Funding opportunity

Funding opportunity: Transdisciplinary networks to tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR)

Apply for funding to support transdisciplinary networks to connect and expand UK AMR communities.

Each network will:

  • use a transdisciplinary approach to address challenges related to AMR
  • increase collaboration between disciplines and stakeholders, including non-academic communities
  • generate research questions to address key areas of unmet need
  • identify and prepare for future challenges

The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £650,000.

The duration of the awards can be up to four years.

Who can apply

Before applying for funding, check the Eligibility of your organisation.

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has introduced new role types for funding opportunities being run on the new UKRI Funding Service.

For full details, visit Eligibility as an individual.

Who is eligible to apply

You must be UK-based, with a clear track record of delivering research programmes and strong institutional support from any eligible UK research organisation.

Existing networks may apply for funding to expand their activities, for example by developing novel transdisciplinary approaches, increasing geographic reach, or enhancing links between existing networks and stakeholder groups where this adds value.

Multiple research organisations should be represented within the network leadership team.

Regional diversity within the network leadership team is encouraged.

Applicants may be the project lead or co-lead on only one application to this funding opportunity. This must be considered before applying and not after the publication of successful proposals.

Networks must be open to new members from any relevant organisation without charge throughout their lifetime.

Your Team

Leadership team

The network leadership team will include one UK project lead, who will act as the network director. In addition, there will be two to four UK-based project co-leads, one of whom will act as co-director to assist the network director in the leadership of the network, and at least one of whom should be an early-career researcher.

For the purposes of this funding opportunity, an academic early career researcher is an individual who has yet to achieve independence, having not established their own research group. Non-academic early career researchers are those who consider themselves early career and occupy a non-senior role.

There are no eligibility rules based on years of postdoctoral experience. Early career researchers can hold a lecturer appointment, a junior fellowship, or be in another research staff position.

Email UKRI-AMR@ukri.org for eligibility queries.

Project partners

In addition to UK academia, project partners may include individuals from:

  • industry
  • the international community
  • policy makers (from public, private or third sectors)
  • the third sector
  • end users of research (for example, farmers, crop breeders, vets, clinicians and care staff)
  • individuals with lived experience

Who is not eligible to apply

  • project co-leads (international)
  • project co-leads from business or the third sector

Applicants who are not based at eligible UK institutions are not eligible to apply for this opportunity but can be project partners.

Equality, diversity and inclusion

We are committed to achieving equality of opportunity for all funding applicants. We encourage applications from a diverse range of researchers.

We support people to work in a way that suits their personal circumstances. This includes:

  • career breaks
  • support for people with caring responsibilities
  • flexible working
  • alternative working patterns

Find out more about equality, diversity and inclusion at UKRI.

What we're looking for

Aim

Transdisciplinary AMR

This funding opportunity is phase one of a flagship to halt the ‘slow motion pandemic’ of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as part of the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Tackling Infections strategic theme.

Scope

Transdisciplinary AMR flagship

The initiative will have two phases:

  • phase one funding for transdisciplinary networks that will connect and expand the UK AMR communities
  • phase two awards which will address research questions

Receipt of network funding through this funding opportunity will not be a requirement to apply for phase two funding. We expect to launch phase two in due course and dates will be communicated via the website.

Resistance by all microbes is within the scope of this funding opportunity, including:

  • bacteria
  • fungi
  • viruses
  • protozoa

Resistance within and between all reservoirs of AMR are within the scope of this funding opportunity, including:

  • humans
  • animals (including companion animals and aquaculture)
  • plants (including trees)
  • natural environments
  • human made environments such as buildings and sewage systems
  • the food chain

For more information on the background of this opportunity and the tackling infections flagships, go to the Additional information section.

Phase one: network funding

What we will fund

UKRI seeks to build, connect or expand transdisciplinary networks that will draw together investigators across the remits of UKRI research councils, to bring fresh perspectives to our understanding of AMR.

Network activities must cover the remit of a minimum of three research councils.

You are therefore encouraged to include a diverse range of disciplines and stakeholders to ensure the outcomes and impacts of work undertaken by the network are maximised, including representatives from fields such as:

  • environmental sciences
  • physical, chemical and engineering sciences
  • economic and social sciences
  • computational and mathematical sciences
  • the arts, design and humanities
  • biosciences and medical sciences

We strongly encourage you to think creatively and to form networks around key thematic areas in the field of AMR. This could be through the creation of new networks or by expanding or linking existing networks and partnerships.

You may wish to consider aligning your network to one of the research themes listed below, but these do not represent an exhaustive list:

  • development of novel methods, technologies or common frameworks for data collection and analysis or modelling, including for example, rapid pathogen sequencing and antimicrobial usage, integration of diverse data sets yielding new opportunities for transdisciplinary research
  • work to improve data collection and standardisation
  • impact of climate change on AMR
  • developing and evaluating multifaceted evidence-based interventions, for example social, cultural and economic strategies that go beyond pharmaceutical and chemical interventions
  • AMR in crop production, including impacts on other reservoirs of resistance and on food security

It is apparent that AMR is a global issue and that events in the UK cannot be considered in isolation from the international landscape. While funding for these networks is focused on capacity strengthening in the UK, an appropriately justified focus on international issues, activities and partnerships is welcome.

UKRI aims to expand on our portfolio of high-quality networks to encourage AMR research across all research council remits and across animals, humans and plants. We expect these networks to cover a diverse range of AMR research needs and to include the full breadth of relevant UK activity across regions.

Outcomes and outputs

Your network should:

  • increase engagement and awareness of transdisciplinary working within AMR via networking activities such as (but not limited to):
    • workshops
    • events
    • community horizon scanning
    • building interactions between academics of different disciplines, especially with academics from underrepresented disciplines in AMR research
    • building interactions between academics and non-academic stakeholders
  • increase the size, diversity, capacity and capability of the AMR research community
  • actively engage and coordinate with other networks, research teams, third sector industry, regulatory stakeholders, and other end users of research
  • manage the flexible fund
  • co-identify research gaps and facilitate development of transdisciplinary proposals between researchers, end users, people with lived experience and other stakeholders, with active consideration of mechanisms for public and stakeholder engagement
  • deliver tangible outputs relevant to the challenge being addressed (for example, white paper, publications synthesising existing evidence, framework for future activity, position statement, novel research proposals for phase two or other funding over the longer term)

The networks will be expected to engage with existing relevant AMR networks funded through this and other funding opportunities and will be required to work collectively in areas of common interest. Plans to maintain a high-level of coordination across funded networks should be detailed in the application, to ensure alignment and prevent any duplication of effort.

External Advisory Board

As part of the network’s governance framework, the application must articulate plans to assemble an external advisory group to act as a ‘critical friend’ to the network and provide unbiased advice and support. An overview of how this will be established and utilised should be included.

An outline of the collective skills, expertise and experience that will be sought for the advisory group should be provided. It is not necessary to name individuals at this stage. The group should be independent and the mechanisms to ensure this should be detailed in the application.

No salary costs should be requested for members of the external advisory group.

What we won’t fund

We will not fund networks where:

  • planned activities do not span the remit of at least three UKRI research councils
  • the programme of work appears siloed and where transdisciplinary research outcomes are limited. For example, where work packages are discreet and discipline specific rather than integrating disciplinary knowledge and methodological approaches
  • there is an imbalance of the intellectual content, and where some disciplines appear ‘bolted’ on
  • the application describes an existing network and does not articulate how this funding will drive significant novelty and transdisciplinarity

Networks involving anthelmintic resistance are not eligible.

Duration

The duration of this award is up to four years.

Eligible costs

Salaries and support costs

The director of the network should be the named project lead on the proposal and under full economic costing (at 80% of full economic cost (FEC)) may request funds to cover their salary costs for the time spent developing and directing the network.

Requests can also be made for:

  • one co-director who will be named as the co-lead to assist the network’s director in this role
  • up to three other co-leads

Costs must be requested for an appropriately skilled network manager (full or part-time) to be responsible for activities such as:

  • the day-to-day network management
  • event coordination
  • website development for the network

As a community support role, the salary of the network manager can be requested at 100% FEC. This must be included under ‘Exceptions – Staff’.

Recruited network managers or other administrative staff must be based permanently at an eligible UK institution in order to be eligible for salary costs.

No other salary costs should be included.

Salary costs for members of the external advisory group or network members should not be included in the proposal.

Network events

Costs for supporting and facilitating network meetings and events can be requested at 100% FEC. This must be included under ‘Exceptions – Other’.

No general estates and indirect costs should be claimed in association with network events.

Salaries and network event costs will represent the ‘core grant’.

General estates and indirect costs are not eligible for inclusion in the ‘core grant’ except where they relate to the project lead or co-lead’s salaries.

Examples of national activities that networks may apply for funds to support include:

  • networking activities, including meetings, travel and subsistence
  • communication and knowledge exchange activities
  • network management, administration, and technical support
  • training

Flexible fund

Flexible funds for allocation by the network may also be requested.

These funds can be used for a range of projects, including:

  • synthesis of existing evidence
  • feasibility studies
  • proof of concept studies
  • generation of preliminary data
  • method development
  • tool or technology development
  • desk-based studies
  • policy or lab exchange
  • discipline and sector exchange
  • writing policy documents
  • commissioning reports and analysis
  • early career research training

The flexible fund will be funded at 80% FEC by the funders and should be allocated at 80% FEC for each project by the network’s host institution. It is anticipated that the total flexible fund awards will not exceed 25% of total requested cost and that individual awards would typically not exceed £50,000.

It is envisaged that these funds will help to support the development of new transdisciplinary partnerships and foster the development of new approaches between network members.

Ineligible costs

While international project partners are welcome, they may not request funds as part of the application.

You cannot request:

  • salary costs for members of the external advisory group or network members
  • international travel and subsistence
  • overseas costs
  • equipment
  • relocation costs
  • publication costs
  • cost of any time spent in quarantine as a result of travelling on this grant
  • macro-coordination costs (to be decided separately)
  • PhD stipends

Supporting skills and talent

We encourage you to follow the principles of the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers and the Technician Commitment.

How to apply

We are running this funding opportunity on the new UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service. You cannot apply on the Joint Electronic Submissions (Je-S) system.

The project lead is responsible for completing the application process on the UKRI 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.

  1. Confirm you are the project lead.
  2. 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
  3. 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.
  4. Allow enough time to check your application in ‘read-only’ view before sending to your research office.
  5. Send the completed application to your research office for checking. They will return it to you if it needs editing.
  6. Your research office will submit the completed and checked application to UKRI.

Watch our research office webinars about the new Funding Service.

For more guidance on the Funding Service, see:

Deadline

UKRI must receive your application by 13 December 2023 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

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.

Publication of outcomes

UKRI will publish the outcomes of this funding opportunity on the UKRI website.

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 may make this summary publicly available on external-facing websites, so 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
  • 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)
  • project co-lead (international) (PcL (I))
  • researcher co-lead (RcL)
  • specialist
  • grant manager
  • professional enabling staff
  • research and innovation associate
  • technician

Only list one individual as project lead.

Network managers should be identified via the grant manager role.

Find out more about UKRI’s new grant roles.

Research council remit

Word limit: 7

Select which research councils’ remits your application meets.

In the text box, copy the name of the research councils from the following:

  • AHRC
  • BBSRC
  • EPSRC
  • ESRC
  • MRC
  • NERC
  • STFC

This is for administrative purposes to help the initial application processing. We will check your choice and decide which panel members will lead the review of your application

Vision

Word limit: 500

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 fields or areas
  • 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
  • impacts world-leading research, society, the economy, or the environment
  • will connect and expand the UK AMR communities with researchers from a broad range of disciplines
  • enhance research capacity in the UK

In this section we expect you to:

  • clearly explain how your proposed network will create the knowledge and skills to transform our understanding of AMR and deliver innovative and effective solutions by applying and developing a diverse range of methods

Within this section you can also demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant.

Approach

Word limit: 2,500

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)
  • summarises the previous work and describes how this will be built upon and progressed (if applicable)
  • will maximise translation of outputs into outcomes and impacts
  • 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
  • will work to connect AMR researchers across UKRI’s remit to enable timely high-impact research that meets the needs of policymakers, practitioners, industry, civil and broader society
  • how you will work together as a team to ensure that the different disciplines can contribute in a meaningful and timely way
  • will include a robust and transparent management structure to ensure appropriate delivery and prioritisation of network activities, particularly the governance and allocation of flexible funding, aligned to the overall ambitions of the network

In this section we also expect you to:

  • set out the activities you will undertake to connect and expand the UK AMR research communities with researchers from a broad range of disciplines
  • outline your approach to leadership and decision making across multiple organisations

Within this section you can also demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant.

Applicant and team capability to deliver

Word limit: 1,500

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

The word count for this section is 1,500 words: 1,000 words to be used for R4RI modules 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.

UKRI has introduced new role types for funding opportunities being run on the Funding Service.

For full details, see Eligibility as an individual.

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

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 consumables beyond typical requirements, or that are required in exceptional quantities
  • all facilities and infrastructure costs
  • all resources that have been costed as ‘Exceptions’, such as the network manager and other network wide costs

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

Transdisciplinary working

Word limit: 500

How will you embed transdisciplinary approaches into your proposed work?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

  • evidence that the application was co-developed among the applicants and project partners
  • a range of disciplines from across at least three research council remits included in the application
  • how you will work together as a team to ensure that the different disciplines can contribute in a meaningful and timely way
  • how you will develop researchers able to cross discipline boundaries

In this section we also expect you to explain:

  • how the network will enable new research opportunities, approaches and methods that would otherwise not emerge without bringing the different fields together

Your organisation’s support

Word limit: 10

Provide details of support from your research organisation.

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Provide a Statement of Support from your research organisation detailing why the proposed work is needed. This should include details of any matched funding that will be provided to support the activity and any additional support that might add value to the work.

The committee will be looking for a strong statement of commitment from your research organisation.

UKRI recognises that in some instances, this information may be provided by the Research Office, the Technology Transfer Office (TTO) or equivalent, or a combination of both.

You must also include the following details:

  • a significant person’s name and their position, from the TTO or Research Office, or both
  • office address or web link

Upload details are provided within the service on the actual application.

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 (cash) or indirect (in-kind) contributions such as expertise, staff time or use of facilities.

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 in-direct) 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.

Project partners: letters or emails of support

Word limit: 10

Upload a single PDF containing the letters or emails of support from each partner you named in the Project partner section.

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Enter the words ‘attachment supplied’ in the text box, or if you do not have any project partners enter N/A. Each letter or email you provide should:

  • confirm the partner’s commitment to the project
  • clearly explain the value, relevance, and possible benefits of the work to them
  • describe any additional value that they bring to the project

Save letters or emails of support from each partner in a single PDF no bigger than 8MB. Unless specially requested, please do not include any sensitive personal data within the attachment.

For the file name, use the unique Funding Service number the system gives you when you create an application, followed by the words ‘Project partner’.

If the attachment does not meet these requirements, the application will be rejected.

The Funding Service will provide document upload details when you apply. If you do not have any project partners, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.

Ensure you have prior agreement from project partners so that, if you are offered funding, they will support your project as indicated in the contributions template.

For audit purposes, UKRI requires formal collaboration agreements to be put in place if an award is made.

Do not provide letters of support from host and project co-leads’ research organisations.

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.

Facilities

Word limit: 250

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, 35KB)
  • proposed usage or costs, or costs per unit where indicated on the facility information list
  • confirmation you have their agreement where required

If you will not need to use a facility, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.

References

Word limit: 1,000

List the references you have used to support your application.

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Include all references in this section, not in the rest of the application questions.

You should not include any other information in this section.

We advise you not to include hyperlinks, as assessors are not obliged to access the information they lead to or consider it in their assessment of your application.

If linking to web resources, to maintain the information’s integrity, include persistent identifiers (such as digital object identifiers) where possible.

You must not include links to web resources to extend your application.

How we will assess your application

Assessment process

Applications will be assessed via panel only assessment.

Panel

We will invite an interdisciplinary panel of experts to use the evidence provided to assess the quality of your application and score it against the specified scoring criteria for this opportunity. The Panel will then rank it alongside other applications and make a funding recommendation to UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

UKRI research councils will make the final funding decision to ensure a balanced portfolio across the AMR landscape and research council remits.

Timescale

We aim to complete the assessment process within three months of the funding opportunity closing.

Feedback

We will give feedback with the outcome of your application.

Principles of assessment

We support the San Francisco declaration on research assessment and recognise the relationship between research assessment and research integrity.

Find out about the UKRI principles of assessment and decision making.

We reserve the right to modify the assessment process as needed.

Assessment areas

The criteria against which your application will be assessed are:

  • vision of the project
  • approach to the project
  • capability of the project team to deliver the project
  • resources requested to do the project
  • ethical and responsible research and innovation considerations of the project
  • transdisciplinary working

Vision

Have the applicants demonstrated how the network they are proposing:

  • is of excellent quality and importance within or beyond the AMR field
  • has the potential to advance current understanding, generate new knowledge, thinking or discovery within or beyond the field of AMR
  • is timely given current trends, context and needs
  • will impact world-leading research, policy, practice, industry, civil and broader society
  • will connect and expand the UK AMR communities with researchers from a broad range of disciplines

Approach

Have the applicants demonstrated that they have designed their approach so that it:

  • is effective and appropriate to achieve their objectives
  • is feasible, and comprehensively identifies any risks to delivery and how they will be managed
  • will maximise translation of outputs into outcomes and impacts
  • describes how their team’s research environment (in terms of the place, its location and relevance to the project) will contribute to the success of the proposed work
  • will work to connect AMR researchers across UKRI’s remit to enable timely high-impact research that meets the needs of policymakers, practitioners, industry, civil and broader society
  • clearly describes mechanisms to interact with other networks across the AMR landscape where such interactions would add value

Applicant and team capability to deliver

Have the applicants provided evidence of how they, and their team, have:

  • the relevant experience (appropriate to career stage) to deliver the proposed network
  • the right balance of skills and expertise to cover the network’s ambitions
  • the appropriate leadership and management skills to deliver the network and to drive transdisciplinary inclusion and develop others
  • contributed to developing a positive research environment and wider community

Ethics and Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI)

Have the applicants identified and evaluated the relevant ethical or responsible research and innovation considerations, and how they will be managed.

Resources and cost justification

Have the applicants demonstrated how the resources they anticipate needing for their proposed work:

  • are comprehensive, appropriate, and justified
  • represent the optimal use of resources to achieve the intended outcomes
  • maximise potential outcomes and impacts

Transdisciplinary working

Have the applicants demonstrated how the network they are proposing:

  • was co-developed among the applicants and project partners
  • covers a range of disciplines from across at least three research council remits
  • will enable new research opportunities, approaches and methods that would otherwise not emerge from established disciplinary thinking
  • will work to ensure that the different disciplines can contribute in a meaningful and timely way

Scoring Criteria

Find details of assessment questions and criteria under the ‘Application questions’ heading in the ‘How to apply’ section.

Contact details

Get help with your application

If you have a question and the answers aren’t provided on this page

IMPORTANT NOTE: The Helpdesk is committed to helping users of the UKRI Funding Service as effectively and as quickly as possible. In order to manage cases at peak volume times, the Helpdesk will triage and prioritise those queries with an imminent opportunity deadline or a technical issue. Enquiries raised where information is available on the Funding Finder opportunity page and should be understood early in the application process (for example, regarding eligibility or content/remit of an opportunity) will not constitute a priority case and will be addressed as soon as possible.

Contact Details

For help and advice on costings and writing your proposal please contact your research office in the first instance, allowing sufficient time for your organisation’s submission process.

For questions related to this specific funding opportunity please contact ukri-amr@ukri.org

Any queries regarding the system or the submission of applications through the Funding Service should be directed to the helpdesk.

Email: support@funding-service.ukri.org

Phone: 01793 547490

Our phone lines are open:

  • Monday to Thursday 8:30am to 5:00pm
  • Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm

To help us process queries quicker, we request that users highlight the council and opportunity name in the subject title of their email query, include the application reference number, and refrain from contacting more than one mailbox at a time.

You can also find information on submitting an application here: Improving your funding experience.

Sensitive information

If you or a core team member need to tell us something you wish to remain confidential, please contact ukri-amr@ukri.org

Include in the subject line: [the funding opportunity title; sensitive information; your UKRI 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.

Additional info

Background

This activity falls under the umbrella of the UKRI tackling infections strategic theme, one of five UKRI strategic themes identified through our five-year strategy 2022 to 2027: transforming tomorrow together.

Webinar for potential applicants

We held a webinar for potential applicants on 1 November 2023.

Watch the webinar (Zoom).

Password: PI9+C14G

Research disruption due to COVID-19

We recognise that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused major interruptions and disruptions across our communities. We are committed to ensuring that individual applicants and their wider team, including partners and networks, are not penalised for any disruption to their career, such as:

  • breaks and delays
  • disruptive working patterns and conditions
  • the loss of ongoing work
  • role changes that may have been caused by the pandemic

Reviewers and panel members will be advised to consider the unequal impacts that COVID-19 related disruption might have had on the capability to deliver and career development of those individuals included in the application. They will be asked to consider the capability of the applicant and their wider team to deliver the research they are proposing.

Where disruptions have occurred, you can highlight this within your application if you wish, but there is no requirement to detail the specific circumstances that caused the disruption.

Updates

  • 27 October 2023
    Changes to 'Leadership team' in the 'Who can apply' section, and an update to the 'Eligible Costs, Salaries and support costs' 3 co-leads can be included rather than 4.

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