We are running this funding opportunity on the new UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service, so please ensure that your organisation is registered. You cannot apply on the Joint Electronic Submissions (Je-S) system.
The project lead is responsible for completing the application process on the Funding Service, but we expect all team members and project partners to contribute to the application.
Only the lead research organisation can submit an application to UKRI.
If the lead research organisation is an NHS organisation, check it is available in the Funding Service. You are encouraged to check this early as there may be additional steps for the organisation to be set up before you can apply.
To apply
Select ‘Start application’ near the beginning of this Funding finder page:
- Confirm you are the project lead
- Sign in or create a Funding Service account. To create an account, select your organisation, verify your email address, and set a password.
- Answer questions directly in the text boxes. You can save your answers and come back to complete them or work offline and return to copy and paste your answers. If we need you to upload a document, follow the upload instructions in the Funding Service. All questions and assessment criteria are listed in the How to apply section on this Funding finder page.
- Allow enough time to check your application in ‘read-only’ view before sending to your research office.
- Send the completed application to your research office for checking. They will return it to you if it needs editing.
- Your research office will submit the completed and checked application to UKRI.
Please be aware that research office and finance teams undertake checks on hosting arrangements and financial eligibility. The ultimate responsibility for ensuring compliance with all opportunity requirements lies with the applicant.
Where indicated, you can also demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant.
When including images, you must:
- provide a descriptive caption or legend for each image immediately underneath it in the text box (this must be outside the image and counts towards your word limit)
- insert each new image on a new line
- use files smaller than 5MB and in JPEG, JPG, JPE, JFI, JIF, JFIF, PNG, GIF, BMP or WEBP format
Images should only be used to convey important visual information that cannot easily be put into words. The following are not permitted, and your application will be rejected if you include:
- sentences or paragraphs of text
- tables
- excessive quantities of images
A few words are permitted where the image would lack clarity without the contextual words, such as a diagram, where text labels are required for an axis or graph column.
For more guidance on the Funding Service, see:
References
References should be included within the word count of the appropriate question section. You should use your discretion when including references and prioritise those most pertinent to the application.
Hyperlinks can be used in reference information. When including references, you should consider how your references will be viewed and used by the assessors, ensuring that:
- references are easily identifiable by the assessors
- references are formatted as appropriate to your research
- persistent identifiers are used where possible
General use of hyperlinks
Applications should be self-contained. You should only use hyperlinks to link directly to reference information. You must not include links to web resources to extend your application. Assessors are not required to access links to conduct assessment or recommend a funding decision.
Generative artificial intelligence (AI)
Use of generative AI tools to prepare funding applications is permitted, however, caution should be applied.
For more information see our policy on the use of generative AI in application and assessment.
Deadline
We must receive your application by 19 November 2026 at 4:00pm UK time.
You will not be able to apply after this time.
Make sure you are aware of and follow any internal institutional deadlines.
Following the submission of your application to this funding opportunity, your application cannot be changed, and submitted applications will not be amended. If your application does not follow the guidance, it may be rejected.
Personal data
Processing personal data
MRC, as part of UKRI, will need to collect some personal information to manage your Funding Service account and the registration of your funding applications.
We will handle personal data in line with UK data protection legislation and manage it securely. For more information, including how to exercise your rights, read our privacy notice.
MRC, as part of UKRI, will need to share the application and any personal information that it contains with BHF so that they can participate in the assessment process. For more information on how BHF uses personal information, visit BHF: Standard Conditions of Grant
Sensitive information
If you or a core team member need to tell us something you wish to remain confidential, email obesityresearchopp@mrc.ukri.org
Include in the subject line: [the funding opportunity title; sensitive information; your Funding Service application number].
Typical examples of confidential information include:
- individual is unavailable until a certain date (for example due to parental leave)
- declaration of interest
- additional information about eligibility to apply that would not be appropriately shared in the ‘Applicant and team capability’ section
- conflict of interest for UKRI to consider in reviewer or panel participant selection
- the application is an invited resubmission
For information about how UKRI handles personal data, read UKRI’s privacy notice.
Institutional matched funding
There is no requirement for matched funding from the institutions hosting the project lead, project co-leads or other staff employed on the application, beyond the standard 20% FEC. Expert reviewers and panels assessing UKRI funding applications must not consider levels of institutional matched funding as a factor on which to base recommendations. Direct and in-kind contributions from third party project partners are encouraged.
This policy does not remove the need for support from host organisations who must provide the necessary research environment and infrastructure for award-specific activities funded by UKRI. For example, research facilities, training and development of staff.
Publication of outcomes
MRC, as part of UKRI, will publish the outcomes of this funding opportunity at board and panel outcomes.
If your application is successful, we will publish some personal information on the UKRI Gateway to Research.
Summary
Word limit: 550
In plain English, provide a summary we can use to identify the most suitable experts to assess your application.
We usually make this summary publicly available on external-facing websites, therefore do not include any confidential or sensitive information. Make it suitable for a variety of readers, for example:
- opinion-formers
- policymakers
- the public
- the wider research community
Guidance for writing a summary
As this will be the first information in your application use it as your ‘elevator pitch’, where your audience is a variety of readers.
Avoiding the use of jargon and complex language, clearly describe your proposed challenge in terms of:
- gap, opportunity, or unmet need your application addresses, along with the key challenges it aims to overcome
- top level aims and objectives
- innovative approaches to delivering against the challenges
- the transformational impact it will have if successful
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))
- specialist
- grant manager
- professional enabling staff
- research and innovation associate
- technician
- visiting researcher
- researcher co-lead (RcL)
Only list the director as project lead. Other leadership team members should be the project co-leads. 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 project lead must be affiliated with the lead research organisation. All host organisations must be represented by an eligible project co-lead.
We encourage inclusion of senior professional enabling staff such as a chief operating officer. We would expect this role to be part of the leadership team and should be included as a project co-lead in this application.
Do not include proposed members of the UK Obesity Research Institute (UK-ORI)’s International Strategic Advisory Board as applicants or project partners.
UKRI has introduced a new addition to the ‘Specialist’ role type. Public contributors such as people with lived experience can now be added to an application.
Find out more about UKRI’s core team roles in funding applications.
Application questions
Vision
Word limit: 1,500
What is the research challenge, why is it important to the obesity field, and why do you need MRC funding?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Explain:
- your vision for a world-class strategic investment able to act as a beacon of excellence in the obesity field, both nationally and internationally. Applications should clearly articulate their vision for scientific and translational impact, outlining expected progress within the initial seven years of funding as well as the anticipated longer-term outcomes. This should include how early advances will lay the foundation for sustained impact beyond the funded period.
- the distinctive research challenge, or challenges, you will address initially over seven years. This should include a clear challenge statement that articulates your challenge in no more than 50 to 100 words
- what will be different as a result of your work; how it will make a difference and lead to transformative impact in biomedical or health research and place the UK in an internationally leading position
- your strategy for influencing and advancing the field and delivering impact
- how your proposed remit for the UK Obesity Research Institute (UK-ORI) is positioned in relation to other research efforts in the field, nationally and internationally
- how the challenge is aligned with the MRC mission and cardiovascular interests of BHF strategy
- how the proposed work will contribute to UK government priorities
- the bold, distinctive, disruptive, and innovative approaches you will use to achieve your ambitions
- why these ambitions are best achieved through UK-ORI funding rather than other available funding mechanisms
References may be included within this section.
You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.
Approach
Word limit: 10,000
How will you approach the research challenges you have identified to be delivered as part of UK Obesity Research Institute (UK-ORI)?
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)
Your approach should provide a compelling description of your proposed research and how this will address the key challenges identified.
You should describe your research ambitions for seven years in the first instance, including:
- what is original, innovative, bold or disruptive
- how your approach will address the challenges identified and deliver transformative research and outputs
- the structure of your research activity, which could be research themes or work packages, which will operate below the challenge level; who will deliver these
You should provide detailed research plans for the first four years to provide confidence that you have the tools, expertise, and methods to start undertaking the longer-term challenges, including:
- where known, the general experimental approaches, study designs, and techniques that will be used, highlight approaches which are particularly original or unique
- describing all foreseeable studies with human participants or animal experiments in as much detail as possible at this stage
- how machine learning, AI, and data approaches (if applicable) will be integrated in your research challenge, describing the scope, methodology and operational role of these approaches
You should discuss how the research plans might evolve over the funding period what alternative approaches might be deployed should any new techniques, difficult or risky approaches fail.
In describing your plans for your approach to the research challenge you may need to refer to details in the vision, approach to leadership, operations and decision-making, or partnerships and collaborations sections. You should not duplicate information provided in these sections.
Within the Approach section we also expect you to:
- explain and justify how you will approach diversity and inclusion in the study population and follow the MRC embedding diversity in research design policy (if applicable)
- show how you will use male and female animals or tissues and cells from female and male donors (if applicable). If you are not proposing to do this, justify why
- explain and justify the inclusion of public partnerships and the added value these offer
References may be included within this section.
You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.
Monitoring progress and measuring success
Word limit: 1,000
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 the UK Obesity Research Institute (UK-ORI) over the initial seven years.
To explain your approach, you should:
- define your key objectives for the UK-ORI over the initial seven years. These should reflect your most important activities and targets and may be drawn from any area of the proposed work
- provide detailed objectives for the first four years, in line with the detailed research plans for the first four years requested in the Approach section
- 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
- explain what you will do if progress against your key objectives is not as planned
Project plan
Use an embedded image to provide a plan such as a Gantt chart to support your application, spanning the initial 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.
Your response will be assessed for its feasibility and suitability as a performance framework.
You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.
Approach to translational research
Word limit: 1,500
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 UK Obesity Research Institute (UK-ORI) to maximise the potential benefit to the research community, wider society and economy, including:
- how the translation research approach will be developed in the UK-ORI 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
Within the ‘Approach to translational research’ section we also expect you to describe (where applicable) a defined pathways to translation plan including mechanisms and timelines for engagement with relevant stakeholders, such as industry and regulators, to enable clinical delivery.
Approach to knowledge transfer and exchange
Word limit: 1,000
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, government) 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
Approach to environmental sustainability
Word limit: 1,000
How will you approach environmental sustainability?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Explain how you have considered environmental impact of UK Obesity Research Institute (UK-ORI) and relate to this your environmental sustainability strategy and action plan, including:
- general environmental impacts relevant to the UK-ORI and potential mitigations
- your environmental sustainability strategy and how this aligns with the host research organisations sustainability plan and policies
You should also describe the 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 UK-ORI must have an environmental sustainability strategy. This may be the host research organisation’s (or organisations’) strategy and, if so, you must be explicit that you are fully adopting and complying with it.
Data management and sharing
Word limit: 1,500
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 which should clearly detail how you will comply with MRC’s published data management and sharing policies, which includes detailed guidance notes.
Provide your response in the text box following the headings in the MRC data management plan template. You are not required to upload the document to your application.
The length of your plan will vary depending on the type of study being undertaken, as follows:
- population cohorts, longitudinal studies, genetic, omics and imaging data, biobanks, and other collections that are potentially a rich resource for the wider research community: maximum of 1,500 words
- all other research, less complex, the plan may be as short as 500 words
Leadership, operations and decision-making
Word limit: 2,000
How will you approach running the UK Obesity Research Institute (UK-ORI)?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
UK-ORI provides flexible long-term funding to address a defined challenges in the obesity field, and it is recognised that it’s not possible to set out detailed research plans for the initial seven years at the outset, and that the research landscape will evolve over the lifetime of the institute. In this section the assessors are looking for information on how you will lead and operate an agile and responsive manner.
Explain how the UK-ORI:
- will be effectively and inclusively managed, including describing the experience of the director and their leadership team and how leadership will be drawn from participating organisations in addition to the director, has clear leadership team roles and responsibilities.
- has clear plans for communication across the UK-ORI to ensure the leadership team benefit from the breadth of thought and ideas available
- will approach decision-making and agility in response to new scientific developments, and the processes and criteria to take decisions on future research directions, including to discontinue activity if required and to manage conflicts and agreements
- has clear governance plans to successfully function as a research entity, and coordinate activities across multiple sites
How the UK-ORI will access the appropriate services, facilities, infrastructure, or equipment to deliver the proposed research should be described in the ‘Your host research organisation support’ section.
UK-ORI management structure
Include an organisational chart or other visual plan of your ‘UK-ORI management structure’.
You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.
Research culture
Word limit: 2,000
How will you achieve and continually strengthen a positive research culture?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Using the following guidance, describe your research culture action plan.
Describe how you will build and sustain positive research culture, including:
- committed leadership
- support for career development paths
- leadership training
- mentoring, supervision and pastoral care
Describe how you will embrace and realise 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 UK Obesity Research Institute (UK-ORI) and across sectors
- developing creative approaches to leadership
Explain how you will use the 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
Describe your approach to the promotion of 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
Explain your approach to 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
Describe your approach to equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI), including:
- how you will integrate EDI into all aspects of the UK-ORI’s activities
- how you will ensure that the policies and practices of the UK-ORI and host organisation(s) are aligned with UKRI and MRC EDI strategy and policies
Describe your approach to integrate meaningful public involvement and engagement (PIE) into your research strategy and delivery including:
- its purpose in relation to the UK-ORI’s mission and ambitions
- how you will ensure that you are collaborating with or seeking advice from the appropriate stakeholders
- how you will involve the appropriate stakeholders at the appropriate stage and in an effective way
Within the research culture section, we also expect you to describe the activities you will undertake to build on and enhance your host organisations’ research culture plan or strategy. These should support the following 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
It is not sufficient to simply describe your host organisations’ plans in this section. We are looking for clear and specific plans for how you will underpin a positive research culture within UK-ORI. You should identify your intended research culture outcomes, actions to achieve these, and the relevant timescales, success criteria and evidence for each outcome.
In describing your plans for research culture across the UK-ORI you may need to refer to details in the Approach section, Approach to knowledge transfer and exchange section, Leadership, operations and decision-making section, and the Training and career section. You should not duplicate information provided in these sections.
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 UK-ORI leadership, operations and decision-making.
Training, careers and capacity building
Word limit: 2,000
What is your approach to training and capacity building in the UK Obesity Research Institute (UK-ORI)? How does this help to address the research challenges you have identified and build national capability in the obesity field?
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 UK-ORI
- provide the innovative training and capacity building needed to deliver on the research challenges
- through training, enhance equality, diversity and inclusion of the UK-ORI’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 UK-ORI
- provide robust management and governance structures for training activities, including a named training lead
Justify the training and capacity building proposed, in context of activities already on offer either within participating research organisations or nationally. 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.
Managing doctoral training
Word limit: 500
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) as follows:
- confirm that the UK Obesity Research Institute (UK-ORI) 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
Prior to submission, applicants intending to include studentships must have contacted the office obesityresearchopp@mrc.ukri.org for guidance on how to present studentship costs.
Applicant and team capability to deliver
Word limit: 3,500
Why are you and your team well-positioned to successfully deliver the proposed work?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Evidence of how 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, including details on the tools and methods that different individuals will contribute
- how the skills of the team will be effectively used and integrated
- 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
You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.
The word count for this section is 3,500 words: 3,000 words to be used for Résumé for Research and Innovation (R4RI) modules (including references) and, if necessary, a further 500 words for Additions.
Use the R4RI format to explain with precision the range of relevant skills your team have and how this will help deliver the proposed UK Obesity Research Institute (UK-ORI). 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 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 provide an integrated view of the skills and collective value of the team as a whole as they relate to the proposed challenge. You should consider how to balance your answer, and emphasise where appropriate the key skills each team member brings in relation to the UK-ORI, rather than listing the skills of each individual:
- contributions to the generation of new ideas, tools, methodologies, or knowledge, this may include your previous funding and key outputs such as publications
- 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, including public partnerships
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.
References may be included within this section.
ORCID iD
Within the R4RI format, team members should include their ORCID iD as part of the ‘short role descriptor’.
You may reuse information from your outline application. You can refine your team membership and update information from your outline application as needed.
The roles in funding applications policy has descriptions of the different project roles.
Your host research organisation(s)
Word limit: 3,000
How will your research organisation(s) support the UK Obesity Research Institute (UK-ORI)?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
We are looking for strong host support and capability to deliver, evidenced through a statement from an individual with oversight of the organisations research strategy, vice-chancellor research or equivalent. As the application is for the UK-ORI to be delivered in partnership, then all participating organisations must contribute to a collective statement.
Explain how your research organisation(s) will support the UK-ORI and how the UK-ORI will be positioned within the host research organisation(s) including:
- how the strategies of the organisation(s) and the UK-ORI research challenge align (research, research culture, training, sustainability)
- evidence of sustained commitment to the UK-ORI, from the outset and for the duration of the initial 7-year funding period, including enabling access to the appropriate services, facilities, infrastructure, or equipment to deliver the proposed institute
- how the organisation(s) will help the UK-ORI meet funder expectations and tackle its research challenge, including through cooperation and the agile use of resources
- how you will manage the partnership between research organisations (as applicable), to support delivery of the UK-ORI’s activities across organisations
- how the UK-ORI will be governed within your organisation or the partnership
- how your host support will contribute to a collaborative and stimulating multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary research environment
- name and position of all contributors to the statement
You should also describe the necessary support and facilities for the UK-ORI 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
- support for knowledge exchange, translation and commercialisation
- underpinning of key staff positions
- access to additional sources of funding and support available to other researchers across the research organisations
Include all participating host research organisations.
Your partnerships and collaborations
Word limit: 1,000
How will your partnerships and collaborations enhance the UK Obesity Research Institute (UK-ORI) 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 UK-ORI
- provide specialist input that aligns with the UK-ORI team in addressing the research challenge and achieving objectives
- increases capability to deliver this UK-ORI
- add value in allowing research to be undertaken, or undertaken to a quality level or timescale not otherwise possible
- promote translational objectives
- contribute to a stimulating multi or interdisciplinary research environment
In the response you should also:
- describe the timeline for collaborative research activities with project partners and collaborators named in the application
- describe how relationships with partners and collaborators and risks relating to partnerships will be managed
- explain your approach to developing new opportunities and establishing additional partnerships and collaborations arising during the life of the UK-ORI
We are looking for an integrated overview of how the UK-ORI will approach and benefit from partnerships and collaborations beyond the UK-ORI 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.
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 person or organisation who will have an integral role in your proposed research. This may include direct contributions for example cash, donated equipment and resources, or staff seconded to the project, or indirect and in-kind contributions for example use of project partner’s equipment, datasets, or facilities. Project partners may be in industry, academia, third sector or government organisations in the UK or overseas, including partners based in the EU.
A project partner is not anyone in your core team or anyone from your organisation or any of the other organisations represented by core team members.
Add the following project partner details:
- the organisation name (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.
If there are specific circumstances where project partners do require funding for minor costs such as travel and subsistence, these project partner costs should be claimed and justified within the resources and costs section of your application.
Important information
If you are adding a project partner(s) to this section, you must ensure they provide you with a letter or email of support and you upload it to ‘Project partners: letters or emails of support’.
If your project partners are from industry or a company, you must also complete the ‘Industry Collaboration Framework (ICF)’ section.
Project partners responsible for carrying out animal work
If the project partner is responsible for conducting animal work or providing animals or animal tissue samples, you must ensure that you complete and upload the appropriate forms under the Animal Involvement and”3Rs” section (if applicable).
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 partners’ section. These should be uploaded in English or Welsh only.
What the assessors are looking for in your response
If you do not have any project partners, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.
What supporting statements we are looking for
We are looking for you to provide letters or emails of support from all your identified project partner(s).
What supporting statements we are not looking for
We don’t want any other letters (or emails) of support, from people who are not your identified project partner(s), such as those simply expressing general support for your project. If these are included by you, they will be ignored by us and will not be used in the assessment process.
Important information
You should only provide letters or emails of support from people you have identified in the project partner section of your application, who will have an integral role in your proposed research.
What each project partner letter or email of support must include
Each project partner letter or email you provide should:
- include the name of the project partner organisation and contact information
- explain the project partner(s) commitment to the project
- explain the value, relevance, and possible benefits of the proposed work, to them
- describe any additional value they will bring to the project
- not exceed two sides of A4 per project partner
Project partner(s) letters and emails of support are not required to be on headed paper or include handwritten signatures (electronic signatures are acceptable).
The Funding Service will provide document upload details when you apply.
Project partner(s) from industry or a company
Industry or company project partners are required to download and complete the industry or company letter of support template. You must also complete the ‘Industry Collaboration Framework (ICF)’ section. Find out more about ICF.
Project partner(s) responsible for recruiting research participants or providing human tissues or samples
If the project partner is responsible for the recruitment of people, as research participants or providing human tissue, their letter or email of support should include:
- agreement that the project partner will recruit the participants or provide tissue
- confirmation that what is being supplied is suitable for the proposed work
- confirmation that the quantity of tissue being supplied is suitable, but not excessive for achieving meaningful results (if applicable)
Agreement with your project partner(s)
Ensure you have prior agreement from project partners so that, if you are offered funding, they will support your project as indicated in the ‘Project partners’ section.
For audit purposes, UKRI requires formal collaboration agreements to be put in place if an award is made.
Industry Collaboration Framework (ICF)
Word limit: 4,000
Does your application include collaboration with industry or company project partners?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
The assessors are looking for you to confirm if your proposed work involves collaboration with an industry or company project partner. If it does, you will need to follow the MRC industry collaboration framework (ICF).
By ‘industry or company’ we mean an enterprise that puts or has intention to put goods or services on a market.
For guidance to assist your decision if your proposed work requires you to follow ICF, you should explore the ICF decision tree and find out more about ICF which includes:
- collaboration agreements
- definitions of basic or applied research
- internationally based companies
- subsidy control
- intellectual property (IP) arrangements
- fully flexible and gated contributions
- the ICF assessment criteria
Enter ‘Yes’ in the text box if you have industry or company project partners and you are likely to follow ICF. You should also confirm your answers to the ICF questions one to nine in the text box for each ICF project partner.
Contact obesityresearchopp@mrc.ukri.org if you are unsure if your application should follow ICF.
In addition to the project partner information completed in the previous section, the assessors are looking for information relating to the nature, goals and conditions of the collaboration and any restrictions or rights to the project results that could be claimed by the industry or company project partner.
Confirm your answers to the ICF questions in the text box, repeat this process for each ICF project partner:
- Name the industry or company project partner considered under ICF.
- Indicate whether your application is basic research or applied research.
- Explain 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 fully flexible contribution or gated contribution (based on the IP sharing arrangements with the industry or company partner).
- Outline the pre-existing IP (‘background IP’) that each partner, including the academic partner, will bring to the collaborative research project and the terms under which 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:
- who will own this IP
- what rights industry or company partners will have to use academically-generated foreground IP during and after the research project, for internal research and development or for commercial purposes
- any rights of the academic partner to commercialise the foreground IP, including foreground IP generated by industry or company partners
- Outline any restrictions to dissemination of the project results, including the rights of the industry or company 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 applicants in relation to the industry or company project partners and describe how they will be managed.
- Justify collaborating with an overseas industry or company under ICF (if applicable).
Failure to provide the information requested for industry or company partners 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 with your technology transfer or contracts office before applying.
For audit purposes, UKRI requires formal collaboration agreements to be put in place if an award is made. You must provide us with a copy of the collaboration agreement, signed by all partners, before work with the partner begins.
If this does not apply to your proposed work, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.
Ethics and responsible research and innovation (RRI)
What are the ethical and RRI considerations, 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 and RRI considerations, including both the research or topic area itself and the design and delivery of the project
- the wider implications of the proposed work, and how you will maximise the positive societal, environmental, and economic benefits arising from the project, whilst minimising unintended negative impacts, such as research misuse or accidental harm
- how you will manage these considerations throughout the lifecycle of the project
Please refer to the UKRI position statement on funding ethical research and Responsible innovation for more information around our expectations on ethical and responsible research and innovation.
Animal Involvement and “3Rs”
You must complete this section about how your proposed project will involve or impact animals.
If your project does not involve or impact animals, you must confirm this on the next page.
You may be asked about:
- what animals you are involving
- the severity of the procedures you are using
- where the procedures will take place
- welfare standards you aim to meet
- the relevance of your project to the development, validation or dissemination of the 3Rs
You may also need to download, complete, and upload at least one set of additional questions. You will be told how to do this towards the end of this section.
To complete this section and check whether your project is in the scope of the questions, refer to the UKRI policy for research and innovation involving animals.
What counts as an animal
UKRI policy relates to all animals in the Kingdom Animalia, including vertebrates and invertebrates.
Genetically modified organisms and biological risk
You must complete this section if your project will include genetically modified organisms or genetic technologies.
If you project does not involve genetically modified organisms or genetic technologies, you must confirm this on the next page.
You may be asked about:
- The type of organism your project will involve and the procedures your project will include
- The intended use of the organism or genetic technology
- The genetic, biological and environmental risks of your project
For more information, see UKRI’s guidance on genetic technologies.
Human Participation in Health-related Research
You must complete this section about whether your project will include human participation.
If your project does not involve human participation, you must confirm this on the next page.
You may be asked about:
- what type of human participation your project includes
- the project design for human participation
- the phase of the clinical trial
- whether the project will be in an NHS setting, if so how the project will be registered
- whether diversity and inclusion will be considered
For more information, see UKRI’s guidance for human participants in research.
Resources and cost justification
Word limit: 3,000
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, for the first seven years, in particular:
- UK Obesity Research Institute (UK-ORI) staff
- any equipment that will cost more than £25,000, including routine equipment and mid-range or large equipment considered at outline stage
- 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
- resources for translational research and commercialisation
- activities to increase impact, for public partnerships and related activities, including public engagement and involvement and payments to public contributors, knowledge transfer and exchange or to support responsible innovation
- training, careers and capacity building, justifying why this cannot be addressed through existing funding routes
- resources developing or enhancing research culture
- initiatives to improve environmental sustainability
- all facilities and infrastructure costs
- animal costs, such as numbers that need to be bred or maintained and to maintain high welfare standards
- preserving, long term storage, or sharing of data, including open science
- any significant requests for flexible funds, including how these will be managed
- all resources that have been costed as ‘Exceptions’
- support for international co-leads, demonstrating this is within the 30% costs cap for co-leads from developed countries, India and China, although we expect most costs to be incurred by UK organisations
You can request costs associated with reasonable adjustments where they increase as a direct result of working on the project. For further information see Disability and accessibility support for UKRI applicants and grant holders. Where a funding limit is imposed on the opportunity, requested costs for reasonable adjustments may exceed the maximum funding amount.
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
- support the UK-ORI as a whole or are allocated to areas of research activity
Provide a preliminary breakdown of costs for each research area, work-package or equivalent, described in the approach to research.
Explain your oversight and planning for long-term allocation of resources to activities.
Costings should be justified on the basis of the full economic costing (FEC) of the project, not just on the costs expected from UKRI. Include resource from host organisations and how that enhances value for money.
Equipment
Word limit: 500
Do you want to request any mid-range or large equipment?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
If you want to request mid-range or large equipment critical to establish platforms or facilities at the UK Obesity Research Institute (UK-ORI):
- justify why the equipment is needed to address the research challenge
- justify why existing or shared equipment cannot be used or accessed through collaboration
- explain how the equipment will be managed and potentially shared
- provide details of any discounts, or other factors that make this good value for money
If you do not want to request any mid-range or large equipment you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.
Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I)
Trusted Research and Innovation is the protection of the UK’s intellectual property, sensitive research, people, and infrastructure from potential theft, misuse, and exploitation.
Organisations receiving UKRI funding are obliged to act in line with UK government legislation. They are also expected to undertake appropriate due diligence assessments of organisations involved in research partnerships, collaboration agreements, and commercial contracts.
You will be asked about:
- which areas of the National Security and Investment (NSI) Act your project relates to
- who you intend to collaborate with and how
- if your project requires an export control licence
Your answers may affect the T&Cs of your funding agreement if you are successful. We may use your answers to determine that our current T&Cs are sufficient or if additional T&Cs are required.
