new research grants in their own right. However, they cannot start any successful award until they have completed their PDRA duties on the original research grant.
Authorising an application
Authorisation for an application can be provided by a relevant head of department or the director of a research council institute. By authorising the application, they are agreeing to:
- provide full research facilities and support throughout the period of the research
- underwrite the fellow’s salary costs if their fellowship does not extend beyond the duration of the grant
A letter of support confirming this may be requested by BBSRC.
Details of the post the fellow will be appointed should be given in the approach or applicant and team capability to deliver.
Authorisation of the application also confirms that there is no conflict of interest between the applicant’s obligations to BBSRC and to any other organisation or employer.
Senior research personnel
Other senior university research personnel with appointments resourced from the central funds of their institutions at the time of application may also apply. They must have both a level of responsibility and range of duties appropriate to a person with substantial research experiences, for example they occupy a post equating to at least lecturer level.
BBSRC may request a statement from the head of department and written assurance from the applicant’s institution that if the applicant does not have a contract of employment extending beyond the period of the proposed grant at the time of application, a contract will be put in place if the application is successful.
Before submitting an application senior research personnel should confirm their eligibility apply by emailing: eligibility@bbsrc.ukri.org
Researcher co-leads
A research and innovation associate who is not eligible to be a project lead or project co-lead can be named as a researcher co-lead if they:
- have made a substantial contribution to the formulation and development of the application
- will be closely involved with the project
This status can be used by the research and innovation associate as evidence of their involvement in acquiring research funding.
A researcher co-lead will be:
- named on the application as the researcher co-lead and at postdoctoral research assistant level or equivalent
- identified in the application as a key intellectual contributor to the project
- employed on the project by, and based at, the institutions of either the project lead or any project co-leads
Researcher co-lead employment contracts
The institution is responsible for all matters in relation to an employee’s contract of employment including the procurement of work permits where necessary.
See RGC 8 of the terms and conditions for research grants, which are the terms held between the awarding research council and the institution in receipt of the grant.
BBSRC has no restrictions or requirements on residency, nationality or citizenship in relation to research support staff funded from a grant.
Ask a question about your eligibility
Email: eligibility@bbsrc.ukri.org
Last updated: 27 June 2025