Apply for funding

Tha call for applications is closed

Invited full application deadline: 2013 TBC

Detailed information about the scope of this call and the application and assessment process can be found in the downloads section.

Guidelines

The objectives of the proposed research must fit within the initiative's research challenges and must fall within our remit
Proposals must have at least one industry partner
10% of the total (100% fEC) project costs should be provided by the industry partners, 5% should be cash which will be paid directly to the research institutions in the project. We will fund the remaining costs for successful awards at 80%
Proposals are sought for funding for up to 5 years
Outline proposals must be submitted in the first instance
The aims of the initiative may be best achieved by an interdisciplinary approach. Therefore, we encourage collaborative applications which bring together groups with relevant expertise or experience to move research closer to application
£3.5M total funding is available for this call to support a portfolio of projects at fEC. A second call of a similar value is planned as a future component of this initiative

How to apply

The call for applications is closed.

There is a 2-stage application process:

Outline proposals must be submitted electronicically via Je-S. A CV (maximum 2 pages; standard font and margin sizes) should be submitted for the Principal Investigator and each Co-Investigator and a completed case for support document (maximum 5 pages; see below) should be uploaded to Je-S. Please also refer to the Je-S guidance for outline proposals in the Je-S help section
Applications must not exceed the page limits described. Submissions which exceed the page limits will be withdrawn
The deadline for outline proposals was 25 April 2012, 4pm. A consortia-building workshop was held on 28 February at Savoy Place, London, WC2R 0BL.
Successful applicants were invited to write a full proposal for submission by 10 October 2012
Pathways to impact will be required at the full proposal stage and these should be formulated to meet the needs of the horticulture and potato industry sectors

Case for support

Applicants must supply a case for support document with their applications. It should be submitted as a single document and contain the following sections. Standard font and margin sizes apply.

The case for support should not exceed 5 pages and the "Summary of proposed research" section should not exceed 3 pages.

Research area

Please refer to the research challenges listed in the full call text (see downloads section) and identify which challenge(s) your proposal is relevant to

Strategic relevance (approximately 1000 characters including spaces)

Please explain how your research proposal is strategically relevant to the horticulture and/or potato industries and the aims of the initiative

Summary of proposed research (approximately 12000 characters including spaces)

Identify the aims and objectives of the proposed research
Summarise the proposed methodology
Explain why the proposed research is of sufficient timeliness and novelty to warrant consideration for funding
Comment on the extent to which the proposed project will provide research training and development opportunities of benefit both to the individual(s) employed, and to the wider science base beyond the completion of the specific project

Impact (approximately 1000 characters including spaces)

Please describe briefly your plan to enhance the social and economic impact of the proposed research

Project partners

Please name all project partners and identify a lead contact for each. Please also indicate the expected contribution from each project partner towards the project costs (please refer to the guidance on page 2 of the full call text)

Referees

Please nominate 4 referees to be used if the proposal progresses to the full application stage

Assessment

Outline proposals will be assessed by the initiative Steering Group and will not be externally reviewed. Full proposals will be externally peer reviewed prior to final assessment by the Steering Group. The decision to fund proposals will be announced in March 2013 (dates are for guidance only and may be subject to change). Further details on assessment are as follows:

To be considered fundable, proposals must demonstrate both scientific excellence and strategic relevance to the horticulture and potato industry sectors
The Steering Group consists of a chair, 7 academic members and 7 industrial representatives
For assessments conducted by the Steering Group, each full proposal has two Introducing Members (IMs). One IM is from academia and the other is from industry
Where there is a conflict of interest (e.g. where a Steering Group member has pre-existing links to an applicant) individuals will leave the room while the proposal is being discussed

Assessment criteria

The primary criteria for assessment are the quality of science proposed and the strategic relevance to the initiative. It is expected that any proposal that goes on to be funded through the initiative will be competitive against comparable international work and will demonstrate alignment with the initiative's aims. Proposals will be assessed against the following criteria:

Scientific excellence
The extent to which the proposal meets the highest international standards of current research in its field. High performance against this factor will indicate a project of the highest standard, competitive with the best activity anywhere in the world, demonstrating originality and innovative potential.
Strategic relevance to the horticulture and potato initiative
Demonstrated alignment with the initiative's aims and research challenges. Consideration of the cross-cutting themes of broad relevance and systems context. Relevance to the food-producing horticulture and potato industry sectors. Plans to enhance the impact of the research. Balance of the overall research portfolio of the initiative.
Timeliness and promise
The extent to which the proposal is particularly appropriate at the present time, or offers longer-term benefits over and above the direct value of the research.
Economic and social impact
The extent to which the output of the research will contribute knowledge that shows direct potential for economic return or societal benefits to the UK.
Value for money
The extent to which the resources requested, relative to the anticipated scientific gains, represent an attractive investment of BBSRC funds.
Staff training potential of the project
Where resources are requested for postdoctoral or other research staff the extent to which the proposed project will provide research training and development opportunities of benefit both to the individual(s) employed, and to the wider science base beyond the completion of the specific project.

Studentships

To foster the development of research skills in this sector, we will support a number of 4-year targeted priority studentships associated with projects funded through this call.

Funding for awarded studentships will start in 2013/14.

The competition for these studentships will be held later in the application process when further details will be provided on how to apply. No information on potential studentship projects is required at the outline stage.

Studentships will only be awarded to applicants receiving a research grant under this call.

Eligibility

UK Higher Education Institutions, Independent Research Organisations and institutes strategically funded by BBSRC are eligible to apply. In addition, the contribution from the Scottish Government means that all Main Research Providers (MRPs) to the Scottish Government are also eligible. This includes the Moredun Research Institute, The James Hutton Institute and Biomathematics and Statistics Scotland (BioSS).

All projects must have at least one industry collaborator. Industry collaborators are expected to have production, manufacturing or research sites in the UK. Industry partners are not eligible to receive funding and must cover their own costs for participation in the projects.

Special conditions

This initiative aims to support pre-competitive research that benefits the entire industry sector. To facilitate the dissemination of research project outcomes, grant holders will be required to:

Produce annual progress reports. A form will be available on the website for grant holders to complete and the grant holder will be notified in advance when the final report is due
Attend and present the results and progress of funded research projects at 9-monthly dissemination events. Grant holders will be notified of the dates and the format required for their presentation

Intellectual property

The primary aim of this initiative is to gain underpinning knowledge which can then be applied to agri-food production, rather than the development of new products/technology itself. Therefore, in line with standard Research Council terms and conditions, the institution awarded the grant will own any intellectual property rights arising from the research grant ("resulting IPR") in the first instance. The lead applicant's technology transfer office (or equivalent) should discuss the terms of the collaboration with all members of the consortium (academic and industrial) prior to application. A letter summarising the proposed terms of the collaboration will be a requirement at the full application stage. Should the application be funded, a signed collaboration agreement will be required before work starts on the grant.

Industrial partners on grants who wish to contribute background IP or offer in-kind services, must do so on the understanding that the terms and conditions of grant, including the dissemination of results, will remain the same unless agreed otherwise by the funders.

Contact

Katie Tearall
katie.tearall@bbsrc.ac.uk
tel: 01793 413244
fax: 01793 414674