You must apply using the UKRI’S new Funding Service. You cannot apply for this opportunity on the Joint Electronic Submissions (Je-S) system.
Information for research office professionals
If an application is created by a member of an organisation where we do not currently have contact details with their research office, we will contact the author to enable administrator access. This provides:
- oversight of every funding service application opened on behalf of your organisation
- the ability to review and submit completed applications before the advertised opportunity closing date 7 September 2023 4:00pm UK time
If you anticipate researchers from your organisation wish to apply for this opportunity but have not already received an invitation to open an account, email support@funding-service.ukri.org
As an administrator, you will be responsible for the final submission of the application to Medical Research Council (part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)) and ensuring internal deadlines are made clear to applicants from your organisation.
To hear more about the role of administrators, and the current functionality of the new funding service and how it will further develop, watch a recording of the most recent research office webinar.
For applicants
We recommend you start your application as soon as possible after the opportunity opens on 2 May 2023.
Your host organisation will be able to provide advice and guidance to assist you with the creation and completion of your application. They will also be able to guide you through any internal deadlines they have put in place, allowing them sufficient time to complete a review of your application before completing the final submission through TFS (the Funding Service).
Submitting your application
Applications should be prepared and submitted by the lead research organisation but should be co-created with input from all investigators, and project partners, and should represent the proposed work of the entire team. Only the lead applicant can prepare the application in TFS.
You will need to take the following steps to apply:
- ‘Sign in’ to the UKRI Funding Service. If you do not already have an account, you will be able to create one. This is a two-minute process requiring you to verify your email address and set a password.
- Start answering the questions detailed in this section of ‘How to apply’. You can save your work and come back to it later. You can also work ‘offline’, copying and pasting into the text boxes provided for your answers.
- Once complete, use the service to send your application to your research office for review. They’ll check it and return it to you if it needs editing.
- Once happy, your research office will submit it to UKRI for assessment. Only they can do this.
Deadline
MRC must receive your application by 7 September 2023 4:00pm UK time.
You should ensure you are aware of and follow any internal deadlines that might be in place at your research organisation, to ensure the timely final submission of your application before the opportunity closes.
You will not be able to apply after the funding opportunity has closed. MRC will not consider late applications.
Following the close of the opportunity, your application cannot be changed, and applications will not be returned for amendment. If your application does not follow this guidance, it may be rejected.
You can find out more about what happens after you submit your application.
Section guidance
External links are not permitted. Your application should be a self-contained description of the proposed project and should not depend on additional information.
Application name
You will be asked to enter a distinct name for your application using 150 characters or fewer.
Start date and duration
This is a standard Funding Service section that asks applicants to tell us the start date and duration of their proposed project. Your project should last for 84 months.
Details and summary
Summary
In plain English, provide a summary that will be sent to potential reviewers inviting them to assess your application.
This summary may be made publicly available on external facing websites, so please ensure it can be understood by a variety of readers, for example:
- opinion-formers
- policymakers
- the general public
- the wider research community
- experts in your field
Succinctly describe your proposed work in terms of:
- its context
- the challenge the project addresses and how it will be applied to this
- its aims and objectives
- its potential applications and benefits
Word count: 550
Applicants
List the key members of your team and assign them roles, for example:
- principal investigator
- co-investigator (researcher co-investigator)
- researcher
- technician
You should only list one individual as principal investigator.
This should be the person who will act as the grant holder with responsibilities to MRC at the start of the MRC CoRE award, this is for administrative purposes. Other leadership team members should be the application co-investigators. The leadership team members’ application roles should not imply relative status or influence the leadership model which is for the applicants to propose.
When there are two or more host organisations involved, the principal investigator must be affiliated with the lead research organisation. All host organisations must be represented by an eligible co-investigator.
Do not include proposed members of the MRC CoRE’s International Strategic Advisory Board as applicants or project partners.
Vision
Question: Why is the research challenge important and why do you need MRC CoRE funding?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
- what distinctive research challenge will you address over the 14 year MRC CoRE investment?
- how will this make a difference and lead to transformative impact in biomedical or health research and place the UK in an internationally leading position?
- what bold, distinctive and innovative approaches will you use to achieve your ambitions?
- why are these ambitions best achieved through MRC CoRE funding?
Provide a response of around 100 words for each question.
Word count: 500
Approach to research
Question: How will you approach the research challenge?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
The assessors are looking for you to describe how you will structure or group your research activity, which could be research themes or work packages, which will operate below the challenge level.
You should provide a short summary for each theme or work package, explaining how each one will contribute to the overall challenge objectives. You should ensure that the content you are providing for each summary is suitable for publication.
Word count: 2000
In addition, the assessors are looking for you to create an Approach to research document.
Approach to research document
The Approach document should be a compelling description of your proposed MRC CoRE research and how this will address the challenge. We want you to describe your research plans for the full 14 years but with greater detail and precision for the first seven years.
You should discuss how the research plans might evolve over the funding period and any mitigation measures and alternative approaches that might be deployed should any difficult or risky approaches fail.
This should be a self-contained case for the proposed research. Include relevant background within the document and do not depend on additional information. MRC reserves the right to reject applications that contain links to additional information. This document should be a maximum of 14 pages including figures and references. The maximum file size is 8MB.
Explain how you have designed your multi-or interdisciplinary and integrated research approach, which may include how it:
- is original, innovative, bold or disruptive
- will deliver transformative research and outputs
- is flexible and how it may evolve over the period of funding
- will be effective and is appropriate to achieve your challenge objectives
- is feasible, and comprehensively identifies any risks to delivery and how they will be managed
- uses a clear and robust methodology:
- where known, include the general experimental approaches, study designs, and techniques that will be used
- describe all foreseeable studies with human participants or animal experiments in as much detail as possible at this stage
- highlight approaches which are particularly original or unique
- explain how new techniques, or particularly difficult or risky studies, will be tackled, and alternative approaches should these fail
- will support reproducible research
- considers diversity, including using both sexes in research involving animals and tissues and cells. If you are not proposing to do this, a strong justification is required
Create a document which will include your responses to all bullet points. The document should not exceed 14 sides of A4 paper in Arial (or equivalent) 11 point font. Save this document as a single PDF file, no larger than 8MB and upload following the guidance provided.
Monitoring progress and measuring success
Question: How will you monitor your progress and measure your success?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Explain your approach to monitoring the progress and measuring the success of your MRC CoRE over the first seven years.
To explain your approach, you should:
- define your key challenge objectives for the MRC CoRE over the first seven years. These should reflect your most important activities and targets and may be drawn from any area of the proposed MRC CoRE work.
- describe a clear and robust framework that you will use to monitor progress against your key objectives, including defining milestones for each key objective, and the expected outcomes and success measures. Include what you will do if progress is not as planned.
Word count: 1,000
Project plan
Provide a plan such as a Gantt chart to support your application, spanning the first seven years. This should show the major groupings of activity, with their key objectives and associated milestones and timeframes. Do not use the plan to include information which should be detailed in the other sections of your application.
Create a document which will include your project plan. The document should not exceed one side of A4 and must be in a readable font size for panel review. Save this document as a single PDF file, no larger than 8MB and upload following the guidance provided.
Your response will be assessed for its feasibility and suitability as a performance framework.
Data management and sharing
Question: 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 which should clearly detail how you will comply with MRC’s published data management and sharing policies, which includes detailed guidance notes.
Within your response answer questions one to six in the MRC data management plan template.
You can use the template as a guide to structure your response. Do not copy and paste the table.
The scope and scale of the data management response will be unique to each MRC CoRE depending on the types of data to be generated and stored. You are responsible for planning and executing local policies, systems and standards for how valuable research data are managed.
This should be in keeping with the MRC’s overarching aim for data-sharing which is to maximise the life-time value of research data assets for human health and to do so in a timely and responsible manner, with as few restrictions as possible, consistently with the law, regulation and recognised good practice.
Word count: 1,500
Approach to operations
Question: How will you approach running the MRC CoRE?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Explain how the proposed MRC CoRE will operate, including how it:
- will be governed as a research entity
- will be effectively and inclusively managed, including describing the leadership team and if applicable, how leadership will be drawn from participating organisations
- has clear leadership team roles and responsibilities and succession plans
- will function successfully as a research entity
- will access the appropriate services, facilities, infrastructure, or equipment to deliver the proposed MRC CoRE
Word count: 1,000
CoRE management structure document
Create a one page document, that will include an organisational chart or other visual plan of your ‘CoRE management structure’.
The document should not exceed one side of A4 and must be in a readable font size for panel review. Save this document as a single PDF file, no larger than 8MB and upload following the guidance provided.
Approach to research culture
Question: What is your research culture action plan?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Using the text box, describe the activities you will undertake to build on and enhance your host organisations’ research culture plan or strategy, to support these principles which underpin a positive research culture:
- research is conducted with integrity, centred on reproducibility, responsible innovation, collaboration, interdisciplinarity and multidisciplinarity
- research is communicated to maximise impact, built on transparency and openness, and partnership with the public
- career paths and training environment, are provided to recognise a diversity of talents, skills and outputs, and embrace team science as the way of working
You should identify your intended research culture outcomes, actions to achieve these, and the relevant timescales, success criteria and evidence for each outcome.
Data sharing logistics should be included in your response on data management. Operational leadership plans, including leadership roles and responsibilities should be included in your response on MRC CoRE operations.
In your research culture action plan, include your approaches to:
- building and sustaining positive research culture, including:
- committed leadership
- support for career development paths
- leadership training
- mentoring, supervision and pastoral care
- embracing and realising the benefits of team science, including:
- building and strengthening effective collaboration across multidisciplinary teams, wider stakeholders and public contributors, drawing on the whole talent pool
- establishing common understanding and effective communication plans for collaborations beyond the MRC CoRE and across sectors
- physical environment and infrastructure to enhance research culture, including:
- the use of space and support staff to create opportunities for interaction and outreach
- sharing of facilities and specialist equipment
- relevant tools, such as electronic lab books and platforms to facilitate collaboration
- promoting good practice and open research, including:
- demonstrating best research practice
- adoption of open research practices as the default way of working
- alignment with the FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable) data principles
- diversity and inclusion in experimental design, and across all research activities
- integrating meaningful public involvement and engagement (PIE) into your research strategy and delivery, and its purpose in relation to the challenge-led research agenda
- reward and incentives including
- fair and transparent methods to assess performance and support career progression
- practices for acknowledgement of contribution in research outputs
- incentives for continuous improvement
- upskilling of everyone involved to enable a positive research culture
- integrating Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) considerations
- into all aspects of the MRC CoRE’s activities
- and ensuring that the policies and practices of the MRC CoRE and host organisation(s) are aligned with UKRI and MRC EDI strategy and policies
Word count: 2,000
In addition to explaining your ‘research culture action plan’, the assessors are also looking for you to complete the ‘research culture maturity model template’ which is a self-assessment of your initial level of research culture maturity.
Research culture maturity model template
The ‘maturity model template’ asks you to benchmark your initial research culture status and evidence how your planned activities will enable you to progress through maturity levels to your stated future outcomes.
You should use the maturity model to challenge assumptions and set priorities, and it will enable you in future to map progress and celebrate successes.
You should download the research culture maturity model template, complete and upload using guidance provided.
Approach to training, careers and capacity building
Question: What is your approach to training and capacity building in the MRC CoRE and how does this help to address the challenge?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Explain your approach to and plans for training, careers and capacity building, of all types from undergraduates to senior leaders, including how you will:
- support training, careers and capacity building, in line with the overall strategy of the MRC CoRE
- provide the innovative training and capacity building needed to deliver on the research challenge
- through training, enhance equality, diversity and inclusion of the MRC CoRE’s people across career stages and job roles
- through training, support interdisciplinary research
- recognise the range of people, skills and career pathways required to deliver innovative training
- ensure an inclusive and progressive research training environment free from unnecessary barriers to entry and progression
- support all career stages, pathways and types
- add value by convening and aligning existing training activity across the UK
- share good practice in training and careers
- prepare trainees for the challenges and opportunities available to them after their time at the MRC CoRE
Justify the training and capacity building proposed, in context of activities already on offer either within participating research organisations or nationally and explain the rationale and evidence for strategic training needs in the challenge area.
You should identify your intended training, careers and capacity building outcomes, actions to achieve these, and the relevant timescales, success criteria and evidence for each outcome. You may include a small number of key indicators that will showcase the success of your plans.
Word count: 1,500
Managing doctoral training
Question: What is the relationship with existing doctoral training programmes?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
If you are requesting funding for PhD students, explain the relationship with the relevant MRC Doctoral Training Programme (DTP):
- confirm that the MRC CoRE students will be managed as part of an existing MRC DTP
- include a statement of support from the relevant MRC DTP lead
- explain how the existing MRC DTP will accommodate these additional studentships and continue to deliver high quality training experience for all students
Word count: 500
Approach to translational research
Question: How will you approach translational research?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Explain how you intend to translate the research undertaken in the MRC CoRE to maximise the potential benefit to the research community, wider society and economy, including:
- how the translation research approach will be developed in the MRC CoRE or with partners
- how opportunities for translation will be identified and pursued
- plans for translational work on the research challenge
- plans for translation to clinical testing, uptake or product development
- approaches to and support arrangements for exploitation and commercialisation of results
- management of intellectual property, either through protection or through planned release into the public domain
Word count: 1,000
Approach to knowledge transfer and exchange
Question: How will you approach knowledge transfer and exchange?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Explain how you plan to maximise engagement with relevant stakeholders (academia, industry, charities) to ensure the appropriate sharing of knowledge and expertise, including:
- identification and engagement with key stakeholders at the appropriate time
- your approach to collaborative working with stakeholders to enable porous cross sector working
- how knowledge exchange will be enabled in practice, such as the connections and methods you will use
Word count: 1,000
Approach to environmental sustainability
Question: How will you approach environmentally sustainability?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Explain how you have considered environmental impact of the MRC CoRE and relate to this your environmental sustainability strategy and action plan, including:
- general environmental impacts relevant to the MRC CoRE and potential mitigations
- your environmental sustainability strategy and how this aligns with the host research organisations sustainability plan and policies
- actions you will take, such as:
- how you will consider and promote environmental sustainability and appropriately reflect it in your research design and operations
- what sustainability standards you will adopt
- your targets, aligned with the greening government commitments 2021 to 2025
- the reporting systems you will use
The MRC CoRE must have an environmental sustainability strategy. This may be the host Research Organisation(s) strategy, if so, you must be explicit that you are fully adopting and complying with it.
Word count: 1,000
Your team and capability to deliver
Question: Why is your team, the right people to successfully deliver the proposed work?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Explain this using the text box and the Team Résumé for Research and Innovation (R4RI) format. The team described should include all leadership team members and any other applicants with relevant experience, skills and expertise you wish to highlight, this could include technical or facility staff and professional services.
You should provide an integrated view of the skills and collective value of the team as a whole as they relate to the proposed challenge, rather than listing the skills of each individual. You may re-use information from your outline application. You can refine your team membership and update information from your outline application as needed. Respond directly to any outline stage feedback.
Provide evidence of how you and your team, have:
- the relevant experience (appropriate to career stage) to deliver the proposed work in the context of the challenge you have identified
- the right balance of skills and expertise to cover the proposed work – it is important to explain how the skills of your team will come together to deliver on the challenge, how skills will be effectively used and integrated
- the appropriate leadership and management skills to deliver the work and your approach to develop others
- a suitable track record of successful training and capacity building
Use the R4RI format to showcase the range of relevant skills you, and your team have (investigators, researchers, technical and management staff) and how this will help to deliver the proposed work. You can include individuals’ specific achievements if they are relevant to the challenge, but only choose past contributions that best evidence their ability to deliver this work and the main focus should be on the overall team you are proposing.
Complete these questions using the R4RI module headings listed below. Each question should include a response for the whole team, see the UKRI guidance on R4RI. You can enter N/A for any you think irrelevant, and will not be penalised for doing so, but it is recommended that you carefully consider the breadth of your experience. You should complete this as a narrative and avoid CV type format.
- 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 – you can use this heading to provide information which provides context to the wider application, such as detail of career breaks or disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic
Word count: 3,000
Your host research organisation(s)
Question: How will your research organisation(s) support the MRC CoRE?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Explain this using the text box, to include all participating host research organisations. You may re-use information from your outline application and add and update information as needed. Respond directly to any outline stage feedback.
Explain how the MRC CoRE will be positioned within the host research organisation(s) and how it will be will supported, including:
- how the strategies of the organisation(s) and the MRC CoRE research challenge align
- evidence of sustained commitment to the MRC CoRE, from the outset and for the duration of the 14 year funding period
- how the organisation(s) will help the MRC CoRE meet funder expectations and tackle its research challenge, including through co-operation and the agile use of resources. This is particularly important for partnerships of more than one organisation
- the necessary support and facilities for the MRC CoRE that the organisation(s) will provide, such as:
- laboratory space
- access to facilities and equipment
- access to necessary digital support infrastructure
- support to manage estates
- human resources services
- finance services
- underpinning of key staff positions
- access to additional sources of funding and support available to other researchers across the research organisations
If the MRC CoRE is to be hosted by a single research organisation you may only need 1000 words.
Word count: 2,500
Your partnerships and collaborations
Question: How will your partnerships and collaborations enhance the MRC CoRE and help to address the challenge?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Explain how your project partners and collaborators will:
- provide distinct and beneficial support to the MRC CoRE
- help the MRC CoRE in addressing the research challenge and achieving objectives
- add value in allowing research to be undertaken, or undertaken to a quality level or timescale not otherwise possible
- promote translational objectives
- how relationships with partners and collaborators and risks will be managed
We are looking for an integrated overview of how the MRC CoRE will approach and benefit from partnerships and collaborations, beyond the MRC CoRE host research organisations. Individual project partner details, including industry collaboration framework information, project partner financial contributions and project partner statements of support are not required here and should be provided in the relevant sections.
In the response you should also explain your approach to developing new opportunities and establishing additional partnerships and collaborations arising during the life of the MRC CoRE.
Word count: 1,000
Industry collaboration
Question: Does your application include industrial project partners?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
The assessors are looking for information relating to any restrictions or rights to the project results that could be claimed by the project partner.
If you have read the ICF guidance and it does not apply to any of the project partners included within your application or if you don’t have any project partners, simply add ‘N/A’ into the text box, mark this section as complete and move to the next section.
The ICF has been developed to support you when your research project involves collaboration between an academic organisation and an eligible industry or company.
ICF also provides MRC with information and assurances that initial discussions and considerations have taken place with all involved in the project, related to the nature, goals and conditions of the collaboration, including intellectual property (IP) rights and dissemination of results generated if the project is funded by MRC.
By ‘industry or company’ we mean an enterprise that puts goods or services on a market and whose commercial activities are greater than 20% of their overall annual capacity.
Please see ICF for further guidance related to the purpose of the ICF process, including:
- collaboration agreements
- definitions of basic and applied research
- internationally based companies
- subsidy control
- intellectual property arrangements
- fully flexible and gated contributions
- the ICF assessment criteria
This funding opportunity does not require the inclusion of the ICF form or company partner letter of support (as detailed within the ICF guidance) and instead, details should be included within the text box.
All applicants must also include any industry or company partners within the project partners section, providing the information requested within that section (whether the industry or company project requires ICF or not).
Where ICF does apply to your project, please confirm your answers to the ICF questions, within your Funding Service application (please see the Funding Service application for further guidance how this information is required to be added to the ICF section).
Please repeat this process for each industry project partner, if you have more than one partner that has potential to be included under ICF.
ICF questions:
- name the industry or company project partner considered to be eligible under ICF
- indicate whether your application is either basic research or applied research
- detail why, in the absence of the requested UKRI funding, the collaboration and the planned research could not be undertaken
- state whether your application is under the category of either fully flexible contribution or gated contribution (based on the IP sharing arrangements with the company partner)
- outline the pre-existing IP (‘background IP’) that each project partner (including the academic partner) will bring to the collaborative research project and the terms under which project partners may access these assets
- outline the IP that is expected to be developed during the collaborative research project (‘foreground IP’) and briefly outline how it will be managed, including:
- which project partners will own this IP
- what rights project partners will have to use academically generated foreground IP during and after the research project for internal research and development or for commercial purpose
- any rights of the academic partner to commercialise the foreground IP (including foreground IP generated by project partners)
- outline details on any restrictions to dissemination of the project results, including the rights of the project partner to:
- review, approve or delay publications (including the time period associated with such rights)
- request or require the removal of any information
- declare any conflicts of interest held by the participating academic in relation to the project partners and describe how they will be managed
- if applicable, provide a justification for collaborating with an overseas company or industrial project partner when their inclusion is under ICF
- ensure you also include any eligible ICF industry or company partners within the project partners section (including a statement of support from the partner), of this application.
Failure to provide the information requested for Industry partners eligible under ICF could result in your application being rejected.
You are recommended to discuss the goals and conditions of any collaboration with an industry or company project partner with your university technology transfer or contracts office before completing the submission of your application to MRC.
Project partners
Question: Provide information related to collaborating project partners and the contributions and support they are providing your project.
What the assessors are looking for in your response
MRC supports collaborative research projects and team approaches. Collaborators based in different organisations to the investigators named within your application, or from industry, can be formally recognised within your application as a named project partner.
If you do not have any project partners, simply add ‘N/A’ into the text box, mark this section as complete and move to the next section.
If you do have one or more project partners that have agreed to support your project, please provide them with the guidance included within this section and request they provide responses to the questions.
MRC expect the project partner to provide you with information confirming the nature of the collaboration, including the value of their contribution. We also require each partner to provide other relevant information that will clearly identify the relevance and possible benefits of the proposed work to the project and to the project partner. The information provided will be used during the assessment of your application.
When the partner has provided you with the required information, check that the responses adequately provide the information MRC requires and then copy and paste their responses into the text box provided.
Statement of support from project partners
Whilst a statement of support is required to be provided by each project partner, a formal letter of support from the project partner is not required.
Where a project partner has provided a formal letter of support, the relevant text confirming the responses to each question (one to eight) should be extracted from the letter and pasted into the text box (using the template format as detailed within the Funding Service).
Under no circumstances should any letter of support (including signature and letter head), be uploaded to the text section or any other section of your application.
The statement of support should:
- provide the name of the project partner organisation
- detail the partner website address (or postal address)
- confirm the following, related to the partner contact information:
-
- partner contact name (title, first name, family name format)
- job role or title
- the person’s department (if applicable)
- confirm ‘yes’, that any person included within the application as a partner contact, are made aware their person their personal information has been shared with UKRI and their personal information will be processed as set out in UKRI’s privacy notice
- confirm the total cash or detail a £ value for any in-kind contributions being provided by the partner organisation. You are encouraged to provide a detailed description to ensure assessors can evaluate the contribution fully (listed are examples; please add you own descriptors if a different type of contribution better describes the contribution being provided):
- cash contribution: £
- staff time: £
- access to equipment: £
- provision of data: £
- consumables and materials: £
- expertise: £
- use of facilities: £
- recruitment of people as research participants: £
- providing human tissue: £
- confirm any costs being requested by the project partner, such as minor travel and subsistence costs or if the partner is claiming costs as a subcontractor (please provide a costs breakdown to provide the assessors with detail of any costs requested by the project partner). If the project partner is not claiming any costs, indicate: ‘Zero costs requested by this project partner’ confirm if your project partner has a dual role as a subcontractor
- confirm if the project partner you have named in your response to the first question, is from industry (or a company) ‘yes or no’? If you have responded ‘yes’, please ensure you have completed the previous industry collaboration framework section
- confirm the partner’s commitment to the project, by requesting they provide a statement of support, including information that explains:
- the full nature and relevance of the collaboration and support being provided by the partner
- how this will benefit both the project and partner
- any additional value the collaboration will bring to the project
- where relevant, projected market size, customer sales and how the organisation will commercialise the technology beyond the project
- the period of support the collaboration will cover
Ethics and responsible research and innovation (RRI)
Question: 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
Using the text box, demonstrate that you have identified and evaluated the relevant ethical or responsible research and innovation considerations, and how you will manage them.
If you are collecting or using data you should identify:
- any legal and ethical considerations of collecting, releasing or storing the data including consent, confidentiality, anonymisation, security and other ethical considerations and, in particular, strategies taken to not preclude further re-use of data
- formal information standards with which study will be compliant
Word count: 500
Research involving human tissues or biological samples
Question: Does your proposed research involve the use of human tissues, or biological samples?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
If not, enter ‘N/A’ into the text box, mark this section as complete and move onto the next question.
You should answer this question as far as possible based on the MRC CoRE research that is known or possible. If complete information is not available at this stage explain this and enter estimates.
If you’re answering ‘yes’, provide the name of any required approving body and whether approval is already in place.
You should justify the use of human tissue or biological samples specifying the nature and quantity of the material to be used and its source.
Word count: 700
Research involving human participation
Question: Will the project involve the use of human subjects or their personal information?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
If not, enter ‘N/A’ into the text box, mark this section as complete and move on to the next question.
You should answer this question as far as possible based on the MRC CoRE research that is known or possible. If complete information is not available at this stage explain this and enter estimates.
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. Then, 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.
Word count: 700
Research involving the use of animals
Question: 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 your research will not involve the use of animals or organisms covered by the ‘Animals Scientific Procedures Act’, enter ‘N/A’ into the text box, mark this section as complete and do the same for the next question.
You should answer this question as far as possible based on the MRC CoRE research that is known or possible. If complete information is not available at this stage explain this and enter estimates.
Please do not repeat information provided in the approach to research document.
If you are proposing research that requires using animals, write ‘Yes’ in the text box. Then, download and complete this document (DOCX, 74KB), which contains all the questions relating to research using vertebrate animals or other Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 regulated organisms. Then save it as a PDF and use the file upload feature to attach.
Conducting research with animal overseas
Question: Will any of the proposed animal research be conducted overseas?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
If not, enter ‘N/A’ in the text box, mark as complete and move on to the next question.
You should answer this question as far as possible based on the MRC CoRE research that is known or possible. If complete information is not available at this stage explain this and enter estimates.
If you are proposing to conduct overseas research, it must be conducted in accordance with welfare standards consistent with those in the UK, as per Responsibility in the Use of Animals in Bioscience Research guidance, on page 14.
You should also ensure all named applicants in the UK and overseas are aware of this requirement and 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 guidance will be applied and maintained
- appropriate national and institutional approvals are in place
Overseas studies proposing to use non-human primates, cats, dogs, equines or pigs, will be assessed during National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement, and Reduction of Animals in Research review of research applications. The required information should be provided by completing the template from the question ‘Research Involving the use of animals’.
For studies involving other species, you should select the relevant checklist or checklists from the list below, complete it and save it as a PDF and use the file upload feature to attach. If you need to complete more than one checklist, you should merge them into a single document and then save it as a PDF before uploading it.
Genetic or biological risk
Question: Does your proposed research involve any genetic or biological risk?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
If not, enter ‘N/A’ into the text box, mark this section as complete and move on to the next question.
You should answer this question as far as possible based on the MRC CoRE research that is known or possible. If complete information is not available at this stage explain this and enter estimates.
You should answer these questions as far as possible based on the MRC CoRE research that is known or anticipated, focus on the first seven years of the proposed MRC CoRE. If it is not possible to provide details at this stage provide estimates or answer N/A.
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.
Word count: 700
Resource and cost justification
What will you need to deliver your proposed work and how much will it cost?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Download the full economic costing template (DOCX, 96KB), complete it with your cost figures for the first seven years and then upload it as explained.
We are looking for the major costs or types of cost, we do not expect every cost to be itemised.
Equipment should be listed in the exceptions section of the template.
Routine equipment will be funded at 80% FEC and the funding applied for in the template should reflect that.
Mid-range or large equipment the funding applied for in the template should reflect the full cost minus any contribution from the research organisations.
Doctoral studentships should be listed in the exceptions section of the template and will be funded at 100%. See UKRI stipend and fees.
This section also requires you to provide a narrative justification of the resources you have requested for the first seven years. The justification should not simply be a list of the resources you require (as this will already be given in the detailed full economic costing template). Costings should be justified on the basis of FEC of the project, not just on the costs expected from UKRI. For some items we do not expect you to justify the monetary value, rather the type of resource, such as amount of time or type of staff requested.
Using the text box, demonstrate how the resources you anticipate needing for the first seven years of your proposed work:
- are comprehensive, appropriate, and justified
- represent the optimal use of resources to achieve the intended outcomes and impacts
- support the MRC CoRE as a whole or are allocated to areas of research activity
- provide a preliminary breakdown of costs for each research area, theme, work-package or equivalent, described in the approach to research
- explain your oversight and planning for long-term allocation of resources to activities
You should identify:
- support for translational research and commercialisation
- support for any activities to increase impact, for public involvement and engagement, knowledge transfer and exchange or to support responsible innovation
- support for training, careers and capacity building and justify why this cannot be addressed through existing funding routes
- support for developing or enhancing research culture
- support for access to facilities and infrastructure
- support for procurement of equipment
- support for preserving, long term storage, or sharing of data
- any significant requests for flexible funds, including how these will be managed
- support from host organisations and how that enhances value for money
Justify the costs claimed within the text box provided. Where you do not provide adequate justification for a resource, we may deduct it from any funding awarded.
Estates, indirect and infrastructure technician costs do not need to be justified within the justification of resources.
Animal costs
If you are including animal costs please provide detailed information, such as numbers that need to be bred or maintained, as part of what you write as your justification of resources.
Please use robust processes to accurately estimate directly allocated animals costs to ensure that appropriate costs are requested to maintain high welfare standards. If your organisation is audited and is asked for further information, you will need to provide evidence of how you arrived at these costs.
Equipment
If you are including equipment costs justify why the equipment is needed to address the research challenge, why existing or shared equipment can’t be used or accessed through collaboration, how the equipment will be managed and potentially shared, and discounts, organisational contribution or other factors that make this good value for money. If you are requesting routine equipment over £500,000 total full economic cost you must justify why this exception is necessary.
Quotes for equipment exceeding £10,000 and business cases for equipment exceeding £138,000 are not necessary for this application. However, appropriate processes must be used to ensure requested costs are:
- accurate
- inclusive of VAT
- import duty (where appropriate).
Successful applicants must be able to show UKRI evidence of adherence to procurement rules, such as quotes, if audited.
Word count: 2000
