Funding opportunity

Funding opportunity: Work with US researchers: BBSRC-NSF/BIO lead agency 2024

Opportunity status:
Open
Funders:
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)
Co-funders:
US National Science Foundation Directorate of Biological Sciences (NSF/BIO)
Funding type:
Grant
Maximum award:
£2,000,000
Publication date:
26 July 2024
Opening date:
Closing date:
Start application

Collaborate with US researchers on a single joint proposal in the following areas:

  • biological informatics
  • understanding host-microbe interactions
  • synthetic cells and cellular systems
  • synthetic microbial communities

You must be based at an organisation eligible for UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funding.

The full economic cost of your project, including the UK and US components, can be up to £2 million. Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) will fund 80% of the full economic cost for the UK component.

The duration of your project should aim to be between three to four years and must not exceed five years.

Who can apply

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

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

To apply to this funding opportunity:

  • you must be based at an organisation eligible for UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funding
  • your US partner(s) must be eligible for US National Science Foundation Directorate of Biological Sciences (NSF/BIO) funding

Who is not eligible to apply

You cannot apply to this funding opportunity, if:

  • you are based in other countries that are not eligible to apply

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

Notice of intentions

This funding opportunity allows US and UK researchers to submit a single collaborative proposal that will undergo a single review process by the lead agency, on behalf of both NSF/BIO and BBSRC.

For the 2024 funding opportunity, proposals will be accepted for UK and US collaborative projects in the areas of intersection between NSF/BIO and BBSRC as set out in the ‘Scope’ section.

Proposals must address the priorities of both BBSRC and the participating NSF/BIO divisions.

You must provide a clear rationale for the need for a US and UK collaboration, including the unique expertise and synergy that the collaborating groups will bring to the project.

The lead agency opportunity does not represent new funding. Proposals will be assessed in competition with all others submitted to the priority areas and agency programs identified in this funding opportunity and outcomes will be subject to both success in merit review and the availability of funds from both BBSRC and NSF/BIO.

Scope

You are invited to submit proposals under one of the following four research themes:

Biological informatics

Proposals should develop informatics approaches and cyberinfrastructure resources to enable novel and more effective use of data in biological research. Proposals should address important current or emerging challenges faced by researchers, supporting the generation of new knowledge from biological data.

Proposals should clearly identify their relevance to one of the following two biological informatics focus areas:

  • research to design novel or greatly improved research tools and methods
  • the implementation of, scaling of, or major improvements to research tools, products, and services for biology applicable to a wide range of researchers

Proposals can be in any bioinformatics research area within the remit of both NSF/BIO and BBSRC, including AI or machine learning. Proposals should clearly describe their potential to advance and enable data driven research undertaken by biological research communities primarily supported by both NSF/BIO and BBSRC.

Proposals must be within the remit of BBSRC and aligned to NSF/BIO’s Division of Biological Infrastructure informatics (Innovation) or cyberinfrastructure (Capacity) programs, but not both. Proposers are advised to consult the appropriate program officers of both agencies to ensure that their portion of the project is compliant.

Depending on the choice of lead agency, full proposals will be submitted to and assessed by either:

Understanding host-microbe interactions

Proposals are invited that address questions relating to infection and infection-like processes. Host-microbe interactions can result in a range of pathogenic and non-pathogenic outcomes for the host. Indeed, some interactions could be beneficial to the host and other infectious agent. The goal is to identify and understand the fundamental basis of these interactions in plants or animals, as the first step towards harnessing infection biology to solve societal problems.

This announcement calls for studies that propose investigations that shape our understanding of infection and infection-like processes in complex multifaceted scenarios, such as:

  • modulation of host-microbe interactions in response to varied environmental conditions
  • the influence of co-infection and the wider microbiome, both in initial responses and in influencing the dynamics of longer-term interactions
  • how changes to host physiology through the life course may alter susceptibility or resistance to infection
  • host or microbial factors that contribute towards fundamental shifts in the nature of infections, such as transitions between commensal, mutualistic, and pathogenic outcomes

Relevant areas of investigation include:

  • using genetically similar hosts or microbes that result in different phenotypic outcomes of infection
  • the use of comparative cross-species approaches to develop insights that have broad relevance across biological organisms
  • studies that pair theory with lab-based experiments and utilise machine learning or AI to model immune systems in silico

Proposals must aim to progress knowledge of immunology in either non-human, non-mouse animals, or plants, through integration of a range of approaches and data across the host-microbe interface to develop new systems-level insights.

The following exclusions apply to this research theme:

  • proposals that focus solely on human or mouse immune systems
  • proposals with a focus on human pathogens
  • proposals that focus on industrial applications and settings (including agriculture)
  • proposals that are solely data based are outside of the scope of this topic, all projects must include a lab-based element

Proposals must be within the remit of BBSRC and aligned to NSF/BIO’s Division of Integrative Organismal Systems Core Programs. Applicants are advised to consult the appropriate program officers of both agencies to ensure that their portion of the project is compliant.

Depending on the choice of lead agency, full proposals will be submitted to and assessed by either:

Synthetic cells and cellular systems

Can we design, build, and control a synthetic cell or synthetic cellular system? Natural cells emerge from the coordinated operation of a large number of biomolecules with their environment. One goal of synthetic cell research is to decipher the basic requirements of a living cell by understanding the myriad functions that make it resilient and adaptive. Similarly, synthetic approaches to build multicellular systems may reveal new mechanistic understanding of how both biophysical and biochemical intercellular interactions drive spatial organisation and emergent behaviour within cell populations.

Proposals are expected to focus on building a synthetic cell, or cellular system, to understand biology. Synthetic cells might be protocells containing only the most basic cellular components that allow an understanding of the origin of life, artificial cells that contain both natural and synthetic cellular components, or minimal cells that use natural molecules to build self-replicating cellular entities through ‘bottom-up’ approaches. Synthetic multi-cellular systems would couple engineering at a cellular level to the development of higher order spatially organised structures, through control of cellular interactions, geometries, movement, and collective behaviours.

Proposals with a focus on synthetic plant cell and cellular systems research are welcome.

The following exclusions apply to this research theme::

  • proposals focused exclusively on building a synthetic cell as a biomanufacturing platform or as a therapeutic moiety will not be accepted
  • biomedically-focused proposals such as regenerative medicine and tissue engineering will also not be accepted

Depending on the choice of lead agency, full proposals will be submitted to and assessed by either:

Proposals must be within the remit of BBSRC and aligned to NSF/BIO’s Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences Core Programs. Applicants are advised to consult the appropriate program officers of both agencies to ensure that their portion of the project is compliant.

Synthetic microbial communities

Microbial communities contain remarkable genetic, physiological and biochemical diversity, allowing them to flourish in environments all over the planet and in a variety of substrates and hosts. While the means of harnessing individual microbes for biotechnological application are well established, in recent years researchers have begun to explore the wider properties and potential of more complex mixed microbial communities.

The study of natural microbiomes can be hampered by their inherent complexity and an inability to fully map how the functional properties of their constituents combine to deliver a collective phenotype. Advances in synthetic biology and allied fields are enabling researchers to assemble and engineer synthetic microbial communities from a bottom-up perspective that have novel compositions, genetics and phenotypes. This offers an alternative to natural microbiomes, allowing researchers to address more precisely fundamental questions about complex microbial communities while also providing routes towards novel bio-based solutions to societal problems.

Proposals are invited to support research that:

  • examines the underlying mechanisms or rules that can be used to inform the construction, maintenance, and evolution of synthetic microbial communities, considering factors such as cooperative and competitive interactions within communities, as well as emergent properties within these systems
  • examines how to design and control increasing complexity in microbial composition, behaviours, and the genetic, metabolic, signalling and physical interactions that occur, as well as how these properties may change within differently spatially structured environments or as processes are scaled to enable practical application
  • builds complex mixed synthetic communities with novel physiological and metabolic outputs, offering potential bio-based solutions that contribute to tackling global challenges such as production of novel biochemical cycles to enable more circular use of resources in the bioeconomy, biodegradation of recalcitrant or ‘forever chemicals’, or the development of biorenewable resources that could mitigate our impact on the environment and climate

All proposals should expand our understanding of biological systems, even if an application is proposed.

Exclusions

Proposals focused exclusively on biomedical or therapeutic applications will not be accepted.

Proposals must be within the remit of BBSRC and aligned to NSF/BIO’s Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences Core Program. Applicants are advised to consult the appropriate program officers of both agencies to ensure that their portion of the project is compliant.

Depending on the choice of lead agency, full proposals will be submitted to and assessed by either:

Biosecurity and AI considerations that apply to all proposals

NSF and UKRI acknowledge the rapidly evolving nature of computational biology and the advances in artificial intelligence in biology, and the potential that such technologies can both contribute to the advance of science and the production of dual-use biological knowledge, technology, and products. As such, regardless of whether UKRI or NSF are the lead agency, all proposals that are recommended for funding will be reviewed for compliance with best practices and standards as set out by the US AI Safety Institute and US government policies and guidelines on biosafety, biosecurity, dual use research in the life sciences (PDF. 387KB), potential enhanced pandemic pathogen research, and safe and responsible use of AI. Applicants for UKRI funding may be asked to further demonstrate how their proposed projects will comply with our approach and expectation towards Trusted Research and Innovation.

Duration

The duration of your project should aim to be between three to four years and must not exceed five years.

Funding available

The full economic cost of your project, including the UK and US components, can be up to £2 million.

BBSRC will fund 80% of the full economic cost for the UK component.

NSF/BIO will fund the US component.

Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I)

UKRI is committed in ensuring that effective international collaboration in research and innovation takes place with integrity and within strong ethical frameworks. Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I) is a UKRI work program designed to help protect all those working in our thriving and collaborative international sector by enabling partnerships to be as open as possible, and as secure as necessary. Our TR&I Principles set out UKRI’s expectations of organisations funded by UKRI in relation to due diligence for international collaboration.

As such, applicants for UKRI funding may be asked to demonstrate how their proposed projects will comply with our approach and expectation towards TR&I, identifying potential risks and the relevant controls you will put in place to help proportionately reduce these risks.

Further guidance and information about TR&I, including where you can find additional support.

How to apply

Pre-submission

You are recommended to discuss within your research team where you feel the largest proportion of research lies (typically, this means largest budget request) and agree on a proposed lead agency, either NSF/BIO or BBSRC.

Where advice is required about lead agency or fit of the proposal to the written notice of intentions, you should contact the lead agency inboxes (see contact details) to discuss the research project.

Lead agency staff will then confirm they will act as lead funding agency (and subsequently inform the other participating agency) or will consult with the other agency to identify a new lead funding agency prior to returning a decision to you. This is generally within 10 working days.

Stage one: intention to submit

Where BBSRC is the proposed lead agency, the application should be submitted as follows.

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 UK project lead is responsible for completing the application process on the Funding Service, but we expect all team members and project partners to contribute to the application.

Only the lead research organisation can submit an application to UKRI.

To apply

Select ‘Start application’ near the beginning of this Funding finder page.

  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
    Please allow at least 10 working days for your organisation to be added to the Funding Service. We strongly suggest that if you are asking UKRI to add your organisation to the Funding Service to enable you to apply to this Opportunity, you also create an organisation Administration Account. This will be needed to allow the acceptance and management of any grant that might be offered to you.
  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:

References

Applications should be self-contained, and hyperlinks should only be used to provide links directly to reference information. To ensure the information’s integrity is maintained, where possible, persistent identifiers such as digital object identifiers should be used. Assessors are not required to access links to carry out assessment or recommend a funding decision. You should use your discretion when including references and prioritise those most pertinent to the application.

References should be included in the appropriate question section of the application and be easily identifiable by the assessors, for example (Smith, Research Paper, 2019).

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

Where NSF/BIO is the proposed lead agency, the application should be submitted via email to NSFBIOBBSRC@nsf.gov The application must identify the participating NSF program to which the application is directed.

Deadline

BBSRC must receive your intention to submit application by 31 October 2024 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.

Stage two: full stage

If your stage one: intention to submit application is successful you will be invited to submit a single full stage application to either BBSRC or NSF/BIO, depending on your choice of lead agency.

Further details on how to submit a full stage application will be provided with the invitation.

Full stage applications to BBSRC must be submitted to responsive mode 25RM2, deadline expected April 2025.

Full applications to NSF must be submitted through the NSF application system, deadline February 2025.

Personal data

Processing personal data

BBSRC, as part of UKRI, will need to collect some personal information to manage your Funding Service account and the registration of your funding applications.

We will handle personal data in line with UK data protection legislation and manage it securely. For more information, including how to exercise your rights, read our privacy notice.

BBSRC, as part of UKRI, will need to share the application and any personal information that it contains with NSF so that they can participate in the assessment process. For more information on how NSF uses personal information, visit NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG), Privacy Act and Public Burden Statements.

Publication of outcomes

BBSRC as part of UKRI, will publish the outcomes of this funding opportunity at Awarded research grants.

If your application is successful, we will publish some personal information on the UKRI Gateway to Research.

Summary

Word limit: 2

A summary is not required for this section, please write ‘N/A’ in the textbox. Please still include a title for your project.

Core team

List the key members of your team and assign them roles from the following:

  • project lead (PL)
  • project co-lead (UK) (PcL)
  • specialist
  • grant manager
  • professional enabling staff
  • research and innovation associate
  • technician
  • researcher co-lead (RcL)

Only list one individual as project lead.

The core team section must only contain details of the UK applicants. The US applicant information should be listed in the ‘US applicants’ section.

Find out more about UKRI’s core team roles in funding applications.

Application questions

Research theme

Word limit: 5

Please state the research theme you are applying under. Choose one of the following research themes:

  • biological informatics
  • understanding host-microbe interactions
  • synthetic cells and cellular systems
  • synthetic microbial communities

Vision

Word limit: 500

What are you hoping to achieve with your proposed work?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Your vision should clearly address:

  • one of the opportunity research themes (biological informatics, understanding host-microbe interactions, synthetic cells and cellular systems or synthetic microbial communities)
  • the remit of the BBSRC and the NSF/BIO division associated with your chosen research theme

References may be included within this section, but this will count towards your word count.

Images are not required for this section.

Approach

Word limit: 500

How are you going to deliver your proposed work?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Your approach should give an overview highlighting:

  • a clear description of the objectives and methodology for the proposed work, including the contributions of the UK and US teams
  • the potential outputs and outcomes of the proposed work

References may be included within this section, but this will count towards your word count.

Images are not required for this section.

US applicants

Word limit: 200

Please provide the following details of the US applicants on this application:

  • name
  • institute
  • job title
  • role in project (for example, project lead or project co-lead)
  • email address

Please also indicate who the lead US applicant will be.

NSF will use this information to confirm applicant eligibility.

Please do not include details of US applicants in the ‘Core team’ section.

Resources

Word limit: 200

Please provide the following:

  • overall estimates for costings and staffing full time equivalent (FTE) for both the UK and US components
  • clear separation of UK and US costings, in pounds sterling and US dollars (USD) respectively

The overall budget should be below the maximum £2 million combined funder contribution

If there is more than one UK or US team associated with the application, please combine their estimates together.

A detailed calculation and breakdown of resources is not required at this stage, nor is a justification of costs.

The following is an example of how this might look.

UK Resources:

Total cost estimate: £600,000

Research council contribution: £480,000

0.2 FTE time, 1.0 FTE PDRA, 0.5 FTE technician

US Resources:

Total cost estimate: $300,000

1.0 FTE PDRA or 1.0 FTE doctoral researcher

Total funder contribution estimate:

£716,475 (£480,000 + £236,475 ($300,000 at exchange rate 0.79))

How we will assess your application

Assessment process

Stage one: intention to submit

The intention to submit will be shared with the non-lead agency (NSF) to check for eligibility. Namely, whether the proposed research fits within the remit of BBSRC and NSF, the scope of the research themes, and whether the proposed researchers and institutions meet the agencies’ funding eligibility requirements.

The intention to submit will also be used to gauge proposal pressure by program and assist programs with budget planning.

Feedback on your intention to submit will be provided three weeks after the submission deadline on 31 October 2024.

Assessment areas

The assessment areas we will use are:

  • research theme
  • vision
  • approach
  • resources

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

Stage two: full proposals

Full proposals (both the UK and US components) will undergo a single peer review process lead by either BBSRC or NSF/BIO, depending on where the proposal is submitted.

Proposals will be reviewed in competition with other unsolicited proposals or with proposals received in response to a specific opportunity by the lead funding agency. That is, proposals submitted to the lead agency management plan agreement will not undergo a special review process.

Proposals will be reviewed in accordance with the lead agency’s review criteria. While not identical, NSF/BIO and BBSRC ask reviewers to evaluate the proposed project on both its scientific or intellectual merit as well as its broader or societal impacts.

Read the description of the NSF/BIO merit review process.

Read the BBSRC research grants guide for more information on BBSRC’s assessment process.

When BBSRC is the lead agency, all proposals submitted will be assessed by one of the four responsive mode committees in the usual manner, and in competition with all other proposals submitted to responsive mode.

You should indicate as normal which committee is likely to be best able to assess the work proposed. Full applications must be received through 25RM2 following an invitation from the intention to submit phase.

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.

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 inca@bbsrc.ac.uk

For questions specific to the US component of the application, please contact NSFBIOBBSRC@nsf.gov

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.

For further information on submitting an application read How applicants use the Funding Service.

Sensitive information

If you or a core team member need to tell us something you wish to remain confidential, email  inca@bbsrc.ac.uk

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.

Additional info

Background

Memorandum of understanding

NSF/BIO and UKRI have signed a memorandum of understanding on research cooperation.

The memorandum of understanding provides an overarching framework to encourage collaboration between US and UK research communities and sets out the principles by which jointly supported activities might be developed.

The memorandum of understanding provides for a lead agency arrangement whereby proposals may be submitted to either NSF/BIO (through Research.gov or Grants.gov) or UKRI (through the UKRI Funding Service).

Award conditions and reporting requirements

NSF/BIO and BBSRC will clearly state in award notices and any related documents that awards resulting from this activity were made possible by the BBSRC-NSF/BIO lead agency opportunity.

Awardees will be expected to comply with the award conditions and reporting requirements of the agencies from which they receive funding.

Researchers will be required to acknowledge both NSF/BIO and BBSRC in any reports or publications arising from the grant.

Requests for extensions will be considered by the funding agency using standard procedures. Requests for changes to awards will be discussed with other involved funding agencies before a mutual decision is reached.

Additional disability and accessibility adjustments

UKRI can offer disability and accessibility support for UKRI applicants and grant holders during the application and assessment process if required.

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.

Supporting documents

UK partner budget form (full proposals for NSF assessment only) (DOC, 114KB)

US partner budget form (full proposals for BBSRC assessment only) (DOC, 112KB)

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