BBSRC is requesting Expressions of Interest to join either their Pool of Experts or their Follow-on Fund Committee.

They are requesting people from specific research areas which are described below.

Please distribute this email to those who might find this of interest

Current membership of BBSRC Committees can be found here: https://bbsrc.ukri.org/about/governance-structure/committees/

The closing date to submit Expressions of Interest is by 4pm on Tuesday 23 July.

With many thanks

Gwen

23 July 2019, 4pm (Expression of Interest)

BBSRC call for Expressions of Interest to join the Pool of Experts or the Follow-on Fund Committee

https://bbsrc.ukri.org/about/governance-structure/committees/committee-pool-membership/join-our-pool-of-experts-follow-on-fund-committee/#agriculturalsystems

One may apply for one position only, i.e. the Pool of Experts or the Follow-on Fund

Academic applicants:

• Evidence of a research portfolio and competitively obtained grant funding. Typically, successful applicants will have been awarded at least one grant in the last five years. This can include the award of a fellowship.

Non-academic applicants, including Business, Technology Transfer Office (TTO) and Policy professionals:

• Evidence of experience in research, development or innovation with technical knowledge deployed in a business, commercial or policy environment
• Evidence to demonstrate an understanding of the academic innovation and business landscape (for example through interaction with Universities or Institutes, participation in innovation networks or commercialisation accelerators).

POOL OF EXPERTS (appointments will be for up to three years)

BBSRC seeks to appoint new members with expertise in the following specific areas:

Agricultural systems research

We are looking for applications from individuals with expertise in integrating at the farm level understanding of the interactions between different components of agricultural systems and with the wider landscape, linking crops/farmed animals with their environments and management.

We recognise the highly multidisciplinary nature of this area, and we welcome applications from researchers that additionally have experience of work involving disciplines outside of the biological sciences such as the natural environment and social science.

Biological basis of human behaviour

We are looking for applications from individuals with expertise in areas relevant to understanding the biological basis/mechanisms of human behaviour, for example:

• emotion, attention, cognition, decision making, mood, sleep disruption, stress, mental health
• modulation by factors such as developmental processes, early life adversity, nutrition, physical activity, ageing, sleep/stress, social experiences and environment
• Human cellular neuroscience and in particular, techniques such as optogenetics, fMRI, EEG and non-invasive stimulation
• Gut-brain-axis including the microbiome, appetite, satiety, food choice
• Qualitative analysis of human behaviour, including the use of behaviour surveys.

Drosophila as a model organism

We are looking for applications from individuals with expertise in the use of Drosophila as a model organism in molecular, genetic, systems, anatomical, developmental, nutrition, microbiome and/or ageing research.

Epigenetics

We are looking for applications from individuals with expertise in the field of epigenetics, with particular focus on these areas:

• DNA methylation and demethylation
• Non-coding RNA
• Epigenetics across the life course and how epigenetic mechanisms/profiles can be modified by factors such as developmental (e.g. maternal influences), nutrition, physical activity and stress
• we particularly welcome applications from researchers that have experience of working across model organisms, animals, humans and plants.

Evolutionary biology

We are looking for applications from individuals with expertise in evolutionary biology, with particular focus on these areas:

• Molecular and genetic evolutionary biology including computational science
• Evolutionary developmental biology
• Evolutionary drivers e.g. of alternative splicing.

Farmed animal nutrition

We are looking for applications from individuals with expertise in farmed animal nutrition. We would particularly welcome those who have additional broader expertise in areas such as the gut microbiome, links with food safety and antimicrobial resistance, farmed animal management, production, health and welfare.

Industrial biotechnology

We are looking for applications from individuals with expertise in the following areas to complement the existing committee expertise:

• Enzymology, particularly that underpinning reactions of potential economic importance in the manufacture of fine chemicals and transforming other catalytic processes
• Metabolism in bacteria, fungi, algae, particularly pathways in secondary metabolism leading to products with novel applications
• Synthesis of natural products (including proteins) and their movement between different cellular compartments, including secretion
• Biotechnological uses of fundamental biological processes with a sense of scale, working from laboratory scale to manufacturing in the bioeconomy.

We welcome applications from those with experience outside the biological sciences, particularly in chemistry and process engineering.

Plant science

We are looking for applications from individuals with interdisciplinary expertise within a fundamental plant sciences research context, in the areas of:

• Photobiology, to include photosynthesis, photomorphogenesis and photosystems
• Plant developmental biology, especially hormones, peptides and cell/long distance communication
• Computational plant biology, modelling & bioinformatics, including multiscale modelling, the study of biochemical, cellular or physiological processes at systems-level in plants and the use of integrative approaches that harness multiple data types.

Proteomics

We are looking for applications from individuals with expertise in proteomics, protein structure and function, particularly with a focus on applications in the biological sciences. In particular we are looking for expertise in:

• Protein-protein interactions
• Protein-lipid interactions
• Protein expression and post-translational modifications
• Protein signalling pathways
• Protein structure-function
• Proteomics techniques (Mass spectrometry-based techniques, differential in-gel electrophoresis).

FOLLOW-ON FUND (FoF) COMMITTEE (appointments will be for up to three years)

BBSRC seeks to appoint six new members with experience of supporting and enabling innovation from business and academia.

They seek applicants with experience in the following areas:

• Animal health
• Synthetic biology
• Industrial biotechnology and bioenergy
• Cell and molecular biology
• Biochemistry
• Crop and plant science

TO APPLY:

Comnplete the registration form

https://app.keysurvey.co.uk/f/1404526/4444/

Complete the Expression of Interest form

https://app.keysurvey.co.uk/f/1404527/3f2f/

The survey contains the following sections:

1. Personal information (for example name, organisation, contact details)
2. Diversity information, including information about career breaks and flexible working
3. Your primary expertise areas: You should indicate up to three research and innovation areas where you offer sufficient expertise to be able to provide credible assessment.
4. Free text sections:

• Personal statement: You should describe why you are interested in the role and what you will bring to it (maximum 200 words)
• Expertise and experience: You should describe the expertise and experience that you can you offer and provide the evidence to demonstrate this.

For full details please read the full guidance at

https://bbsrc.ukri.org/about/governance-structure/committees/committee-pool-membership/join-our-pool-of-experts-follow-on-fund-committee/#agriculturalsystems

25 July 2019, noon (Outline proposals)          27 September 2019, noon (invited full applications)     November 2019 (Interviews)

The Health Foundation Social and Economic Value of Health (SEVH) in a Place Research Programme

https://www.health.org.uk/funding-and-partnerships/programmes/the-social-and-economic-value-of-health?dm_i=4Y2%2C6BIZ3%2C3EXVMF%2COYSRS%2C1

Call opens 13 June 2019

An information call will be held on Tuesday 25 June 2019, from 14:00-15:00pm, please register your interest and joining instructions will be sent to you in advance of the call

Outline proposals closing date is noon on Thursday 25 July 2019

£1.5M is available to fund five projects of between £200,00 and £300,000 for a maximum duration of two years for research that will generate new knowledge on the ways in which the physical and mental health of a population shapes their social and economic outcomes

The basis of this call is the first stage identified in the scoping work: to establish relevant concepts, definitions and metrics.

We are specifically interested in concepts and metrics relating to two priority areas:

• understanding the relationship between a given population’s health and the health of individuals within that population
• establishing the definitions and metrics needed to examine the relationship between the health of a population in a place and the social and economic outcomes of that place.

The full call guidance is here: https://www.health.org.uk/sites/default/files/2019-06/SEVHiaP%20Notes%20for%20applicants%20.pdf

FAQs are here: https://www.health.org.uk/sites/default/files/2019-06/SEVHiaP%20FAQs.pdf

Wednesday 12 August 2019 (first of several submission dates in the next 12 months)

BBSRC Bioscience Big Ideas Pipeline

https://bbsrc.ukri.org/news/policy/2019/190611-n-bioscience-big-ideas-pipeline/

BBSRC invites you to participate in a ‘visioning exercise’ to help identify the next generation of potential research and innovation priorities.

It is not a call for proposals, rather it is seeking exciting ideas to inform their future research and innovation strategy which could, in turn, attract investment or lead to support for community activities.

A ‘big idea’ is expected to be distinctive and compelling and have the potential to create transformational change. These will be on a much larger scale than a single research grant.

To submit an idea please complete the form at the link above.

BBSRC is encouraging collaborative submissions from groups and networks, in addition to individual submissions so they recommend that you discuss your idea with a group of interested parties/stakeholders.

BBSRC may put you in contact with others who have submitted similar ideas in order to develop the idea(s) further, but will seek your permission to do so first.

This programme will run for approximately 12 months and they will consider submissions in several batches.

They have set a date of Wednesday 14 August 2019 as the cut off date for the first wave of submissions.

At the end of the year they will publish a summary of the big ideas.

Examples of the nature of the ideas that BBSRC would like to receive include (but are not limited to):

• A distinctive and well defined challenge requiring new impetus to tackle
• Discovery research areas that represent a potential step-change in knowledge but cannot be tackled through conventional approaches
• An idea that would be enabling (if successful) and would generate further breakthroughs and outputs in multiple other areas of science
• Building research community capability in emerging technologies, research areas, and disciplinary interfaces
• Ideas that require multi-disciplinary approaches or new ways of collaborative working to be delivered

Multidisciplinary ideas are encouraged but the ideas should demonstrate clear relevance to the advancement of bioscience research or its application

12 September 2019         19 August 2019 (Compulsory intention to submit)           Webinar in July

Pre-call announcement: Canada-UK Artificial Intelligence Initiative

https://mrc.ukri.org/funding/browse/canada-uk/artificial-intelligence-initiative/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

The Canadian agencies include the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR); the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC); and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).
The four councils involved in this UKRI initiative include the AHRC; ESRC; EPSRC; and, the MRC.
The ESRC is coordinating this initiative.

This is a unique collaboration which will require each project to include a principal investigator (PI) based in Canada and a PI based in the UK who will share equally leadership and project management responsibilities.
The Canadian and UK applicants will develop a common research plan and jointly prepare the full proposal.
Proposals will be required to demonstrate a significant degree of, or novel approach to, interdisciplinarity with research that cuts across at least two of the following research domains:

• social sciences and humanities
• health and biomedical sciences
• natural sciences and engineering (including computational and/or mathematical sciences).

In addition to promoting interdisciplinary AI, this call will support the development of responsible AI while establishing new partnerships and enhancing infrastructure and training between researchers in Canada and the UK.
The outputs and outcomes of the research should allow for uptake by relevant stakeholders where possible.

The total amount available for this funding opportunity is approximately CAN $14M (£8 million), enough to fund approximately 10 projects.

• Canadian funding agencies: The maximum amount available for Canadian researchers is CAN $173,333 (£102,000) per year for up to three years, for a total of CAN $520,000 (£305,000) per project.
• UKRI: The maximum amount available for UK researchers is a total of £625,000 (C$1.1 million) per project at 100% full economic cost (fEC).

Note: Canadian applicants are only eligible to receive funding from the Canadian agencies and UK applicants are only eligible to receive funding from UKRI.

Full initiative details will be available in the coming weeks.
UK and Canada contacts for questions given on the website

28 August 2019, 1pm

NIHR / MRC Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation (EME)

• 19/61 Mitigation of the adverse effects of health and social care interventions

https://www.nihr.ac.uk/funding-and-support/funding-opportunities/1961-mitigation-of-the-adverse-effects-of-health-and-social-care-interventions/11566

Applications are sought for research to evaluate interventions for the avoidance, management or amelioration of adverse effects experienced in the implementation of established health and social care interventions. Adverse effects associated with all types of intervention within the NHS and social care services, including adverse drug reactions, adverse surgical events and adverse effects of medical testing procedures are included within the remit of this call.

Areas of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Novel interventions to reduce adverse effects (e.g. to stop misprescribing)
• Novel interventions to identify patients at increased risk of adverse effects
• Studies to stratify patients to an established treatment that has very severe adverse effects
• Development of health technologies which promise an improved safety profile.
• Additive interventions which may improve the safety profile of existing technologies
• Pharmacogenomic strategies to mitigate the risks of exaggerated or diminished drug responses.

• 19/62 Epigenetics

https://www.nihr.ac.uk/funding-and-support/funding-opportunities/1962-epigenetics/11667

Applications are sought for research to evaluate the use of epigenetic biomarkers for the detection, diagnosis, or establishing the prognosis of a disease or condition.

Areas of interest include, but are not limited to:

• evaluations of therapies and management strategies guided by assessment of epigenetic markers for the treatment of disease
• the use of epigenetic markers as a screening tool in a selected or general population

Clinical validation of existing biomarkers (i.e. studies of biomarkers that have already undergone initial validation and shown signal strength and specificity) is within the scope of this call but early validation and the discovery of novel biomarkers is excluded.

Applicants may wish to consider the role of epigenetic biomarkers within the context of a P4 (predictive, preventative, personalized and participatory) systems medicine approachi.

Applications for phase 2b studies of modest size and cost are encouraged.

Applicants are encouraged to consider opportunities to embed the testing of mechanistic hypotheses within the main study. Also of interest are standalone studies of the mechanisms underpinning interventions (investigational or control) used in existing CSO- and NIHR-funded trials, although applications in this area should refer to the EME Mechanisms of Action of Healthcare Interventions call.

Applications are expected to set out programmes of work which may contain distinct stages. It is expected that the initial stages of the study will, if successful, lead onto a full evaluative clinical study or trial, which is in the remit of the EME Programme. This study must also be included and clearly specified within the application. Clinical trials embedded within the programme of work must be large enough to detect a meaningful effect.

Webinars to support applications to the following funding opportunities:

• 19/21 Mechanisms of Action of Health Interventions
• 19/22 EME Tobacco Cessation, Control and Harm Reduction Interventions
• 19/23 Cannabis-based products for medicinal use
• 19/24 EME Researcher Led (including Brain Tumour highlight notice)
• 19/61 Mitigation of the adverse effects of health and social care interventions
• 19/62 Epigenetics

• Monday 3 June 2019: Time 10:00 am –11:00 am
• Monday 10 June 2019: Time 2:00 pm –3:00 pm

To register your interest in attending, please complete the webinar sign-up form:

https://www.nihr.ac.uk/funding-and-support/funding-for-research-studies/funding-programmes/efficacy-and-mechanism-evaluation/eme-webinar-signup.htm