BBSRC Business and Academia Prosperity Partnership

BBSRC Business and Academia Prosperity Partnership is sponsored by Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) / UK Research and Innovation. These partnerships support emerging or established research-based collaborations between businesses and academic institutions.

Business and academia prosperity partnership: round 2 – UKRI Funding opportunity: Business and academia prosperity partnership: round 2 Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) 27 September 2023 9:00am UK time 20 December 2023 4:00pm UK time Apply for funding to support emerging or established research-based partnerships between business and academic institutions.

Bids must be led by the business lead at the outline stage.

Business leads must be: UK-based or have UK-based research activity in the private sector driven by profit, or from an organisation with a commercial arm which generates independent revenue able to contribute to the UK national prosperity through increasing their investment in research and development activities and subsequent product, service, or technology development We will fund 80% of the full economic cost (100% for skills and talent training costs).

Your project can be up to five years. At the ‘outline stage’, bids must be led by the business lead (the primary business partner in the partnership). However, the submission of the documentation will be undertaken through the UKRI Funding Service by the academic ‘project lead’ (PL).

The academic ‘project’ lead is one of UKRI’s new grant roles .

Businesses can act as the business lead if they are: a UK-based business or have UK-based research activity a business in the private sector driven by profit, or from an organisation with a commercial arm which generates independent revenue able to contribute to the UK national prosperity through increasing their investment in research and development activities and subsequent product, service, or technology development in the UK Businesses may be a contributor to other bids as a project partner.

Other businesses can collaborate in the partnership as project partners, but the majority of the matched contribution is expected from the business lead. Research organisations can act as ‘project lead’ (the primary academic partner in the partnership) if they are eligible to receive research council funding.

The following organisations are eligible: UK higher education institutions research council institutes UKRI-approved independent research organisations public sector research establishments NHS bodies with research capacity Check if your institution is eligible for research and innovation funding .

If your bid is successful, the grant will be awarded to the academic project lead, and they will manage the funding and project on behalf of all project co-leads. A research organisation may lead or partner on more than one bid and bids may comprise more than one research organisation. At the ‘full proposal stage’, bids will be submitted by the academic project lead via the UKRI Funding Service.

Primary business and academic project leads This programme has a business lead and an academic ‘project lead’. In the UKRI Funding Service, the project lead will be notified as the academic one, but all assessment stages will consider both the business and project lead. Check if you’re eligible for BBSRC funding as a project lead .

The suitability of both the business and project leads to lead the prosperity partnership will be assessed during the outline stage. Any proposal related to a previously unsuccessful grant application to any UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) research council must comply with Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)’s resubmission policy (see Unsuccessful applicants and resubmissions ).

You are advised to contact us at BBSRC prior to submitting an application if you are concerned that your project may be considered a resubmission. Applications that are deemed to constitute uninvited resubmissions will be rejected prior to assessment. BBSRC’s research grants guide).

You are advised to contact us at BBSRC prior to submitting an application if you are concerned that your project may be considered a resubmission. Applications that are deemed to constitute uninvited resubmissions will be rejected prior to assessment.

Resubmissions will only be considered where they have been explicitly invited by a committee or panel for resubmission, or if the application has changed substantially in terms of objectives or work to be carried out.

In which case, permission from BBSRC must be obtained prior to submission and a covering letter declaring it as a resubmission and detailing the modifications which merit its reconsideration is required to be sent to the Funding Service helpdesk: support@funding-service. ukri.

org If your proposal is based on a prior EPSRC Prosperity Partnership submission in any way, please contact the Funding Service helpdesk before progressing an application. For full details, visit Eligibility as an individual . Equality, diversity, and inclusion We recognise that excellence in science requires diversity and equality to promote innovation and creativity.

To do so effectively, all available talent must be harnessed. We expect equality and diversity to be an integral part, at all levels of research practices as a part of our funding portfolio.

We seek to ensure that equality principles are applied to all funding activities and consider that no one should be excluded or hindered from a career in science because of their sex, ethnic background, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion or belief, pregnancy or maternity, marriage, or civil partnership (protected characteristics as defined in the Equality Act 2010).

We are committed to supporting the research community, offering a range of flexible options which allow you to design a package that fits your research goals, career, and personal circumstances, for example career breaks, caring responsibilities, flexible working, and alternative working patterns. Therefore, these aspects should be strongly ingrained into the projects proposed for this opportunity.

One common approach is to reference institutional strategies and policies related to equality, diversity and inclusion and indicate that the prosperity partnership would be delivered in alignment with these activities. Learn more about our equality, diversity, and inclusion strategy .

Business-led, co-created and co-delivered The prosperity partnership funding opportunity aims to fund business-led research that arises from an industrial need, with the work being co-delivered between the business and project leads.

The opportunity is aimed at supporting excellent, world-leading discovery research and innovation, which has clear benefit to the businesses involved, resulting in accelerated impact arising from the new knowledge, innovations, or technologies. Co-creation of the research programme is essential.

We expect programmes funded through this opportunity to: drive forward shared research challenges demonstrate impact beyond the partners provide benefits to the businesses involved The programme should contribute positively to the overall strategic partnership framework which exists between the parties. It should be clear that both the business and academic researchers are making distinct intellectual contributions to the partnership.

Where an individual is discharging responsibilities within both a business and a research organisation, for example, as a consequence of being involved in university spin-outs, clarity on separation of duties and managing conflicts of interest is essential. If the proposal is deemed appropriate for our support, a collaboration agreement will be requested before the grant is authorised.

The research challenges to be addressed in the prosperity partnership should: be relevant to stimulating innovation aimed at tackling major problems faced by the UK and the world drive capability in key technologies and scientific advancements We recognise that the specific outcomes will be unique to each project, but you should consider how you might: deliver new or improved products or services drive efficiencies or cost reductions enable expansion to new sectors or markets while also jointly authoring high-impact publications Ultimately, the project should seek to provide economic impact and prosperity that wouldn’t exist without the partnership.

We seek to foster greater collaboration and networking between researchers, business, and civic bodies to deliver research, skills, and innovation vital to the long-term prosperity of communities and regions of the UK. While not an assessment criterion, we encourage you to consider and articulate how your partnership potentially aligns and supports both industrial and civic ambitions or priorities for regional economies.

Where applicable, you are also asked to demonstrate what place-based outcomes might be expected to arise from your projects, both in the short and longer term.

These may include (but are not restricted to): local and regional economic growth, skills development, job creation or retention critical mass activities leading to increased private investment, including foreign direct investment, in a specific place contributions to cluster development through, for example, knowledge diffusion, supply chain development, small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) growth, generation, or growth of spin outs You are expected to work within the UKRI framework for responsible innovation .

You should consider and implement plans for responsible innovation throughout the research project, and include details of these plans in the application, including specific actions that will be taken.

International collaboration Applicants planning to include international collaborators on their proposal should view our trusted research guidance on getting the most out of international collaboration while protecting intellectual property, sensitive research, and personal information . The primary balance of research and innovation should be focused on bioscience and biotechnology which covers BBSRC’s remit (at least 50%).

Other research and innovation areas supported by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) may be included if they clearly strengthen the research, innovation, or partnership. We encourage multidisciplinary research and recognises that many prosperity partnerships will involve multidisciplinary research and innovation.

Business and academic project leads should ensure that: the business and academic partners have a demonstrable emerging or established research-based relationship there are clear plans to evolve this relationship via user-inspired shared research challenges and the prosperity partnership is a key component of the plans to evolve and strengthen this relationship both partners are committed to the co-creation of a jointly delivered large scale research programme at technology readiness levels (TRL) one to four the business and academic partners can commit to matching funding for the prosperity partnership with at least a matched contribution in cash (in-kind contributions are permitted but cannot form part of the matched component) a definitive list of eligible cash contributions is set out in the ‘Definitive list of eligible cash contributions for business leads and partners’ section no UKRI, public, or government funding will be used as co-investment, and the partners are able to clearly demonstrate an auditable transfer during the grant duration The business lead must be: from a business in the private sector driven by profit or from an organisation with a commercial arm which generates independent revenue in a position to contribute to the nation’s prosperity through increasing their investment in UK based research and development activities and subsequent product development in the UK The topic of the research and innovation programme is primarily focused on bioscience and biotechnology within BBSRC’s remit.

Multidisciplinary projects are welcomed and funding from other UKRI councils may be sought as long as more than 50% of the topics or work lies within BBSRC’s remit. This will be built into the assessment process, and we will provide indications to relevant councils immediately after the ‘outline stage’.

Matched cash contribution Our funding is at 80% of the full economic cost with exceptions for skills and talent training costs (100% full economic cost). The funding we provide must be (as a minimum) matched with commercially generated revenue in cash by the business lead (in single lead bids). In multi-partner bids, this contribution can be collectively provided, but the majority has to come from a single business lead.

Cash contributions will count against the matched contribution. A definitive list of cash contributions can be found in the ‘Definitive list of eligible cash contributions for business leads and partners’ section. Any contribution from business or other project partners not included in the cash contribution list will count as ‘in-kind’.

We are happy to discuss contribution details prior to submission. Where a prosperity partnership has a single business lead The full matched cash contribution (as a minimum) should be provided by the business lead. Where a prosperity partnership has multiple business partners The combined cash contributions from the business partners must, at a minimum, match the BBSRC funding.

The majority of this matched funding is required to be provided by the business lead for the partnership. It is permissible for the lead business to provide the entirety of the matched cash contribution and also have additional project partner contributions. Once the matched cash contribution has been reached, additional contributions can be in cash or in-kind.

For both single and multiple partner prosperity partnerships, there can be complex arrangements and objectives. Where appropriate and necessary, we would be happy to consider and potentially discuss any necessary elements of proposals prior to submission. Cash contributions from all partners can exceed the matched cash contribution project requirement.

In-kind contributions are any non-cash contribution from business, academic, or other project partners not included in the definitive list of eligible match contributions.

In-kind contributions such as data, software, management time, and facilities access are strongly encouraged and can help show additional and varied business commitments to ensure the success of the project however, they will not count towards the matched cash contributions. Any academic partner cash contributions (including those of the academic project lead) will not contribute to the matched cash funding project requirement.

No UKRI or other UK government money, as part of baseline funding or otherwise, may be used or included to form part of the matched cash contribution requirement. We will not mandate a specific audit format for the business contributions to a project. However, a formal record must be produced upon request.

This must be able to demonstrate a continuous auditable cash transfer, or staff time-record, by the business partner per year in each year of the programme. As an exception, requests for skills and talent training are covered at 100% full economic cost so these need to be costed appropriately and considered for total matching of grant funding by the business partner(s).

Definitive list of eligible cash contributions for business leads and partners The following is the definitive list of eligible cash contributions. We expect the time of researchers, postdoctoral research associates, technicians, business-funded doctoral students, and the grant manager to be fully costed onto projects depending on how much time a person would spend on it.

In the application, it is expected that the role and responsibilities of costed persons are detailed, and it is demonstrated clearly how their experience and skills are linked to work packages and outcomes. The appropriateness of the time devoted to the project will be assessed in the panel interview and peer review (at the full proposal stage).

Gross salary can be claimed as matched funding (that is, including indirect costs such as pension, National Insurance, and taxes) but not business overheads or profits. The salary of a single member of staff (researcher, postdoctoral research associates or grant manager) can be covered in partnership by the business lead and BBSRC funds in a ratio that best suits the project.

Below we state the eligible cash contributions for business leads and partners. All or part of the pro rata, gross salary cost associated with researchers employed by universities (including co-investigators). Postdoctoral research associates’ salaries All or part of the gross salary cost associated with research associates employed by research organisations to work exclusively on the prosperity partnership.

Research associates can also be employed directly by the businesses in the partnership and the appropriately costed gross salary can be claimed as a cash contribution depending on how much time the person spends on the prosperity partnership. Professional grant manager salaries Pro rata gross salary cost of a professional grant manager. Pro rata gross salary cost of technicians.

New software licences needed for the project and their maintenance cost for the duration of the grant. Software licences or intellectual property (IP) owned by the business which are already accessible by the partners will apply at marginal cost, not at market rate. Equipment may be sought as part of the prosperity partnership and the equipment requested must be necessary to the successful delivery of the proposed research.

Items of multiple-use equipment (where the equipment is necessary for the pursuit of the proposed research but will not be fully occupied on it) may also be sought. The application must set out the other proposed uses and explain the overall benefit to BBSRC science of the equipment investment being sought. Find out more in the BBSRC research grants guide .

Equipment produced by the business Equipment produced by the business is only claimable at the cost of manufacture (not market) rate. Access to equipment and facilities Access to specific equipment and facilities critical to achieve the outcomes of the project. If the facility is based at the academic project or business lead’s facility, the cash contribution will be valued at cost.

Facilities development can be an eligible business cash contribution if the upgrade will increase the capability of the facilities with specific benefit to the proposed work. This contribution must be justified in addition to any estate costs already factored in. Any facilities development contributions require discussion with us prior to submission.

Business cash donations which will be provided to the partner universities, for the universities to manage in line with the project objectives. Skills and talent training Extra skills and talent training to support doctoral and research master’s studentships, higher apprenticeships, continuing professional development of the project’s research and innovation team, exchanges, and secondments.

Skills and talent training may be up to a maximum of 20% of the matching contribution. Skills and talent training Workforce development plan The workforce development plan will set out your aims, objectives, future actions, and anticipated outcomes for developing an excellent, inclusive, and supported team with the right people and the right skills to deliver the strategic objectives of the proposed prosperity partnership.

It will describe any other added value actions the partnership will take to develop skills in the wider research and innovation community. The plan will set out what resources will be required and deployed to meet these goals.

the team of people needed to lead, implement, and support the prosperity partnership’s work streams the depth and breadth of skills in the current team and how skills gaps will be addressed through continuing professional development or new recruitment the diversity profile of the team and measures to address any identified social and demographic imbalances opportunities for added value activities to train the next generation of researchers, technical specialists, entrepreneurs, and innovators To meet the ambitions of the workforce plan, skills and talent training activities should be costed into the main grant.

Examples of these activities include doctoral and research master’s studentships, higher apprenticeships, continuing professional development of the project’s research and innovation team, exchanges and secondments, and the development of training resources.

These activities may be targeted to the core team assembled to deliver the prosperity partnership, or for the purpose of developing new talent for the sector at all levels and in all roles needed.

Note that any requests for doctoral or research master’s studentships or higher apprenticeships based in academia must ensure that the projects allocated to these trainees will not be critical to the successful delivery of the prosperity partnership’s strategic objectives.

For any doctoral studentships requested, we expect that they receive cohort-based training by either aligning them with existing doctoral investments within the research organisation (for example, a Doctoral Training Partnership or Collaborative Training Partnership) or through new plans in this prosperity partnership for cohort-based training. Details of these approaches will be required.

We encourage you to follow the principles of the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers and the Technician Commitment . Funding available and timeframe The full funding amount of at least £15 million will be delivered in a single round with projects being up to five years in length. BBSRC funding is at 80% full economic costs with exceptions for skills and talent training costs (100% full economic cost).

Requested funds may include: equipment and other items required to carry out the project skills and talent training costs Please see the BBSRC research grants guide for guidance on equipment funding. Submitting an outline application BBSRC is running this funding opportunity on the new UKRI Funding Service. You cannot apply on the Joint Electronic Submissions (Je-S) system.

The project lead is responsible for completing the application process on the 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 UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). Select ‘Start application’ near the beginning of this Funding finder page.

Confirm you are the project lead. 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 application questions are listed along with prompts to help you fill in your answers. 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. Watch our research office webinars about the new UKRI Funding Service for further guidance on the application process.

We recommend you start your application early. You can save completed details in the Funding Service at any time and return to continue your application later. Your host organisation will also be able to provide advice and guidance on completing your application.

We must receive your outline application by 4. 00pm UK time on 20 December 2023. You will not be able to apply after this time.

Make sure you are aware of and follow any internal institutional deadlines. Guidance on the types of support that may be sought, and advice on the completion of the research proposal forms, are given in the BBSRC research grants guide . This should be consulted when preparing all proposals.

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 publish the outcomes of this funding opportunity on our website. If your application is successful, we will publish some personal information on the UKRI Gateway to Research . In plain English, provide a summary of your project which we can use to identify the most suitable experts to assess your application.

We may make this summary publicly available on external-facing websites, so make it suitable for a variety of readers, for example: the wider research community Guidance for writing a summary Clearly describe your proposed work in terms of: the scientific and industrial challenge the project addresses potential applications and benefits List the key members of your team and assign them roles from the following: professional enabling staff research and innovation associate Only list one individual as project lead.

The project lead and project co-lead have replaced the principal investigator and co-investigator roles, respectively. Please see the full descriptions of these new harmonised set of role types being used in the Funding Service. The researcher co-lead role has replaced the research co-investigator role previously used in Je-S grant applications.

They will be an individual who merits appropriate recognition for making a substantial contribution to the formulation and development of the application and will be closely involved with the project. They will be employed on the project by and based at the institutions of the project lead or any project co-leads. It is mandatory for this funding opportunity to have a business lead.

The business must be based in the UK or have UK-based research activity. See ‘Scope’ in the funding opportunity text to find out more about what constitutes as a business lead. Find out more about UKRI’s new grant roles .

What is the existing relationship between the project partners?

What the assessors are looking for in your response The panel will consider the extent to which the proposed work demonstrates: clear evidence of an emerging or established research-based relationship between business and academic lead partners with demonstrable benefits achieved to date well considered plans for growing the relationship within and beyond the prosperity partnership and a description on where the relationship is going long term.

The existing relationship will be assessed relative to the business lead organisation ‘substantial’ or ‘long-term’ collaborations and partnerships may look different for an or spin-out company than they do for a large multinational What are you hoping to achieve with your proposed work?

What the assessors are looking for in your response The panel will consider the extent to which the proposed work: is of excellent quality and importance within or beyond the field(s) or area(s) has the potential to advance current understanding, or generate new knowledge, thinking or discovery within or beyond the field or area is timely given current trends, context, and needs could impact world-leading research, society, the economy, or the environment Within this section, we expect you to address the following: a clear and appropriate business-led vision and ambition for the prosperity partnership describing why the partnership is essential for success and specifically addressing why the objectives cannot be achieved by any single partner alone evidence that the proposed business-led research programme is positioned at technology readiness levels (TRL) one to four with a programme of work that has been developed in partnership and in a co-created manner with the short-term and medium-term benefits clearly described coherence and relevance of the work packages in line with the vision clear evidence of how this vision will be achieved and how the prosperity partnership will bring benefits to the UK economy and the research base, address regional, national, and international strategies, including those of the business or businesses involved Within this section you can demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant.

Further instructions are provided within the Funding Service. Number your references in this section using a superscript citation style. Then include the details of these references in a corresponding list, in the ‘References’ section of this application.

Please note, external weblinks are not permitted in this section. Additionality and added value What is the additionality and added value?

What the assessors are looking for in your response The panel will consider the extent to which the proposed work demonstrates: clear evidence of the buy-in from business partners and co-creation of the proposed business-inspired fundamental research programme Within this section, we expect you to consider: the aspects where this type of funding provides added value that no other scheme does Applicants’ leadership and appropriateness of the team What are your leadership and team track records?

What the assessors are looking for in your response The panel will consider the extent to which the proposed work demonstrates: the appropriateness of the leadership team with evidence of joint working between business and the academic project lead clear plans for joint leadership conveying the ability to lead a programme of this size and number of stakeholders how you approached the design and makeup of the team’s skills and competencies in order to address the vision and ambition of the programme Within this section, we expect you to consider: your track record in successfully leading large multifaceted teams that involve cross organisational complexity explain why you think you have the most appropriate balance of expertise your ability to lead a programme of this size and number of stakeholders Management and governance What are your plans for management and governance?

What the assessors are looking for in your response The panel will consider the extent to which the proposed work demonstrates: the appropriateness of the management and governance arrangements, commensurate with the scale of the programme how you will monitor milestones and ensure they are achieved your plans regarding equality, diversity and inclusion that go beyond following university procedures How will you deliver impact and ensure benefits are realised?

What the assessors are looking for in your response The panel will consider the extent to which the proposed work demonstrates: how the prosperity partnership will deliver the benefits identified clear plans to maximise translation and impact arising from the partnership Within this section, we expect you to consider: the potential direct or indirect benefits and who the beneficiaries might be Skills and talent training What are your plans and requirements for workforce training and development in support of the strategic objectives of the proposed prosperity partnership?

What the assessors are looking for in your response The panel will consider the extent to which the proposed work demonstrates: that an excellent and inclusive training environment will be provided which is appropriate for alignment with the prosperity partnership how the skills being developed will enable the delivery of the prosperity partnership’s goals and that the delivery of the plan is feasible how the plan will offer career development opportunities for the people in receipt of this training Within this section, we expect you to consider: how the whole project team, from both the research organisation and the business, will receive appropriate training and research experience Ethics and responsible research and innovation (RRI) What are the ethical or RRI implications and issues relating to the proposed work?

If you do not think that the proposed work raises any ethical or RRI issues, explain why.

What the assessors are looking for in your response The panel will consider the extent to which the proposed work demonstrates that you have identified and evaluated: the relevant ethical or responsible research and innovation considerations you will manage these considerations In this section we will ask for the following: what is the full economic cost of your project? what is the total value of funding being requested from BBSRC?

what is the total value of the business lead’s cash contribution? what is or are the individual cash contributions of additional project partners? what is the total value of the project lead’s organisation’s cash contribution?

what is the total project value? what is the total value of the business lead’s in-kind contributions? what is the total value of the project lead’s organisation’s in-kind contributions?

what is the