Overview of the application process
This funding opportunity has two mandatory stages: registration and full applications. You should read all the information before starting your application.
Mandatory registrations will remain open from 24 September 2025 9:00am until 19 November 2025 4:00pm UK time.
Register here
The full application stage will remain open from 20 November 2025 9:00am until 25 February 2026 4:00pm UK time. You can only submit a full application if you have submitted a registration.
Stage one: Registration
The aim of the registration is to ensure proposals are appropriately targeted to this funding opportunity and to provide an early indication of the level of demand, team composition, and research areas.
Project leads must register their interest in the funding opportunity by completing a short registration on the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service. This requires a short vision of the proposed work, a list of the anticipated ‘core team’ members, and keywords that concisely encapsulate the core ideas and topics within your proposed research project.
We will provide brief feedback on whether we consider your proposal to be appropriate for the scheme within two weeks after the close of the registration stage.
The application link for the registration stage will be available on this funding opportunity page from 24 September 2025 9:00am until 19 November 2025 4:00pm UK time.
You will not be able to register your interest in applying to the BBSRC pioneer awards 2025/26 funding opportunity after this time. If you do not submit a registration, you will not be able to apply for this funding opportunity.
Stage two: Full application
This stage is open only to applicants who have completed a registration at stage one.
The application link for the full applications stage will be available on this opportunity page from 20 November 2025 9:00am until 25 February 2026 4:00pm UK time. You will not be able to apply after this time.
Funding Service
We are running this funding opportunity on the new Funding Service so please ensure that your organisation is registered. 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.
- Confirm you are the project lead.
- 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. We strongly suggest that if you are asking UKRI to add your organisation to the Funding Service to enable you to apply to this opportunity, you also create an organisation Administration Account. This will be needed to allow the acceptance and management of any grant that might be offered to you.
- 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.
- Allow enough time to check your application in ‘read-only’ view before sending to your research office.
- Send the completed application to your research office for checking. They will return it to you if it needs editing.
- 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.
When including images, you must:
- provide a descriptive caption or legend for each image immediately underneath it in the text box (this must be outside the image and counts towards your word limit)
- insert each new image on a new line
- use files smaller than 5MB and in JPEG, JPG, JPE, JFI, JIF, JFIF, PNG, GIF, BMP or WEBP format
Images should only be used to convey important visual information that cannot easily be put into words. The following are not permitted, and your application may be rejected if you include:
- sentences or paragraphs of text
- tables
- excessive quantities of images
A few words are permitted where the image would lack clarity without the contextual words, such as a diagram, where text labels are required for an axis or graph column.
For more guidance on the Funding Service, see:
References
References should be included within the word count of the appropriate question section. You should use your discretion when including references and prioritise those most pertinent to the application.
Hyperlinks can be used in reference information. When including references, you should consider how your references will be viewed and used by the assessors, ensuring that:
- references are easily identifiable by the assessors
- references are formatted as appropriate to your research
- persistent identifiers are used where possible
General use of hyperlinks
Applications should be self-contained. You should only use hyperlinks to link directly to reference information. You must not include links to web resources to extend your application. Assessors are not required to access links to conduct assessment or recommend a funding decision.
Generative artificial intelligence (AI)
Use of generative AI tools to prepare funding applications is permitted, however, caution should be applied.
For more information see our policy on the use of generative AI in application and assessment.
Deadline
Stage one: Registration
Registrations will open to submissions on 24 September 2025 at 9:00am UK time.
BBSRC must receive your registration by 19 November 2025 at 4:00pm UK time.
You will not be able to register your interest in applying after this time.
Make sure you are aware of and follow any internal institutional deadlines.
Following the submission of your registration to the funding opportunity, your registration cannot be changed, and registrations will not be returned for amendment. If your registration does not follow the guidance, it may be rejected.
Stage two: Full application
Full applications will be open to submissions on 20 November 2025 at 9:00am UK time. This is only open to applicants who completed a registration.
BBSRC must receive your full application by 25 February 2026 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.
Sensitive information
If you or a core team member need to tell us something you wish to remain confidential, email pioneerawards@bbsrc.ukri.org
Include in the subject line: [Pioneer Awards; sensitive information; your Funding Service application number].
Typical examples of confidential information include, but are not limited to:
- 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.
Institutional Matched Funding
There is no requirement for matched funding from the institution(s) hosting the project lead, project co-leads or other staff employed on the application, beyond any 20% fEC contribution. UKRI advises reviewers and panel members not to consider the level of matched host institution funding as a factor on which to base funding recommendations. Any project partners are expected to contribute to the project, either with cash or in-kind contributions.
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.
Stage one: Registration
Summary
Word limit: 5
Guidance for writing a summary
Please write ‘N/A’ in this section as it is not required at the registration stage.
Core team
List the key members of your team and assign them roles from the following:
- project lead (PL)
- project co-lead (UK) (PcL)
- researcher co-lead (RcL)
- specialist
- professional enabling staff
- research and innovation associate
- technician
Only list one individual as project lead.
UKRI has introduced a new addition to the ‘Specialist’ role type. Public contributors such as people with lived experience can now be added to an application.
Find out more about roles in funding applications.
You will be able to amend this section if anything changes between registrations and full applications.
Vision
Word limit: 300
What are you hoping to achieve with your proposed work?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Explain how your proposed work:
- is of excellent quality and importance within or beyond the field(s) or area(s)
- has the potential to advance current understanding, or generate new knowledge, thinking or discovery within or beyond the field(s) or area(s)
- is timely given current trends, context, and needs
References may be included within this section.
You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.
As part of this section, we expect you to:
- provide context of the work within the field(s) of study
- outline the overall goal of the project and potential outcomes so that BBSRC can understand if it addresses our remit and the scope of the funding opportunity, including a focus on fundamental bioscience
You will be able to expand this section during your full application.
Keywords
Word limit: 25
Provide up to five terms or phrases that concisely encapsulate the core ideas and topics within your proposed research project.
Additionally, select relevant topic areas from the list below.
Additional guidance
In the text box, write your keywords and the numbers corresponding to any keywords from the list below that are relevant to your project, separated by semicolons:
- Ageing
- Animal Science – mammalian
- Animal Science – non-mammalian
- Anti-Microbial Resistance
- Biochemistry and Chemical Biology
- Biotechnology
- Bioimaging
- Cell Biology
- Computational Biology
- Developmental Biology
- Engineering Biology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Nutrition and Health
- Genomics
- Immunology
- Microbiology – bacteriology
- Microbiology – virology
- Microbiology – fungal
- Molecular biology
- Neuroscience
- Plant Science
- Physiology
- Soil Science
- Stem Cells and Tissue Engineering
- Structural Biology and Biophysics
Stage two: Full application
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
- longer term significance including 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)
- researcher co-lead (RcL)
- specialist
- professional enabling staff
- research and innovation associate
- technician
Only list one individual as project lead.
UKRI has introduced a new addition to the ‘Specialist’ role type. Public contributors such as people with lived experience can now be added to an application.
Find out more about roles in funding applications.
DPR contact information
Word limit: 25
In this funding opportunity we will be piloting Distributed Peer Review (DPR). This is a type of grant review process in which the applicants are also the reviewers. By submitting an application, project leads agree to act as reviewers and to have their proposal reviewed by their peers.
More information on DPR is in
- How we will assess your application
- Additional Information
It is important that you read these carefully before applying.
Guidance for writing the DPR contact information
To assist with matching the applications to the reviewers we are asking the project lead to describe their area of expertise using five keywords.
Please provide up to five areas of expertise separated by semicolons.
Application questions
Vision
Word limit: 1,200
What are you hoping to achieve with your proposed work?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Explain how your proposed work:
- is of excellent quality and importance within or beyond the field(s) or area(s)
- has the potential to advance current understanding, or generate new knowledge, thinking or discovery within or beyond the field(s) or area(s)
- is timely given current trends, context, and needs
- impact world-leading research, the society, the economy, or the environment
References may be included within this section.
You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.
As part of this section, we expect you to:
- introduce the topic of research and explain its academic and wider context
- provide clearly defined aims and objectives, typically as a small number of bullet points
- highlight features of your proposed work that are particularly original, ambitious, adventurous or unique
- describe how the proposed research constitutes a significant departure from current lines of investigation in the field, or explores an entirely new one
- describe its potential to lead to a significant advancement in the fundamental understanding of living systems
- justify why your proposal requires a pioneer award and how it fits to the scope of the funding opportunity
- include sufficient references to set the context of your work in the field for a broad panel of experts from a range of different fields
Approach
Word limit: 1,500
How are you going to deliver your proposed work?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Explain how you have designed your approach so that it:
- is effective and appropriate to achieve your objectives
- is feasible, and comprehensively identifies any risks to delivery and how they will be managed
- uses a clearly written and transparent methodology (if applicable)
- describes how your, and if applicable your team’s, research environment (in terms of the place and relevance to the project) will contribute to the success of the work
As part of this section, we expect you to:
- describe a suitable programme of work to achieve the project aims, indicating the experimental and data analytical research to be undertaken
- identify any particularly innovative, unconventional methodologies or approaches that will be explored
- identify key milestones where you may need to make decisions, track, or evaluate progress
- demonstrate your awareness of any potential challenges, risks, or limitations of the proposed project
- report any alternative approaches, or the learning potential in the event of negative results
- provide a detailed project plan including milestones and timelines in the form of an embedded Gantt chart or similar (please make sure to check sizing and readability of the image using ‘read view’ prior to submission)
References may be included within this section.
You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.
Applicant and team capability to deliver
Word limit: 1,650
Why are you the right individual, or team, to successfully deliver the proposed work?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Evidence of how you, and if relevant your team, have:
- the relevant experience (appropriate to career stage) to deliver the proposed work
- the right balance of skills and expertise to cover the proposed work
- the appropriate leadership and management skills to deliver the work and your approach to develop others
- contributed to developing a positive research environment and wider community
You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.
The word limit for this section is 1,650 words: 1,150 words to be used for Résumé for Research and Innovation (R4RI) modules including references and, if necessary, a further 500 words for Additions.
Use the Résumé for Research and Innovation (R4RI) format to showcase the range of relevant skills you and, if relevant, your team (project and project co-leads, researchers, technicians, specialists, partners and so on) have and how this will help deliver the proposed work. You can include individuals’ specific achievements but only choose past contributions that best evidence their ability to deliver this work.
Complete this section using the R4RI module headings listed. Use each heading once and include a response for the whole team, see the UKRI guidance on R4RI. You should consider how to balance your answer, and emphasise where appropriate the key skills each team member brings:
- contributions to the generation of new ideas, tools, methodologies, or knowledge
- the development of others and maintenance of effective working relationships
- contributions to the wider research and innovation community
- contributions to broader research or innovation users and audiences and towards wider societal benefit
Additions
Provide any further details relevant to your application. This section is optional and can be up to 500 words. You should not use it to describe additional skills, experiences, or outputs, but you can use it to describe any factors that provide context for the rest of your R4RI (for example, details of career breaks if you wish to disclose them).
Complete this as a narrative. Do not format it like a CV.
References may be included within this section.
As part of this section, we expect you to:
- describe team members relevant skills and knowledge relating to the research topic such as experience in particular methods, organisms, or technologies
- include relevant information on collaborators, project partners or subcontractors related to your team capability to deliver
The roles in funding applications policy has descriptions of the different project roles.
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
If you are collecting or using data you should identify:
- any legal and ethical considerations of collecting, releasing and storing the data (including consent, confidentiality, anonymisation, security and other ethical considerations and, in particular, strategies to not preclude further re-use of data)
- formal information standards that your proposed work will comply with
Additional sub-questions (to be answered only if appropriate) relating to research involving:
- animals
- human participants
- genetically modified organisms
You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.
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 Research involving the use of animals template (DOCX, 52.5KB), 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.
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. 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, such as:
- rodents
- rabbits
- sheep
- goats
- pigs
- cattle
- xenopus laevis and xenopus tropicalis
- zebrafish
Select, download, and complete the relevant Word checklist or checklists by exploring NC3Rs checklist for the use of animals overseas.
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.
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.
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.
Resources and cost justification
Word limit: 1,000
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 £25,000
- 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’
You can request costs associated with reasonable adjustments where they increase as a direct result of working on the project. For further information see Disability and accessibility support for UKRI applicants and grant holders.
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
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 direct contributions for example cash, donated equipment and resources, or staff seconded to the project, or indirect and in-kind contributions for example use of project partner’s equipment, datasets, or facilities. Project partners may be in industry, academia, third sector or government organisations in the UK or overseas, including partners based in the EU.
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 indirect) 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.
Data management and sharing
Word limit: 500
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.
Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I)
Word limit: 100
Does your proposed work relate to UKRI’s Trusted Research and Innovation principles?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Demonstrate how your proposed work relates to UKRI’s Trusted Research and Innovation principles including:
- list any dual-use (both military and non-military) applications to your research
- if this project is relevant to one or more of the 17 areas of the UK National Security and Investment (NSI) Act, please list the area(s)
- please read the academic export control guidance and confirm if an export control licence is required for this project and the status of any application(s)
- if your project involves any items or substances on the UK strategic export control list, please provide a list
We may ask you to provide additional TR&I information later, in line with UKRI TR&I principles and funding terms and conditions (RGC 2.6.2, 2.7.1 and 2.7.2).
International collaboration
Word limit: 100
Does the proposed work involve any international collaboration or engagement?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Provide details about your expected international collaboration or engagement, including:
- a list of the countries your international project co-leads, project partners, visiting researchers, or other collaborators are based in
- details of any subcontractors or service providers
If your proposed work does not involve international collaboration or engagement, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.
Facilities
Word limit: 500
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, 42KB)
- proposed usage or costs, or costs per unit where indicated on the facility information list
- confirmation you have their agreement where required
Facilities should only be named if they are on the facility information list above. If you will not need to use a facility, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.
