Multi-omics Based Research for Precision Medicine Research Initiative 2019

https://mrc.ukri.org/funding/browse/uk-korea2/multi-omics-based-research-for-precision-medicine-research-initiative-2019/

Deadline: 24^th April 2019 (EoI deadline 10^th April 2019, please see below)

Amount: Up to £9 million: up to £2 million of MRC (UK component); up to £7 million from MSIT/NRF (Korean component)

This initiative will provide funding for one high-quality collaborative research consortium focusing on multi-omics based research for precision medicine.

This initiative will provide significant funding for a UK-Korea precision medicine consortium focused on addressing a disease for which there is a strong case for scientific advancement and major unmet clinical need, with the aim of:

• supporting large-scale, interdisciplinary, multi-ethnic, multi-omics based collaborative research
• providing new insights into disease mechanisms that will enable better tailoring of existing treatments and pave the way for the development of new treatments, diagnostics and care pathways
• enhancing existing partnerships and developing new partnerships between the UK and Korea in the area of precision medicine.
• strengthening the strategic relationship between the UK and Korea.

Applications from any disease area are welcomed including, but not limited to, cancer, metabolic diseases, immune or inflammatory diseases, heart diseases, degenerative brain disease, neurological, sensory and mental health disorders.

Applicants should make a strong case for scientific advancement within an area of major unmet clinical need (full objectives and scope detailed through link above).

This call will fund partnerships between UK and Korean based researchers working in the area of multi-omics based precision medicine. It is important to note that:

• the proposal should be developed by a UK principal investigator (PI) and a Korean PI
• the UK and Korean PIs may only submit one application to this scheme as PI
• the Korean PI cannot be involved as co-investigator (Co-I) in other applications submitted to this call
• the Korean PI must commit at least 50% of their time to the research project
• the UK PI may be involved in other applications if listed as Co-I
• UK Co-Is may be involved in more than one application.

Online networking database

MRC, MSIT and NRF will create an online networking database to compile a list of UK and Korean researchers who are interested in finding possible collaborators for this call. Participation in the online networking database is optional.

If you would like to share your details with the research community in the UK and Korea, please complete the online networking template form in English. Researchers completing the form should be aware that these details will be made public.

A copy of the online networking database will be made available online on this page from Monday 11 March (UK time) and will be updated once per week until Monday 1 April (UK time) with all the networking information received before 9:00 GMT+1 on the date of the update.

Expression of interest

Researchers planning to submit to this scheme are asked to submit a short expression of interest (EoI) online form by 10 April 2019.

Please note, this step does not form part of the review process and the MRC will not undertake eligibility checks at this point; applicants should not await a response from the MRC following EoI submission, but continue with the development of the full proposal, deadline 24 April 2019.

The MRC will use the expression of interest to help prepare for the review process.

Applicants are not expected to submit an expression of interest to MSIT/NRF.

On the UK side, projects must start on 1 January 2020. Projects must be three years in duration and have completed by 31 December 2022.

On the Korean side, projects must start on 1 September 2019. The project will be divided into two stages:

first stage: 1 Sept 2019-1 Dec 2022

second stage: 1 Jan 2023-31 Dec 2024

after the completion of the first stage, the Korean team can move to the second stage subject to satisfactory assessment of the first stage outcomes. However, the proposal should clearly outline the entirety of the research plans across both stages.

Although the UK component of the consortium will not receive funding for the full duration of the project through this initiative, the expectation is that the proposal should clearly outline the entirety of the research plans for both stages, and clearly detail roles and responsibilities within the full project period.

Please ensure that you read the call text document and full details through the link above.

UKRI GCRF Health and Context call 2019 – outline

https://mrc.ukri.org/funding/browse/ukri-gcrf/ukri-gcrf-health-and-context-call-2019-outline/

Deadline: 2 April 2019

Summary

The UKRI GCRF Health and Context call is seeking proposals for interdisciplinary research addressing wider contextual factors contributing to the burden of infectious and non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

These factors may include social, cultural, historical, and religious beliefs and practices, or wider biological, ecological and environmental factors. We want to fund consortia conducting ambitious research that:

• goes beyond description to determine causal relationships between contextual influences and health
• develops or tests feasible interventions that are sensitive to or mitigate contextual influences on health.

Via the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF), UKRI will support impactful, three-year research projects of value between £1-2 million (at 80% FEC for UK costs, 100% FEC for overseas costs).

This call is being led jointly by the Medical Research Council, Economic & Social Research Council, Arts & Humanities Research Council, Natural Environment Research Council, and Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, and applications may fall within the remit of any of, or across, these councils.

Understanding the mechanistic links between nutrition and non-communicable diseases in low and middle-income countries

https://mrc.ukri.org/funding/browse/mrc-gcrf/mechanistic-nutrition-research-in-lmics/

Deadline: 4 April 2019

Summary

GCRF funding call: ‘Understanding the mechanistic links between nutrition and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in low and middle-income countries (LMICs)’ is part of the MRC’s suite of strategic activities in global nutrition and health research.

The overarching aim of the call is to develop new programmes of research and partnerships between UK and LMIC-based researchers.

The purpose of the research is to link mechanistic understanding of disease to populations in a context-specific manner (that is, a focus on problems and health challenges that are specific to LMIC countries or regions within, LMIC populations or segments of the population).

The specific remit is to unpick the mechanistic links between nutrition/diet and NCDs (see detailed Aims and remit).

To support the research community in developing new and innovative research plans – including coordinating interest, data, expertise and resources – towards building equitable partnerships for more substantial programmatic research.

The funding call will be phased in two stages: an obligatory development stage and a full application stage.

Successful applicants at the development stage will be awarded funds (£50,000 maximum MRC contribution for up to 10 months, see application process) to develop full applications for new programmes of research with a duration of three to five years (up to £2 million MRC contribution, this figure is subject to confirmation at the full application stage). Only proposals successful at the development stage will be eligible for the full application stage.

Please note that more established groups and partnerships that may already be well placed to apply for competitive funding should consider applying to research funding in response-mode through the MRC’s Population and Systems Medicine Board.

The research supported through this call will contribute to the UK’s commitment to Official Development Assistance (ODA) to LMICs. Applications must demonstrate the research to be primarily relevant to near-term or long-term benefits to the health or prosperity of people in LMICs.

Global Maternal and Neonatal Health 2019 – outlines

https://mrc.ukri.org/funding/browse/global-maternal-and-neonatal-health/global-maternal-and-neonatal-health-2019-outlines/

Deadline: 24 April 2019

Summary

The Global Maternal and Neonatal Health funding call is a joint initiative between the Medical Research Council (MRC; part of UK Research & Innovation, partly funded by the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF)), and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).

The purpose of the call is to address the burden of maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity in low and middle income countries (LMICs), by funding high-quality proposals across the spectrum of basic to applied research.

Awards will support multidisciplinary approaches, build and strengthen research partnerships, and promote capacity building in global maternal and neonatal health research.

Applications are particularly encouraged from principal investigators based at organisations in LMICs, as well as from eligible research organisations based in the UK working in equitable partnership with LMIC colleagues.

This is the first of three annual calls. Up to £10 million will be made available for this call to support research grants up to three years in duration and seed-funding grants up to one year’s duration.

For the first call we particularly encourage proposals focusing on the period of pregnancy and birth, although pre-conception and postpartum applications will be considered.

Please contact Gwen Averley and Darren Airey if you would like any assistance in applying for any of these funding calls.

Dear Colleagues,

Please see below for the latest research funding related information and event updates. In summary, these include:

Item 1: Opportunity to inform the future direction of research area strategies – EPSRC Call for Evidence

Item 2: Fellowship February Training Day  – Helping you to prepare for Fellowship success!

Item 3: Fellowship Seminar – Real Life Experiences (fellowships and fellowship panels)

Item 4: Creating a Research Data Management Plan (EPSRC, NERC and STFC) Training Sessions

Item 5: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Workshop

Item 6: REMINDER EPSRC Transformative Healthcare Technologies for 2050 (call pre-announcement and information day)

If you have any questions about the items below please contact a member of the Research Funding Development Team.

Item 1: Opportunity to inform the future direction of research area strategies – EPSRC Call for Evidence

What is the EPSRC Balancing Capability exercise?

Balancing Capability is a core strategy for the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), as an approach to setting strategic priorities aligned to UK strength and national importance, and to maintain and develop the UK’s world leading position in engineering and physical science research within a finite budget. In July 2018 it was announced that EPSRC would be delivering its Balancing Capability strategy through an ongoing process of portfolio monitoring and evidence collection, in order to enable a more dynamic and responsive approach to managing its portfolio and setting strategies.

Whilst this means there will not be a large scale refresh exercise in 2020/21, continuous engagement enables EPSRC to regularly review and evolve strategies in response to a rapidly changing landscape. This approach maximises opportunities to advance new and emerging research areas that arise from challenge-driven and discovery-led fields, and provides clear routes for EPSRC stakeholders to engage with the EPSRC on a regular basis.

What is the call for evidence?

Building on the strength of the previous call for evidence gathering exercise the EPSRC has released a continuously open Call for Evidence to which stakeholders can input evidence about the current research environment at any time. Evidence will be gathered from stakeholders including industry, academic communities, learned societies, other research organisations and funders to help EPSRC manage its portfolio. The evidence is used to develop and monitor evidence informed research area strategies. It will provide a complementary and transparent route to input to EPSRC evidence base and strategy development, while enabling EPSRC to continuously evolve its knowledge and understanding of the landscape.

What counts as evidence?

Evidence that can be supported by facts is very important. This may be:

• Evidence that has been published in the form of a report or publication;
• Evidence where points made cite references that have not been misrepresented;
• Evidence focused on potential future opportunities e.g. horizon scanning;
• When submitting evidence, it is important to explain what the evidence demonstrates, relative to the quality, national importance and capacity of a research area or areas;
• EPSRC is particularly interested in evidence with an international perspective;
• Evidence should be timely and relate to the research area within the context of the last 5 years.

What if there is a lack of evidence to support my submission?

• Please bear in mind that EPSRC do not consider personal opinion as evidence.
• However, if you are aware of a research area that is highly important and requires additional investment, but there is currently lack of evidence to support it, the relevant EPSRC Portfolio Managers will be happy to discuss this with you.

How can you submit to the call?

EPSRC needs the community to help by evidencing changes and needs within the landscape through reports, discussions and other resources. To submit evidence please complete the survey. The next cut-off for the collection of evidence will be 19th March 2019. Evidence submitted after this date will not be considered until November 2019. More information can be found on EPSRC’s website here. Guidance on submitting evidence can be found here.

If you would like some support with developing your submission into a convincing case, please contact a member of the Research Funding Development Team.

Item 2: Fellowship February Training Day  – Helping you to prepare for Fellowship success!

Fellowship February Training Day

Thursday 28th February 2019

10:30am – 4:30pm

Room 2.022, Urban Sciences Building (USB)

This hands-on training session will be delivered by the Research Funding Development Team. It will help you to consider the following questions:

• What is an early career fellowship?
• Who are early career fellowships for? Is it right for me?
• How do I write a good fellowship application?
• How do I prepare for fellowship success?

This session is open to early career academic staff and research associates in all Faculties at Newcastle University. Please complete the application form (click here for link to registration) by midday on Monday 25^th February 2019 if you would like to attend.

Item 3: Fellowship Seminar  –Real Life Experiences (fellowships and fellowship panels)

Fellowship Seminar

Friday 8^th March 2019

2pm – 3:30pm

G21/G22 (ground floor) Devonshire Building

Come along on Friday 8th of March to hear real life stories from our resident experts Prof. Steve Bull, Prof. Frank Sargent and Dr Katarina Novakovic on getting a fellowship, holding one, and for inside information on what really goes on in a panel! After the presentations there will be a chance to ask those questions you have always wondered the answer to.

Please note this event is open to all researchers across all Faculties on a first come first served basis. The talks will be relevant to all researchers’ regardless of the funding body you may wish to apply to.

If you would like to attend please sign up here.

Item 4: Creating a Research Data Management Plan (EPSRC, NERC and STFC) Training Sessions  

Workshop overview: Research funders are increasingly requiring evidence of adequate and appropriate provisions for data management and curation in new grant applications. This workshop will introduce how to create a data management plan (DMP) to communicate a project’s approach to managing research data to the funder and collaborators.  This is also beneficial for the project as it establishes the framework and resources to support researchers and the data, which translates to better time management and lower costs during project work.

At the end of the workshop participants will be able to:

• Understand the wider research data management landscape
• Appreciate research council’s DMP requirements
• Define what to include in a DMP
• Be able to develop a project specific DMP
• Understand what tools the university provide to support research data management (particularly the new research data repository https://research.ncl.ac.uk/rdm/afteraproject/rdr/)
• Know where to find research data management support

To attend, please sign up here: https://elements.ncl.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=876

Key details:

Time:  2- 3:00 PM

Date: Wednesday 13th March 2019

Location: G25, Devonshire

Two other sessions with a slightly different funder focus will also take place on Wed 20th March 10-11am (https://elements.ncl.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=873)  and Wed 6th March 1-2pm (https://elements.ncl.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=875).

If you have any questions please contact Chris Emmerson (rdm@ncl.ac.uk)

Item 5: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Workshop

Newcastle University will be hosting a workshop on ‘Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion’ organised by Dr Yana Wade, a former Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellow, and supported by the MSCA Alumini association. The event is open to all researchers.

Date and time: 26 March 2019, 13:00-17:00

Venue: Armstrong Building, Newcastle University

Registration (free of charge but registration is essential): here

Agenda: attached

Contact: Dr Yana Wade, wade.yana@gmail.com

Item 6: REMINDER EPSRC Transformative Healthcare Technologies for 2050 (call pre-announcement and information day)

EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council) will shortly be inviting outline proposals for Transformative Healthcare Technologies for 2050.

The Healthcare Technologies Theme aims to invest in research to support the next generation of underpinning science and emerging technologies. The focus of the call is Transformative Healthcare Technologies for 2050; technologies expected to have an impact within the next 30 years for the NHS, community or home care and an ageing workforce. EPSRC is looking to support visionary projects which could create a step change in how healthcare is delivered.

EPSRC particularly welcomes projects and collaborations which address underrepresented parts of EPSRC portfolio and the two Healthcare Technologies Grand Challenges: Transforming Community Health and Care and Frontiers of Physical Intervention. It is expected there may be research cross over with other Grand Challenges. EPSRC is looking for applications that do not just consider health treatment but also homecare, prevention and wellbeing with the overall goal of keeping people physically and mentally healthy. EPSRC encourages new ideas, thinking and collaborations, in areas currently underrepresented in EPSRC portfolio, to address what could be routine in the NHS in 30 years’ time.

EPSRC is keen to develop and help realise the potential of:

• Next-generation digital healthcare systems.
• Engineering healthier environments where people live and work.
• Future affordable and inclusive healthcare solutions.
• Technologies to improve healthcare treatment

More information about the opportunity can be found here.

IMPORTANT: The EPSRC will be holding an information day for this call on 27 March 2019 in Birmingham. The purpose of the information day will be to:

• Provide information on the scope of the call and the types of projects that EPSRC are looking for;
• Provide a chance to ask questions about the call;
• Provide a chance to network and form new collaborations.

To register your interest in attending the Information Day, please complete the form by 21 February 2019. There are limited spaces available to attend the event so EPSRC will be sifting applications to ensure a range of organisations and research areas are represented.