The International Coordination of Research on Infectious Animal Diseases (ICRAD) ‘one health’ approach to zoonoses opportunity covers the major groups of infectious diseases of animals, caused by viral, bacterial, parasitic, prions and fungal pathogens.
The UK academic component of applications must fall within the remit of BBSRC. BBSRC’s ‘animal health’ strategic priority area is a good guide to our remit in relation to this opportunity.
In summary, research should focus on fundamental and strategic advances leading to interventions for combating endemic and exotic zoonotic diseases that reduce the health and welfare of either animals farmed for food production in the UK (and where appropriate, in the international context) or other domesticated animals of economic importance.
While we expect projects to be multidisciplinary, the primary focus and challenges of the UK component of the project should be biological rather than social or environmental.
Read further information on the research areas that BBSRC funds.
This funding opportunity is open to international research proposals addressing one or more objectives under the following two research areas, taking into account the exclusions.
Research area one: improved understanding of animal-human-environment interface
1a. Pathogen (re)emergence and host adaptation
The focus here should be on research to support the understanding of how pathogens (re)emerge, such as highly pathogenic influenzas. However, all pathogens that pose a zoonotic risk are important.
1b. Host and pathogen interactions
Research to better understand:
- the host immune response
- protective immunity
- characterisation of effective immune mechanisms in surviving animals
- mechanisms of persistence in the host.
Research area two: detection and prevention
Research to support the development of novel and improved vaccine and diagnostic tools and platforms will be supported, as will research to assess the utility and efficacy of existing technology platforms in respect of new applications (new pathogens).
2a. Vaccine technology platforms
Robust and flexible vaccine platform technologies, fit for multiple, and rapidly changeable vaccine targets, can reduce the technical and regulatory time for vaccines against emerging pathogens. There is also a need for expansion, development and adjustment of animal models (for example to determine vaccine efficacy and safety in different species) and non-animal models (for example expand upon in vitro and in silico techniques, organoids, organ-on-chip and 3D cell culture).
2b. Diagnostic technology platforms
Novel and point of care diagnostic platforms are needed to accurately detect disease presence in animals. Although reagents are available to develop diagnostics in many animal species, these are not always practical in the field or effective at detecting the presence or exposure to pathogens. There are gaps for wild animal species which are important to address.
Funding available
BBSRC have £2 million available for the UK to join the opportunity. Information about maximum funding per project can be found on the ICRAD website.
Costs incurred by the UK academic partner as a direct result of working with the other consortium partners (such as visits to labs or exchange of materials) can be requested.
The UK component of applications should be costed on the basis of full economic costing as described in the BBSRC grants guide. If the grant is awarded, BBSRC will provide funding on the basis of 80% of the full economic cost.
Applicants must clearly justify all the requested resources. The submitting organisations must agree to find the balance of full economic cost for the project from other resources.
Final awards from BBSRC will be made in British Pounds (GBP); costs listed in the ERA ICRAD application forms must be converted into Euros (EUR) using the exchange rate at the time of submission.
UK applicants invited to prepare a full proposal will also be asked to complete a BBSRC proforma to ensure their proposal complies with the requirements of full economic costs.
Applicants requesting items of equipment costing over £10,000 (11,500 EUR) should note that additional justification will be required when submitting the proposal through Je-S and that the research organisation will be expected to make a contribution to the cost of the equipment.
Further information about justification of resources.
What we will not fund
The research funded through this opportunity is to improve health of livestock, therefore, research that mainly focuses on the below are not in scope of the opportunity:
- improving human health
- antimicrobial resistance (AMR)
- companion animals
- climate, ecology and environment
- food-borne pathogens
- animal welfare.
BBSRC is not able to fund industrial partners, and any costs incurred, direct or otherwise, by industrial partners cannot be met by BBSRC. For further information about collaborative partnerships, see Section 2 of the BBSRC Grants Guide. The IPA and LINK schemes do not operate for this opportunity.
Studentships will not be supported by BBSRC as part of this opportunity and students should not be included on the UK component.
