NBIC Seed Funding – Round 1

NBIC is launching its first call for proposals for collaborative projects from NBIC Interdisciplinary Research Fellows (IRFs). All projects proposed will be considered and ranked on their merits based on a number of criteria, with the intention that the selected projects will form a high quality portfolio of interdisciplinary collaborative research projects.

To apply to the NBIC Seed funding, you must use the NBIC online application form, and should answer all questions within the word count suggested, as well as obtaining relevant approval on funding and initial agreement on IPR arrangements (if required), with project collaborators.

Scope In this Seed Funding call we are looking for proposals that are a joint collaboration between at least two NBIC core partners. Additional partners from NBIC partners or Industry may be included in the proposal if they significantly contribute to the project, however this is not a requirement. The project will be expected to be exploratory (can be ‘blue sky’) fundamental biofilm research under the interventional themes of prevent, detect, manage or engineer.

Projects can be in a laboratory, model or real world setting in order to give confidence for further work. The Seed Funding programme is aimed at fundamental biofilm research that may lead to applications to a larger external fund and/or future collaborative industry projects.

We expect to fund between 7-10 projects lasting on average 6 months and for NBICs contribution to be between £25-50K in total for each project.

Projects will be assessed on a number of key criteria:

the quality of the collaboration; the quality of the science; the level of innovation/potential for translation; the potential for future application and the next steps if successful; credibility of the project plan and the work needed to be done; alignment of project goals with NBIC strategy (Prevent, Detect, Manage and

Engineer).The collaborative Seed funding application should be jointly written, and can be jointly led but must be submitted by an IRF from the NBIC core partner.

Funding Contributions Research Institutions, if successful, would receive funding at 80% of the Full Economic Cost (FEC) for their activity as costed by the university finance teams.Salary can be funded for an IRF with the condition that the extension of current NBIC contract does not go beyond 30 November 2022. IRFs may be named on more than one project.

Research IntegrityNBIC is committed to promoting good conduct in research by providing the research community with practical guidance on the issues which need to be addressed and facilitating the sharing of existing good practice. 

The UK Research Integrity Office (UKRIO), the independent body which offers advice about the conduct of research, has developed a Code of Practice for Research: Promoting good practice and preventing misconduct. The Code of Practice addresses long-standing concerns in the research community about research misconduct. The UK has a world-class reputation for conducting exceptional and innovative research and for producing researchers of the highest calibre. The Code can help research organisations ensure that important issues have not been overlooked and applies to all types of research. Drawing upon UKRIO’s experiences in addressing good conduct and misconduct in research, the Code provides principles and standards for researchers and research organisations and also includes a Recommended Checklist for Researchers: a one-page, non-technical checklist for the key points of good practice in research, based upon the more detailed standards provided by the Code.Reference: https://ukrio.org/wp-content/uploads/UKRIO-Code-of-Practice-for-Research.pdf

Other reading: https://www.ukri.org/about-us/policies-and-standards/research-integrity/https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/policy-and-analysis/reports/Documents/2012/the-concordat-to-support-research-integrity.pdf

Key Dates1. Call Launch: 13th January 2020, the online application form will be available from

this date. We will hold a ‘sand pit’ during the NBIC Networking event (13th -14th Jan 2020).

2. Project Pitch: 14th January 2020 – you will pitch your projects to the NBIC Executive Management Team. The EMT will provide feedback during the session.

3. You will be informed of the projects invited to submit an online application by close of business on the 17th January 2020. For reference only, the application form is provided below.

4. The deadline for applications is 4pm on 6th Feb 20205. The International Scientific Advisory Board will review the applications and score

them against the criteria provided above. The NBIC Executive Management Team will consider their recommendations and the funding available.

6. A final decision will be made by 28th Feb 2020 and award letters sent to applicants in early March 2020.

7. Projects must start by December 2020 and be completed by 30 June 2021.

The Project

Table 1: Project DetailsPROJECT DETAILS

1 Project title in full:2 Short name or acronym:3 Lead Research Institution(s):4 Lead applicant (s):5 Contact details: (include address, email

and phone number)

6 Collaborators: (include address, email and phone number)

7 Project duration (months) :8 Estimated start date: MM/YYYY Estimated finish date: MM/YYYY

Table 2: Financial Information

FINANCIAL INFORMATION£ Notes / Description

1 Research Institution 1a Total project cost for

the Research Institution (100% FEC) [1b+1c]

All applications should be fully costed and approved by your institution’s finance office. Please liaise with your departmental finance team to obtain a costing for your proposal, you must provide this along with your application.

1b NBIC funding requested by Research Institution @80% of (1a-1b)

NBIC will fund at 80% FEC

1c Research Institution contribution @20% of (1a-1b)

Research Institute will fund 20% FEC

2 In-kind contribution2a In-kind contributions from

collaboratorsList in-kind contributions

Please provide a short (50 word) description of your proposal in a way that will be comprehensible to the general public. This statement may be published to meet our obligations for openness and transparency of public-funded activities.

Questions All questions are allowed a maximum of 300 words ( for a diagram or image it is assumed this will count as 50 words). Bullet points and summary language are allowed for ease of reading and submission.

1. What is the overall project objective?Describe what the overall aim of the project is and how you will measure its success.

2. Who are the project participants, and what is their qualification / expertise?

Describe the particular skill or expertise they bring to the project and what role(s) within the project they will take. Please include details of partners outside the core Partners if applicable. If project partners are bringing Background IP to the project, please also detail that here.

3. Describe the fundamental scientific question that the project seeks to address and any potential future application?

Describe the fundamental scientific question that the project seeks to address. How do the outcomes extend the state of the art /knowledge / science in a way that will be innovative and worthy of progression. What science does this build upon? (A limited reference list of up to 5 references is acceptable and if they support the scientific proposition)

4. If the project is successful, what would be the next step?If successful in achieving your desired outcomes please describe what the next steps are and how you think they will be achieved. Are all the project partners expected to take part in further developments and, where further funding is anticipated, describe what avenues will be pursued to secure that funding.

5. What is your plan?Outline the activities within the project, an overview of the key work packages with milestones, costs and accountabilities. Describe how the project will be managed and how any key risks will be addressed.

a) Annex: Gantt chart / project plan / Risk register : up to one additional A4 side allowed

6. What level of funding are you requesting and are there additional contributions?

Describe the funding you require and how it will be used and against which activities. Provide justification of the project cost and the funding requested from NBIC. These figures should match those provided in Table 2. Financial Information on page 2. If collaborators are contributing in-kind or financial support please provide details here, this is not a requirement.

7. Does the proposed research involve human participants or the use of animals?

a. For any project involving human participation or samples, ethics approval and local institutional approval should be sought ahead of the commencement of awarded projects.

b. For any project involving the use of animals; local institutional approval should be sought and appropriate licences in place ahead of the commencement of awarded projects. For all projects that involve animal research, please provide the following information:

- Species used- Number of animals used- Calculations to show that the study is appropriately powered- A short justification of why animal use is necessary

Please be made aware of the BBSRC policy on the use of animals in research - https://bbsrc.ukri.org/funding/apply/application-guidance/animal-use-in-research/

Additional Information Required:A. Please provide a letter/email correspondence from research finance department

agreeing to Table 2.

Recommended Checklist for Researchers

Definition of conflicts of interest

The NBIC defines a conflict of interest as a set of circumstances that creates a risk that an individual’s ability to apply independent judgement is, or could be, impaired or influenced by a secondary interest.Generally, conflicts might occur if individuals have, for example:

A direct or indirect financial interest; Non-financial, but personal interests; Competing loyalties between an organisation to which they owe a primary duty

and another person or entity.

Please consult the NBIC Operational Team if you have any concerns or queries