Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases (EEID)

Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases (EEID) is sponsored by National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). The EEID program supports research on the ecological, evolutionary, organismal, and social drivers that influence the transmission dynamics of infectious diseases.

International partnership: Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases – UKRI Funding opportunity: International partnership: Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) , Medical Research Council (MRC) , Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) , Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) , Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), US National Science Foundation (NSF), US National Institutes of Health (NIH), US National Institute of Food and Agriculture Department of Agriculture (USDA-NIFA), US–Israel Binational Science Foundation (BSF), National Natural Sciences Foundation of China (NSFC) 30 August 2024 9:00am UK time 20 November 2024 4:00pm UK time Last updated: 2 October 2024 - see all updates Apply for funding for internationally collaborative projects to understand the ecological, evolutionary and social drivers of infectious disease transmission in animals, humans and plants, using a quantitative or mathematical approach combined with qualitative principles.

You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for funding from UKRI or Defra and collaborate with a partner from the US. You can also have partners from China and Israel to form tri or quadrilateral collaborations. The full economic cost of your project can be up to £1 million, funding available for up to four years.

The collaborative projects must include a project lead from the US who will lead the submission through the National Science Foundation (NSF) process. The UK project lead’s institution will be responsible for receiving and distributing funding to UK institutions. UK researchers can apply for: research coordination networks (RCNs) with partners from the US, China or Israel.

Please see the What we are looking for section for more information about RCNs and planning proposals.

Applicants for the UK component must meet the UKRI eligibility rules and be based at one of the following: higher education institution research council institute UKRI-approved independent research organisation (IRO) eligible public sector research establishment (PSRE) Before applying for funding, check the Eligibility of your organisation . For full details, visit Eligibility as an individual .

Before applying for funding, check and understand all eligibility rules affecting you by reading our guidance: check if you’re eligible for funding . Your international research team must be multidisciplinary with the aim to combine knowledge across disciplines.

It is strongly recommended that proposals demonstrate good integration of mathematical, computational, and social scientists with life scientists interested in infectious diseases of animals, humans, and plants.

More information about the multidisciplinary nature of Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases (EEID) is detailed in the What we are looking for section below and can be found on the NSF web page: Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases (EEID) . 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: support for people with caring responsibilities alternative working patterns Find out more about equality, diversity and inclusion at UKRI .

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) wish to encourage high quality, innovative research on the ecological, evolutionary, environmental, social, cultural and economic drivers that influence the transmission dynamics of infectious diseases.

The programme encompasses: all host species (animal, human and plant) all pathogens (bacteria, fungi, parasites and viruses) all ecologies and habitats The central theme of submitted projects must be the quantitative, mathematical or computational understanding of pathogen transmission dynamics and can be informed by qualitative research, where applicable.

Projects should be broad and multidisciplinary in nature and the implications of findings should extend beyond the study system used.

Among the areas of particular interest for this funding opportunity are not limited to but include: emerging zoonotic pathogens, for example avian influenza or vector-borne diseases co-infection or microbial interactions fungal pathogens and anti-fungal resistance diseases of plants or crops We are keen to encourage proposals that seek to address the following, although proposals outside of these areas will also be considered: understanding the complex interplay between biological, physiological, ecological, environmental (natural and built) and socioeconomic factors affecting infectious disease transmission and evolution the role of human behaviour or cultural practices (for example migration, trade of food or crops, habitation, demographic changes or interaction with domestic or wild animals) on transmission and evolution of plant and animal pathogens the impact of environmental drivers or changes (for example climate change, plastics, biodiversity loss, pollution or land use change) on infectious disease transmission the impact of public and social health measures, human behaviour, or both on host ecology and pathogen evolutionary dynamics, for example evolution of anti-microbial resistance or re-emergence of pathogens in animals, plants or humans emergence of pathogens from non-pathogenic populations It is strongly encouraged that project teams are multidisciplinary, bringing together a broad range of expertise, including but not limited to: life scientists across animal, human and plant systems, including physiologists, microbiologists, immunologists, evolutionary biologists mathematicians, computational scientists, modellers, operational researchers ecologists, natural scientists, environmental and physical scientists clinicians and veterinarians social scientists including anthropologists, psychologists, sociologists, demographers, economists, population scientists, experts in international development For more information on the background of this funding opportunity, go to the Additional information section.

You must read the full information on the scope of the opportunity and how to apply on the NSF website: Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases (EEID) . Prior to submitting your application, it is strongly advised that you contact the UKRI programme lead using the email address eeid@bbsrc. ukri.

org to discuss your proposal. Applications that have not been discussed prior to submission may be rejected. In addition to research projects, the Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases (EEID) programme will also fund research coordination networks (RCNs) and planning proposals.

These are smaller-scale grants that support international collaboration and coordination of research, and formulation of larger-scale research proposals. Research coordination networks (RCNs) RCNs support investigators to communicate and coordinate their research, training and educational activities, which removes barriers to new directions in research.

They can be used to support international, cross-organisational or interdisciplinary collaborations. RCNs do not fund primary research but can be used to support research in a broad range of applications including supporting communication or coordination activities, widening participation, training and developing community standards. More information about RCNs can be found on the NSF website .

Planning proposals are used to support initial conceptualization, planning and collaboration activities that contribute to the formulation of new and sound plans for large-scale projects in emerging research areas for future submission to the EEID programme. More information on Planning Proposals can be found on the NSF website . The duration of this award is up to four years.

There is up to £4 million available to support the UK components of successful EEID proposals. Successful projects will either be awarded by Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) on behalf of UKRI or directly by Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). UKRI will contribute £3 million.

The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to a maximum of £1 million. UKRI will fund 80% of the FEC.

Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) will contribute £1 million to support UK components of EEID proposals, recognising the importance of understanding the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of infectious diseases to support the biosecurity of the UK, its natural environments, crops, livestock and communities. Further information on research at Defra can be found on their website.

Defra will fund 100% of the FEC of successful project(s). A funding agreement with Defra for successful proposals will be subject to standard Defra research and development terms and conditions . UKRI and Defra together expect to fund up to five research projects, or a greater number of RCNs or planning proposals, depending on quality, demand and strategic alignment to the priority areas detailed above.

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 programme 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.

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. Prior to preparing your application, it is strongly advised that you contact the UKRI programme lead using the email address eeid@bbsrc. ukri.

org to discuss your proposal. Applications that have not been discussed prior to submission may be rejected. To apply on the Funding Service: Select ‘Start application’ near the beginning of this Funding finder page.

Confirm you are the project lead. 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. 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.

Where indicated, you can also demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant.

You should: use images sparingly and only to convey important information that cannot easily be put into words insert each new image onto a new line provide a descriptive legend for each image immediately underneath it (this counts towards your word limit) ensure files are smaller than 5MB and in JPEG, JPG, JPE, JFI, JIF, JFIF, PNG, GIF, BMP or WEBP format Watch our research office webinars about the new Funding Service .

For more guidance on the Funding Service, see: how applicants use the Funding Service how research offices use the Funding Service how reviewers use the Funding Service 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. Your application must be received by 20 November 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.

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 .

Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), as part of UKRI, may need to share the application and any personal information that it contains with Defra so that they can participate in the assessment process. Find out more information on how Defra uses personal information . BBSRC, as part of UKRI, will publish the outcomes of this funding opportunity on the UKRI Gateway to Research .

If your application is successful, we will publish some personal information on this site. 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: the wider research community Guidance for writing a summary Clearly describe your proposed work in terms of: the challenge the project addresses potential applications and benefits List the key members of your team and assign them roles from the following: project co-lead (UK) (PcL) professional enabling staff research and innovation associate Only list one individual as project lead.

Find out more about UKRI’s core team roles in funding applications . What are you hoping to achieve with your proposed work? If your proposal relates to a research coordination network or planning proposal please state this clearly within your vision.

What the assessors are looking for in your response Explain how your 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 impacts world-leading research, society, the economy, or the environment You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant.

Further details are provided in the Funding Service. References may be included within this section. How are you going to deliver your proposed work?

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) will maximise translation of outputs into outcomes and impacts describes how your, and if applicable your team’s, research environment (in terms of the place and relevance to the project) will contribute to the success of the work You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant.

Further details are provided in the Funding Service. References may be included within this section. Applicant and team capability to deliver Why are you the right individual or team to successfully deliver the proposed work?

What the assessors are looking for in your response Evidence of how you, and if relevant 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 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 1,650 words: 1,150 words to be used for R4RI modules (including references) and, if necessary, a further 500 words for Additions.

Use the Résumé for Research and Innovation (R4RI) format to showcase the range of relevant skills you and, if relevant, your team (project and project co-leads, researchers, technicians, specialists, partners and so on) have and how this will help deliver the proposed work. 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 consider how to balance your answer, and emphasise where appropriate the key skills each team member brings: contributions to the generation of new ideas, tools, methodologies, or knowledge 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 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. For full details, see Eligibility as an individual .

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 Demonstrate that you have identified and evaluated: the relevant ethical or responsible research and innovation considerations how you will manage these considerations You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.

Genetic and biological risk Does your proposed research involve any genetic or biological risk?

What the assessors are looking for in your response In respect of animals, plants or microbes, are you proposing to: use genetic modification as an experimental tool, like studying gene function in a genetically modified organism release genetically modified organisms ultimately develop commercial and industrial genetically modified outcomes If yes, provide the name of any required approving body and state if approval is already in place.

If it is not, provide an indicative timeframe for obtaining the required approval. Identify the organism or organisms as a plant, animal or microbe and specify the species and which of the three categories the research relates to. Identify the genetic and biological risks resulting from the proposed research, their implications, and any mitigation you plan on taking.

Assessors will want to know you have considered the risks and their implications to justify that any identified risks do not outweigh any benefits of the proposed research. If this does not apply to your proposed work, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.

Research involving the use of animals Does your proposed research involve the use of vertebrate animals or other organisms covered by the Animals Scientific Procedures Act?

What the assessors are looking for in your response If you are proposing research that requires using animals, download and complete the Animals Scientific Procedures Act template (DOCX, 74KB) , which contains all the questions relating to research using vertebrate animals or other Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 regulated organisms. Save it as a PDF. The Funding Service will provide document upload details when you apply.

If this does not apply to your proposed work, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service. Conducting research with animals overseas Will any of the proposed animal research be conducted overseas?

What the assessors are looking for in your response If you are proposing to conduct overseas research, it must be conducted in accordance with welfare standards consistent with those in the UK, as in Responsibility in the use of animals in bioscience research, page 14 . Ensure all named applicants in the UK and overseas are aware of this requirement.

If your application proposes animal research to be conducted overseas, you must provide a statement in the text box. Depending on the species involved, you may also need to upload a completed template for each species listed.

Provide a statement to confirm that: all named applicants are aware of the requirements and have agreed to abide by them this overseas research will be conducted in accordance with welfare standards consistent with the principles of UK legislation the expectation set out in Responsibility in the use of animals in bioscience research will be applied and maintained appropriate national and institutional approvals are in place Overseas studies proposing to use non-human primates, cats, dogs, equines or pigs will be assessed during NC3Rs review of research applications.

Provide the required information by completing the template from the question ‘Research involving the use of animals’. For studies involving other species, select, download, and complete the relevant Word checklist or checklists from this list: Additional questions on the use of rodents overseas (DOCX, 49. 1KB) Additional questions on the use of rabbits overseas (DOCX, 49.

2KB) Additional questions on the use of sheep overseas (DOCX, 50. 9KB) Additional questions on the use of goats overseas (DOCX, 47. 3KB) Additional questions on the use of pigs overseas (DOCX, 51.

4KB) Additional questions on the use of cattle overseas (DOCX, 57. 0KB) Additional questions on the use of Xenopus laevis and Xenopus tropicalis overseas (DOCX, 57. 3KB) Save your completed template as a PDF and upload to the Funding Service.

If you use more than one checklist template, save it as a single PDF. The Funding Service will provide document upload details when you apply. If conducting research with animals overseas does not apply to your proposed work, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.

Resources and cost justification 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, in particular: significant travel for field work or collaboration (but not regular travel between collaborating organisations or to conferences) any equipment that will cost more than £10,000 any consumables beyond typical requirements, or that are required in exceptional quantities all facilities and infrastructure costs all resources that have been costed as ‘Exceptions’ 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 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 organisation who will have an integral role in the proposed research. This may include direct (cash) or indirect (in-kind) contributions such as expertise, staff time or use of facilities.

Add the following project partner details: the organisation name and address (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.

For audit purposes, UKRI requires formal collaboration agreements to be put in place if an award is made. NSF Biographical Sketches Provide a biographical sketch for each applicant. Please find guidelines on preparing the biographical sketch on the NSF website.

Upload as a single PDF ensuring it is no larger than 8MB. For the file name, use the unique Funding Service number the system gives you when you create an application, followed by the words ‘NSF_biographicalsketch’. If the attachment does not meet these requirements, the application will be rejected.

Unless specifically requested, please do not include any sensitive personal data within the attachment. The Funding Service will provide document upload details when you apply. Trusted Research and Innovation Does the proposed work involve international collaboration in a sensitive research or technology area?

What the assessors are looking for in your response Demonstrate how your proposed international collaboration relates to Trusted Research and Innovation, including: list the countries your international project co-leads, project partners and visiting researchers, or other collaborators are based in if international collaboration is involved, explain whether this project is relevant to one or more of the 17 areas of the UK National Security and Investment (NSI) Act if one or more of the 17 areas of the UK National Security and Investment (NSI) Act are involved list the areas If your proposed work does not involve international collaboration, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.

We may contact you following submission of your application to provide additional information about how your proposed project will comply with our approach and expectation towards TR&I, identifying potential risks and the relevant controls you will put in place to help manage these risks. How we will assess your application Proposals will be assessed through the National Science Foundation (NSF) peer review process.

Successful projects will either be awarded by Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) on behalf of UKRI or directly by Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). Find out more about the assessment process on the NSF website .

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and Defra will make the final funding decision in conjunction with other funding partners taking into account of proposed projects alignment with the priority areas highlighted in the ‘What we are looking for’ section when making final funding decisions. Funders aim to complete the assessment process within six months of receiving your application.

Feedback will be provided by NSF with the outcome of your application. 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 .

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There is increasing urgency to understand the ecological and evolutionary drivers of disease emergence and transmission dynamics, particularly in the wake of the global COVID-19 pandemic. In recent years the world has undergone unprecedented rates of change. Nearly all the world’s terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems have undergone dramatic changes due to a variety of human activities.

These include human displacement and relocation, urbanisation, rapid long-distance transport and increased international trade, species invasions, deliberate introduction of infectious diseases for biological control, wildlife trafficking and use of antimicrobial agents in agriculture and medicine. In addition to this, our environment is changing due to climate change, loss of biodiversity, habitat loss and land use changes.

The co-occurrence of these changes with the emergence and re-emergence of infectious diseases alludes to interconnectedness between these systems, driven by underlying predictable ecological and evolutionary relationships. Advances in studying the molecular identity and dynamics of pathogens have contributed greatly to our understanding of evolution and epidemiology of infectious diseases.

However, infectious diseases do not exist in isolation, but as part of complex ecosystems. While our knowledge about specific systems and the basic principles of simple systems is ever evolving, understanding of complex systems that incorporate host ecology, pathogen evolution, environmental drivers and behavioural (including social, economic and cultural) factors remains challenging.

Integration of these factors to understand complex systems is essential to develop broad principles of infectious disease transmission, that can be translated into ecosystem, public health, and agricultural health