Overview of the application process
This funding opportunity has two mandatory stages, notification of intent and full stage applications. You should read all the information before starting your application.
Mandatory notification of intent will remain open from 3 February 2026 9:00am until 3 March 2026 4:00pm UK time.
The full application stage will remain open from 17 March 2026 9:00am until 7 May 2026 4:00pm UK time. You can only submit a full application if you have submitted a notification of intent.
Stage one: notification of intent
The aim of the notification of intent 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 Notification of Intent on the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service. This requires a short vision and approach of the proposed work and a list of the anticipated ‘core team’ members.
Your notification of intent will be reviewed by BBSRC to ensure it fits our remit and the scope of this funding opportunity.
If your proposed research is not suitable for this funding opportunity you will be advised by email following the Notification of Intent stage, and we will suggest that you do not proceed in submitting a full application.
The application link for the notification of intent stage will be available on this funding opportunity page from 3 February 2026 9:00am to 3 March 2026 4:00pm UK time.
You will not be able to register your interest in applying to the funding opportunity after this time. If you do not submit a Notification of Intent, you will not be able to apply to the full stage for this funding opportunity.
Stage two: full application
This stage is open only to applicants who have completed a notification of intent at stage one.
The application link for the full applications stage will be available on this opportunity page from 17 March 2026 9:00am to 7 May 2026 4:00pm UK time. You will not be able to apply after this time.
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 will 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.
Your application will be rejected if images are provided without a descriptive legend in the text box or are used to replace text that could be input into the text box.
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
BBSRC must receive your Notification of Intent by 3 March 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 this funding opportunity, your application cannot be changed, and submitted applications will not be amended. 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.
BBSRC as part of UKRI, will need to share the application and any personal information that it contains with Defra so that they can participate in the assessment process. See more information on how Defra uses personal information.
Sensitive information
If you or a core team member need to tell us something you wish to remain confidential, email dietandhealth@bbsrc.ukri.org
Include in the subject line: [the funding opportunity title; sensitive information; your Funding Service application number].
Typical examples of confidential information include:
- 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 institutions hosting the project lead, project co-leads or other staff employed on the application, beyond the standard 20% FEC. Expert reviewers and panels assessing UKRI funding applications must not consider levels of institutional matched funding as a factor on which to base recommendations. Direct and in-kind contributions from third party project partners are encouraged.
This policy does not remove the need for support from host organisations who must provide the necessary research environment and infrastructure for award-specific activities funded by UKRI. For example, research facilities, training and development of staff.
Publication of outcomes
If your application is successful, we will publish some personal information on the UKRI Gateway to Research.
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
- how your project will contribute to the vision set out in the Good Food Cycle
- aims and objectives
- potential applications and benefits
- The collaborative nature of your project
- The industry involvement in the delivery of your project
Core team
List the key members of your team and assign them roles from the following:
- project lead (PL)
- project co-lead (UK) (PcL)
- specialist
- grant manager
- professional enabling staff
- research and innovation associate
- technician
- researcher co-lead (RcL)
Only list one individual as project lead.
This programme will fund academic-industry collaborative R&D partnerships, undertaking industrially relevant research and innovation in bioscience and biotechnology (within BBSRC’s remit) that has clear benefits to the businesses involved, and your application must include at least one industry partner in the project partner section to be eligible.
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 UKRI’s core team roles in funding applications.
Application questions
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 or area
- is timely given current trends, context, and needs, in particular how will your project contribute to the vision set out in the Good Food Cycle
- impacts world-leading research, 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.
Approach
Word limit: 300
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)
- summarises any previous work and describes how this will be built upon and progressed (if applicable)
- will maximise translation of outputs into outcomes and impacts which are commercially relevant
- 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
References may be included within this section.
Project partners
Word limit: 300
Add details about any project partners’ contributions.
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.
This programme will fund academic-industry collaborative R&D partnerships, undertaking industrially relevant research and innovation in bioscience and biotechnology (within BBSRC’s remit) that has clear benefits to the businesses involved, and your application must include at least one industry partner to be eligible.
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 expected contribution (cash, in-kind or both, if known at the NOI stage). Please note that values for contribution are not required at the NOI stage
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.
