http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/funding/filter/2017-tools-resources-development-fund/
Deadline: 05th December 2017
Amount: up to £150,000 (£187,000 fEC), total scheme budget up to £3.5M
Duration: 6- 18 months (starting no earlier than 1 July 2018)
TRDF aims to pump prime the next generation of cutting-edge enabling technologies with a potential for transformative impact in life sciences research (both biological and biomedical).
A fast-track, light touch peer review process will operate to enable researchers to respond rapidly to emerging challenges and opportunities.
There will only be a single TRDF call in 2017, supporting instrumentation, tools, and software relevant to Technology Touching Life (TTL).
The budget includes significant co-funding from EPSRC and MRC as part of their commitment to collaborative working TTL.
The call is intended to pump prime development of early stage research technologies for discovery research in the life sciences.
Applications must be an exciting, original, early stage project and clearly articulate why the proposal is in line with the scope of the call.
This call intends to support small and short ‘high-risk/high reward’ pilot studies directed towards development of a new technology, particularly where little to no preliminary data exists.
The outcome of the application does not necessarily need to be a fully-fledged tool, but could be publication of proof of concept, or production of a prototype for further development.
Applications are expected to focus on one or more of the following:
- New advances in engineering and physical sciences research that have the potential to result in innovative and potentially disruptive technological capabilities. Such applications must aim to establish proof of concept and identify a clear trajectory towards a new life sciences research technology in the short term
- Development of technologies that will provide new research capabilities with applicability to a range of life sciences research problems and/or communities
- Innovative improvements to current technological capabilities that deliver a step change in aspects such as accuracy, precision, resolution, throughput, and breadth of application to facilitate new research discoveries.
Additionally, the call supports:
- development of software tools and algorithms to address key data analysis and modelling challenges in life sciences research that demonstrate genuine innovation and originality, as well as potential utility.
All applications are expected to outline how the research might deliver a substantial improvement versus current state-of-the-art and how the project could broadly enable new avenues of life sciences discovery research.
Applicants must outline the extent of the potential impact outside of their own specific research programme.
Please ensure to read the full call guidance and FAQ documents available through the link above.