2024 Transformative Research Technologies (24TRT) (Grant)

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

UK Research and Innovation (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.

Building on the Technician Commitment UKRI Action Plan and the UKRI people and teams action plan, we particularly encourage applications from research technical professionals (RTPs) and research software engineers as either project leads (PLs) or project co-leads.

The New Investigator Award, Industrial Partnership Award and LINK schemes that feature in BBSRC’s Responsive Mode opportunities do not apply to this funding opportunity. First time PLs should note that, if successful, being the PL on a grant which includes funding for postdoctoral research assistant (PDRA) staff support costs will subsequently make them ineligible for the BBSRC New Investigator Award.

PhD students should not be included on applications to 2024 Transformative Research Technologies (24TRT).

For queries about eligibility, please contact us at eligibility@bbsrc.ukri.org before submitting your application.

International applicants

International researchers can not apply for this funding opportunity.

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.

Aim

Novel technologies continue to revolutionise biosciences research. The 2024 Transformative Research Technologies (24TRT) funding opportunity aims to pump prime the next generation of cutting-edge enabling research technologies with the potential for transformative impact in biosciences research. It will support applications for early-stage technology development and research into the development of novel techniques and technologies that have the potential to enable transformative step changes in research capability.

Scope

The funding opportunity aims to support the development of cutting-edge enabling research technologies, which have the potential for transformative impact and are essential to sustaining the vibrancy of bioscience discovery research in the UK. This includes bioinformatics tools and computational approaches to the biosciences. These technological developments should offer the potential of a step change in the state-of-the-art for the given field.

Awards will support small and short early-stage pilot studies directed towards the development of a new technology with transformative potential for the biosciences.

The research should have the potential to deliver a substantial improvement versus the current state-of-the-art, rather than an incremental improvement, and therefore enable new avenues of bioscience discovery research.

Being targeted at early-stage research, the call intends to support technology development where little to no preliminary data exists. The outcome of the project does not necessarily need to be a fully-fledged tool but could be the demonstration of proof-of-concept or the production of a prototype for further development.

For more information on the background of this funding opportunity and on further support later in the lifecycle of technology development, go to the Additional information section.

What makes a technology transformative?

Transformative technologies go beyond being just innovative. They fundamentally change how we approach bioscience by:

• revolutionising fields: creating breakthroughs in specific areas or having broad applications across bioscience

• solving challenges: solving longstanding challenges or limitations to discovery in bioscience

• democratising research: making tools and techniques more accessible and allowing effective utilisation of technology

• boosting research productivity: streamlining research and accelerating discovery

Interdisciplinary collaborations

Technology development inherently cuts across the remit boundaries of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) councils and requires collaboration across disciplines and domains to achieve its full potential. We encourage applications that involve interdisciplinary and collaborative working for this funding opportunity.

Your application could adopt a ‘problem owner, solution provider’ approach, whereby a project lead and a project co-lead (PcL) submit a single application to address a pressing challenge or need within the bioscience community. This could be through an innovative, cross-disciplinary collaboration, for example between an academic and technical professional.

Duration

The duration of this award is between six and 18 months.

Funding available

The FEC of your project can be up to £225,000. BBSRC will fund 80% of the FEC.

For example, if the FEC of your project is equal to £225,000, BBSRC will fund £180,000 and your research organisation will be expected to fund £45,000.

The total indicative budget for this funding opportunity is £3 million.

What we will fund

Applications are expected to focus on one or more of the following:

• transformative technology development that has the potential to result in innovative and disruptive new technological capabilities applicable to the biosciences. This includes technologies with potential broad utility across primarily biological research communities, as well as technologies that may only have utility within one research community

• capitalising on new advances in non-biological research that aim to establish proof-of-concept with a clear trajectory towards a new bioscience research technology in the short term

• innovation that has the potential to deliver a step change in current technological capabilities. This could be aspects such as accuracy, precision, resolution, throughput, or breadth of application to facilitate new research discoveries

• bioinformatics tools. These are specialised software designed to enable large scale or rapid visualisation, analysis, exploration and investigation of biological data

• computational methods, such as modelling techniques to predict and interpret biological systems, as well as AI and statistical techniques to analyse and understand complex biological datasets. These data can encompass a broad range of types including genetic, structure, function, interactions, and environment

We recognise that the potential application of some technologies may extend beyond BBSRC’s remit. Where applicable, please explain how the primary focus of your application falls within BBSRC remit. Applications with a predominant focus outside of BBSRC remit will be rejected prior to assessment. If you are unsure about whether your planned research would be appropriate for this funding opportunity, send an outline (no more than two sides of A4) of what you plan to do to technology.development@bbsrc.ukri.org and BBSRC staff will be happy to advise you.

What we will not fund

The following types of projects are ineligible for support by 24TRT:

• platform technologies that are generically applicable to multiple research domains outside of bioscience research

• applications with a focus on answering a research question, instead of developing cutting edge technology to do so. These applications could be better suited to BBSRC’s standard research grant

• improvements of technologies where previous proof-of-concept has already been demonstrated, including applications with existing technologies already in use for comparable areas of bioscience. These applications would also be better suited for BBSRC’s standard research grant

• medical or clinical devices (being developed for end-point clinical utility rather than basic research purposes) and healthcare technologies (including biomedical engineering for diagnostic or therapeutic application)

• large scale infrastructure, or direct application of off-the-shelf technology to research

• community databases and data infrastructures. These applications could be better suited to the Bioinformatics and Biological Resources (BBR) Fund

• technologies for translational applications. The focus of this funding opportunity is on technologies for the discovery research community

• applications that exceed the cost or duration limits described for this funding opportunity

• applications that have already been peer reviewed or are currently undergoing peer review by another research council or funding body

Please see the Guidance for unsuccessful applicants and resubmissions for more information on submitting substantially revised applications.

Supporting skills and talent

BBSRC continues to highlight the inclusion of vital technical staff on applications and ensure equity in the assessment of non-hypothesis-driven applications on their potential for advancing bioscience research.

BBSRC recognises the talent for innovation, expert knowledge and technical competence that research technical professionals (RTPs) possess. They are co-creators in technology development, and they must be empowered and recognised at all stages and by all stakeholders. Therefore, BBSRC particularly supports the provision of relevant training and upskilling opportunities, beneficial to the success of the proposed project, to be costed in 24TRT applications.

The potential for staff development and training (including post-docs, technical and support staff) will also be assessed by the panel.

We encourage you to follow the principles of the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers and the Technician Commitment.

Trusted Research and Innovation

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. UKRI’s TR&I Principles set out our expectations of organisations funded by UKRI in relation to due diligence for international collaborations.

All applicants must consider the Trusted Research & Innovation question on the UKRI Funding Service when applying to this call. You must complete this question where any international collaborators are involved in the proposed research, regardless of whether you consider that the research falls within the 17 areas prescribed in the question. Where relevant, we will ask you for additional information concerning TR&I after your application is deemed to be eligible for this call; we will ask you to demonstrate how your proposed project will comply with UKRI’s approach and expectations towards TR&I, identifying potential risks and the relevant controls you will put in place to help proportionately reduce these risks.

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

As part of this funding opportunity you cannot claim costs for international project partners or collaborators.

Demand management

We anticipate that this funding opportunity may receive a high level of interest. Prospective applicants are invited to consider carefully whether their application is within the remit and scope of the funding opportunity and should clearly articulate how the proposed project addresses 24TRT scope. If in doubt, applicants are strongly advised to contact BBSRC to discuss their proposed project.

As an individual, you can only apply as PL on one submitted application. You can still be a member of a consortium on a different application, provided you do not take a leading role as PL. However, as such applications will be in direct competition this is not recommended unless the applications are in very different areas.

We encourage research organisations to consider the scope and eligibility of potential applications to the funding opportunity and prioritise appropriately, prior to submission.

Assessment process

We will assess your application using the following process.Applications that fit the scope of the funding opportunity will be assessed through a single stage, fast-track panel assessment process, so that the early-stage exploratory ideas and technologies can be rapidly tested and challenged. The streamlined nature of the assessment will use a broadly based, multi-disciplinary panel with appropriate expertise.

Panel review

We will invite panel members to review your application independently, against the specified criteria for this funding opportunity.

Panel

Following the individual review by expert panel members and your response, we will invite the whole panel to assess the quality of your application and rank it alongside other applications after which the panel will make a funding recommendation.Final funding decisions will take account of the panel outcomes, quality of the applications received, and the portfolio of projects that can be supported using the available budgets.BBSRC will make the final funding decision.

Timescale

We aim to complete the assessment process in February 2024.

Feedback

We will give feedback to all applicants with the outcome of their application.

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.We reserve the right to modify the assessment process as needed.

Assessment areas

The assessment areas we will use are:

• Vision

• Approach

• Applicant and team capability to deliver

• Resources and cost justification

• Ethics and Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI)

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

Click here to start application on the UKRI Funding Service: 404 - Page not found - UKRI Funding Service

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 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.orgPlease 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.

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

• 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)

• files must be 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

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. Applicants should use their 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.

Deadline

BBSRC must receive your application by 28 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.

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.

Publication of outcomes

BBSRC, as part of UKRI, will publish the outcomes of this funding opportunity at Transformative Technologies.

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

Summary

Word limit: 550

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:

• opinion-formers

• policymakers

• the public

• the wider research community

Guidance for writing a summary

Clearly describe your proposed work in terms of:

• context

• the challenge the project addresses

• aims and objectives

• potential applications and benefits

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

• professional enabling staff

• research and innovation associate

• technician

• researcher co-lead (RcL)

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.

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

Application questions

Vision

Word limit: 1,000

What are you hoping to achieve with your proposed work?

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 for transformative impact 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

As part of the vision statement, please explain what the current state of the art is and why the proposed work is transformative.

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.

Approach

Word limit: 1,500

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

Please highlight any original, innovative or particularly unconventional concepts, methodologies or approaches that will be explored.

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

Word limit: 1,650

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) and necessary technical capabilities and diversity to deliver the proposed work

• made appropriate provision for research and technical staff development and training

• 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

Additions

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.

The panel will want to see evidence that:

• the applicant(s) possess the necessary technical capabilities and diversity to deliver the proposed project

• appropriate provision for research and technical staff development and training is made

UKRI has introduced new role types for funding opportunities being run on the new Funding Service.

For full details, see Eligibility as an individual.

Ethics and responsible research and innovation (RRI)

Word limit: 500

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

• environmental sustainability 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

Word limit: 700

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

Word limit: 700

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.

Statement

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

Templates

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.

Research involving human participation

Word limit: 700

Will the project involve the use of human subjects or their personal information?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

If you are proposing research that requires the involvement of human subjects, provide the name of any required approving body and whether approval is already in place.

Justify the number and the diversity of the participants involved, as well as any procedures.

Provide details of any areas of substantial or moderate severity of impact.

If this does not apply to your proposed work, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.

Research involving human tissues or biological samples

Word limit: 700

Does your proposed research involve the use of human tissues, or biological samples?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

If you are proposing work that involves human tissues or biological samples, provide the name of any required approving body and whether approval is already in place.

Justify the use of human tissue or biological samples specifying the nature and quantity of the material to be used and its source.

If this does not apply to your proposed work, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.

Resources and cost justification

Word limit: 1,000

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:

• project staff

• 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

Project partners

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.

Data management and sharing

Word limit: 500

How will you manage and share data collected or acquired through the proposed research?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Provide a data management plan that clearly details how you will comply with BBSRC’s published data sharing policy, which includes detailed guidance notes.

Facilities

Word limit: 250

Does your proposed research require the support and use of a facility?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

If you will need to use a facility, follow your proposed facility’s normal access request procedures. Ensure you have prior agreement so that if you are offered funding, they will support the use of their facility on your project.

For each requested facility you will need to provide the:

• name of facility, copied and pasted from the facility information list (DOCX, 35KB)

• proposed usage or costs, or costs per unit where indicated on the facility information list

• confirmation you have their agreement where required

Facilities should only be named if they are on the facility information list above. If you will not need to use a facility, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.

Trusted Research and Innovation

Word limit: 100

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 ask you 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.

Background

The Transformative Research Technologies (TRT) funding opportunity is built on our previous Tools and Resources Development Fund (TRDF), responding to the recommendations of BBSRC’s review of technology development in the biosciences. It was run in its current form for the first time in 2023.TRT aims to support the development of early-stage enabling research technologies.Further support for technology development later in its lifecycle is available within BBSRC.The BBSRC standard research grant (responsive mode), for example, includes technology development proposals based on a more significant amount of preliminary data, which have often been generated from TRT awards.We aim to ensure technology development for the biosciences is fully integrated into responsive mode, thereby clarifying that this avenue is available for technology development funding beyond TRT.

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.

Webinar for potential applicants

We held a webinar on 12 September 2024. This provided more information about the funding opportunity and a chance to ask questions.

Watch webinar recording (passcode: 1!JaXx3C)

Webinar presentation slides (PDF, 1.8MB)

Webinar questions and answers (PDF, 163KB)

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.

Related content

• UKRI policies and standards

• BBSRC policies and standards

• Driving bioscience innovation with transformative technology

Related opportunities

• BBSRC Standard research grant: 2024 round 3: responsive mode

Get help with your application

If you have a question and the answers aren’t provided on this pageIMPORTANT 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 technology.development@bbsrc.ukri.orgAny queries regarding the system or the submission of applications through the Funding Service should be directed to the helpdesk.Email: support@funding-service.ukri.orgPhone: 01793 547490Our 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 technology.development@bbsrc.ukri.orgInclude 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.