This scheme supports excellent investigator-led research across the breadth of our scientific remit.
Funding of up to £2 million is available for up to five years for:
- research projects, including technology development projects
- equipment or use of existing facilities
- new facilities or infrastructure
- research networks and coordination
- summer schools.
You can apply to undertake biotechnology or biological research in:
- plants
- microbes
- animals (including humans)
- tools and technology underpinning biological research.
Investigations within and across scales are supported, from molecules and cells, to tissues, whole organisms, populations and landscapes.
We welcome multidisciplinary proposals that cross into other research council areas but expect the primary focus of your work to fall within BBSRC’s remit.
We work with other research councils to ensure that applications close to remit boundaries are assessed by the most appropriate lead council. Please contact us with any queries about the suitability of your application before applying.
We have a strong commitment to funding curiosity-led research and to advance excellent bioscience across our portfolio.
You are encouraged to consider the relevance your proposed work to the long-term research and innovation priorities set out in our delivery plan.
In addition, we have identified several priority areas in which we wish to encourage and promote submissions to advance these goals:
- animal health
- bioenergy: generating new replacement fuels for a greener, sustainable future
- combating antimicrobial resistance
- data-driven biology
- food, nutrition and health
- healthy ageing across the lifecourse
- integrative microbiome research
- new strategic approaches to industrial biotechnology
- reducing waste in the food chain
- the replacement, refinement and reduction in research using animals
- sustainably enhancing agricultural production
- synthetic biology
- systems approaches to the biosciences
- technology development for the biosciences
- welfare of managed animals.
We particularly welcome approaches that encourage working with partners to improve the effectiveness of research and the realisation of impact, promoted through three further priorities:
- collaborative research with users
- research that informs public policy
- international partnerships
You should consider the potential impacts of your research and how they relate to BBSRC’s strategy, including the aims of our priority areas where relevant.
More about our themes and priorities.
Working with Brazilian researchers
You can apply to work on projects with Brazilian researchers based at higher education and research organisations eligible for support from the State of São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP).
Proposals must be in fields supported by both BBSRC and FAPESP. Funding for the work of Brazilian scientists on the project is funded by FAPESP.
More about working with Brazilian scientists.
More about FAPESP.