BBSRC and Science Foundation Ireland have entered an agreement to welcome, encourage and support research applications that cut across national boundaries involving collaborative teams led by researchers from the UK and Ireland.  The new partnership will support collaborative research and technology development in all areas of the BBSRC legal remit for example bioscience for health, agriculture, food security, industrial biotechnology and bioenergy.

BBSRC will accept joint applications for responsive mode research project grants at any time (see application deadlines on BBSRC website).

Please note: Following the BBSRC Responsive Mode deadline on 21st September 2016 (16RM3), the BBSRC-Science Foundation Ireland Joint Funding Programme will be closed to applications.  The pilot scheme will be subject to a review conducted jointly by BBSRC and SFI. Please subscribe to our e-Alerts to ensure you receive the latest information regarding all of our calls.

The scope of the partnership will be focused on research projects, including technology development projects. Please note that embryonic stem cell research is specifically excluded.
Deadlines are the same as for standard responsive mode proposals. The usual guidance for responsive mode applications applies for the UK partners, along with the additional guidance below.
A single proposal for a collaborative research or technology development project should be submitted to BBSRC via the Je-S system (BBSRC grant management system) by the UK applicant with the UK and ROI applicants designated as Principal Investigator and Science Foundation Ireland Co-Investigator, respectively.  Only the UK applicants should be added to the Je-S form. The ROI applicants do not need a Je-S account as they should only be listed in the Science Foundation Ireland application form.

A CV is required for each named applicant and co-applicant. CVs are submitted as separate attachments as part of the application by the UK based applicant.  A CV template is not available. CV's must be no more than two sides of A4 per person. 

The CV should include details of:

  • Employment history (give dates and details of position held including the nature of your current employment)
  • Qualifications (state subject, class of degree with University dates)
  • Patents
  • Most recent publications, within the last 5 years, in refereed journals relevant to the project
  • A signed cover sheet, remit statement, funding history, Letter of Support from the ROI-based host Research Body and 2-page budget justification for the ROI-based research component using the Science Foundation Ireland Application Form must also be submitted.
  • A separate budget request must be submitted for the ROI component of the research (Science Foundation Ireland Consolidated Budget Form) and in accordance with Science Foundation Ireland’s Grant Application Budget Policy. A maximum request of €500,000 direct costs will apply to the ROI budget. Applications are processed alongside other responsive mode applications. BBSRC will take the lead role in processing and assessing applications, with appropriate input from Science Foundation Ireland.  On receipt of the application, the BBSRC will forward a copy of the completed application forms to Science Foundation Ireland.  Science Foundation Ireland will verify the eligibility of the application, ensuring that the ROI Science Foundation Ireland Co-investigator and ROI budget meet the terms of the call and that the application aligns with Science Foundation Ireland’s legal remit.  A decision on bilateral proposals will be made by the Committee Chairs as per BBSRC's usual process.
  • Proposals approved for funding will be jointly supported by BBSRC and Science Foundation Ireland. 

Eligibility

The usual eligibility criteria apply for BBSRC applicants. To receive support from Science Foundation Ireland, the ROI partner(s) must be based at an institution eligible for Science Foundation Ireland support.

Additionally, the ROI Science Foundation Ireland co-investigator must be a member of the academic staff of an eligible Research Body (permanent or with a contract that covers the period of the grant) or a Contract Researcher with a contract that covers the period of the grant, who is recognised by the eligible Research Body as an independent investigator and will have an independent office and research space at the host eligible Research Body for which he/she will be fully responsible for at least the duration of the grant.

The Science Foundation Ireland co-investigator must also have the capability and authority to mentor and supervise postgraduate students and team members.