MRC/ESRC/CIHR Pre-call announcement: UK-Canada Diabetes Research Team Grants

https://mrc.ukri.org/funding/browse/uk-canada/uk-canada-diabetes-research-team-grants/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

Through the UK-Canada Diabetes Research Team Grants, the MRC, ESRC and CIHR aim to:

• support world-leading collaborative research teams aimed at tackling diabetes
• enhance existing partnerships and develop new partnerships between the UK and Canada in the area of diabetes research
• strengthen the strategic relationship between the UK and Canada.

The focus of the collaborative projects will be upon ‘mechanisms and translational solutions’. Projects should focus on one or more of the following key diabetes knowledge gaps:

• genetic variability
• molecular mechanisms, including immune-mediated beta cell injury
• human implementation pilot studies to reverse type 2 diabetes through physical activity and nutrition.

Applications that include researchers with expertise in the social sciences, in addition to biomedical researchers are welcome.
Social scientists can bring an understanding of, for example, individual behaviour, economic evaluation, inequalities, the wider political economy, and wider environmental influences.

This is meant to focus on research applicable to UK and Canadian settings, not on global health.

Each grant will require a UK PI and a Canadian Nominated Principal Applicant (NPA) who will equally share leadership and project management for each project funded.
The UK and Canadian applicants will develop a common research plan and jointly prepare the full proposal to be submitted to the MRC.
An abbreviated application will be submitted to CIHR by Canadian applicants.

Funds available:

UK:

• The MRC and ESRC will make up to £2 million available.
• UK-based applicants may request up to a maximum of £333,333 per proposal to cover the UK component of each research team grant.
• Projects must be three years in duration and must start on 1 April 2020.

CIHR:

• The total amount available from CIHR for the Canadian component of this funding opportunity is $2,700,000, enough to fund approximately six grants.
• The maximum amount per grant is $150,000 per year for up to three years for a total of $450,000 per grant.

Full programme details will be available in the coming weeks.

UK queries to international@mrc.ukri.org

17 June 2019, 5pm (Concept Notes)        3 September 2019, 5pm (invited full applications)

Wellcome Trust Open Research Fund

https://wellcome.ac.uk/funding/schemes/open-research-fund

Up to £50K is available for up to one year open to individuals or teams of up to six members from anywhere in the world to develop, pilot and evaluate innovative approaches that aim to make health research more open

you must propose to:

• trial new tools, resources or ways of working that enable research outputs to be discovered, accessed and re-used
• evaluate the impact, benefits and risks of your work.

Wellcome particularly welcomes proposals that do one or more of the following:

• incentivise researchers to practise open research, for example by developing new metrics to assess impact, or by improving how good practice is recognised, embedded and rewarded
• transform the way researchers publish, for example by developing open source tools that increase the use of pre-prints, or by testing new ways to support open peer review or to report null or negative findings
• improve how research outputs are made findable, accessible, interoperable, re-usable (FAIR) and reproducible, for example by pioneering approaches to enrich and standardise metadata or to assess the reproducibility of findings
• develop open platforms or tools, for example to combine or repurpose datasets and other research outputs from different locations and disciplines, to crowdsource ideas, or to mine vast quantities of research data and content.

Complete a three-page Concept Note form by 17 June

This is an annual call. In 2018 Wellcome received 96 applications and, as an experiment, 78 of those applications are available with brief summaries explaining why they were successful/unsuccessful – i.e. how well the application fitted the criteria of the call.

These are available here:

https://wellcome.ac.uk/funding/open-research-fund-applications-submitted

Anyone planning to make an application to this call would be well advised to study the feedback to these applications so as to decide whether your idea is in remit for the call and how best to address your case (e.g. feasibility, degree of innovation, planned dissemination, community buy-in and evaluation of impact).

The 8 awards are listed here:

https://wellcome.ac.uk/funding/people-and-projects/grants-awarded?scheme_id=3580

In June there will be three British Council calls for funds aimed at building research collaborations in Mexico, and developing impact for current or previous Newton holders.

There will be a British Council-led Workshop

Would you like to instigate or enhance research collaborations with Mexico?  Are you a current or previous Newton holder that could develop more impact?  Could you use some funds to help you do that?

If so, you’re invited to a British Council led workshop to explore three forthcoming funding calls. Specifically, the June calls will be:

NEWTON FUND-INSTITUTIONAL LINKS
a. IL-Transformative Innovation: to initiate collaborations between academic groups and institutions to support the exchange of research and innovation expertise and the translation of research knowledge into tangible benefits aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals focusing on promoting systemic change. 

1. IL-Technology Transfer: for the establishment of working groups to develop research, development and innovation projects, focusing on solutions for priority socio-economic challenges. This activity will support bi-national partnerships to integrate the proof of concept of a joint technology transfer project..  

NEWTON FUND IMPACT SCHEMES
This grant is designed to provide previous and current Newton award holders with the opportunity to unlock further impact from their work in a way that strengthens the impact of their projects. The intention is that selected proposals will add tangible value in communities both in Mexico and in the UK. 

The workshop will explore how best to position your research, and allow you to pitch your work to the fund managers.

Details: 22^nd May, 10.00 – 13.00, Old Library Building 10.00 – 13.00

You may wish to stay for all or part of the session.  A more detailed agenda and registration details will follow.

If you would like to briefly pitch your idea to the British Council, please email Victoria.bainbridge@ncl.ac.uk to express your interest.

Fellowships WIP03

Fourth call for research to improve adolescent health in low and middle income countries

https://mrc.ukri.org/funding/browse/adolescent-health/fourth-global-adolescent-health-call/

Call opens: 29/05/19

Deadline: 16/07/19

Budget: ~£4m

This call aims to fund world-class and cutting edge applied research that addresses the health needs of adolescent populations in low and middle income countries (LMICs).

Awards will build and strengthen research partnerships and promote capacity building in global adolescent health research.

Interdisciplinary proposals will be particularly encouraged that address the most pressing health needs of adolescents in LMICs.

There will be a two-stage application process, initially inviting researchers to submit outline proposals to be considered by a review panel.

Funding for this call forms part of the UK’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) commitment. Applications must demonstrate the research to be primarily relevant and directly linked to near-term benefits to the health and economic development of LMICs.

Those interested in developing ideas should contact Elisa Lawson to ensure that research projects meet ODA requirements and the needs of low and middle income countries (LMICs).

Full call details will be populated on the link above closer to the launch date (29/05/19).

2 October 2019, 4pm                     Call opens on 1 August 2019

• MRC/AstraZeneca Centre for Lead Discovery

https://mrc.ukri.org/funding/browse/mrc-az-cld1/mrc-astrazeneca-centre-for-lead-discovery/

The MRC/AstraZeneca Centre for Lead Discovery (CLD) aims to support academic researchers in discovering potential starting points for small molecule therapeutic approaches with a clear line-of-sight to therapeutic use.

Academic researchers will benefit from unprecedented access to over two million molecules in AstraZeneca’s compound library, as well as its state-of-the-art high throughput screening facilities.

Following completion of the HTS campaign, sufficient ‘hit’ data should be available to enable applicants to seek follow-on funding internally through confidence in concept or through the MRC’s Development Pathway Funding Scheme (DPFS).

The MRC will provide funding to support up to 5-10 projects per year. In the first instance, the competition will be run once a year, for an initial five year period. As capacity is limited, projects will be prioritised for funding and for timeslots within the facility.

In order to apply for funding, an assay suitable for high-throughput screening against the target of interest must be available (either through the investigators work or commercially) or at an advanced stage of development. Assays suitable for hit- confirmation, specificity and or key selectivity must have been developed or be in the process of development.

Note that, the less well developed the assay, and the more work that is required prior to transfer to the CLD, the less competitive the proposal will be.

All projects funded under this initiative will be collaborative studies between academic researchers and AZ. The investigators will work under a pre-agreed standard collaborative research agreement, jointly signed by the Research Organisation and AZ, based closely on the Lambert Agreement for preclinical studies.

The MRC would normally expect the host institute TTO to assist in the preparation of application and expects the TTO to play an active role in maintaining and exploiting intellectual property generated by successful applications, therefore please discuss any intended application with your Institute Business Development Manager.

Further details and documentation are available at the URL above.

2 October 2019, 4pm                     Call opens on 1 August 2019

• MRC/UCB Antibody Discovery Initiative (ADI)

https://mrc.ukri.org/funding/browse/mrc-ucb-adi1/mrc-ucb-antibody-discovery-initiative-adi/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

The MRC/UCB Antibody Discovery Initiative aims to support academic researchers seeking to develop antibody-based therapeutics.
It is intended to accelerate the transition from discovery research to translational development projects by enabling generation of novel antibodies suitable for testing in models of disease.

A clear line-of-sight to therapeutic use will be required to secure funding.

Following production of the antibodies, MRC will provide a limited amount of funding to support a (set of) proof-of-concept experiment(s) to enable the applicants to generate data that will enable them to seek follow-on funding through the MRC’s Development Pathway Funding Scheme (DPFS).

UCB has developed a novel platform capable of identifying rare functional antibodies within an immune repertoire, suitable for humanisation to obtain therapeutic antibodies or for the generation of surrogate anti-rodent antibodies. This platform is capable of efficiently sampling an immune repertoire through culturing B-cell pools, and characterising identified binders through carefully selected functional assays. Recombinant antibodies with the desired specificity can then be generated. UCB have automated several early stages of the process to expand the capacity, increase the speed and improve the consistency of the antibody discovery process.

The MRC will provide funding to support up to 3-5 projects per year with the competition running once per year, initially for a 5 year period. As capacity is limited, projects will be prioritised for funding and for timeslots within the facility.

Research proposals that are led by commercial entities are not eligible. Applications may not include collaborations with additional commercial parties.

All projects funded under this initiative will be collaborative studies between academic researchers and UCB. The investigators will work under a pre-agreed standard collaborative research agreement, jointly signed by the Research Organisation and UCB, based closely on the Lambert Agreement for preclinical studies.

The MRC would normally expect the host institute TTO to assist in the preparation of application and expects the TTO to play an active role in maintaining and exploiting intellectual property generated by successful applications, therefore please discuss any intended application with your Institute Business Development Manager.

You are encouraged to discuss your proposal with the MRC Programme Manager before submission:

Applications will be assessed by expert peer-review and prioritised for funding by the MRC, via a bespoke expert assessment Panel including members of MRC’s DPFS Panel, MRC’s Research Boards and external experts.

Further details and documentation are available at the URL above.

21 May 2019, 1pm (Stage 1)         17 September 2019, 1pm (Stage 2)

NIHR Policy Research Programme (NIHR PRP)

Health Inequalities Research Initiative: Call 2

https://www.nihr.ac.uk/funding-and-support/funding-opportunities/health-inequalities-research-initiative-call-2/10861

Budget: £250K to £750K per project for up to 36 months, they anticipate funding up to 10 projects.

These are to undertake health inequalities research to support policy makers in the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) in the following areas:

1. Assessing how to improve existing population wide policies that are aimed at improving health outcomes so they also reduce socio-economic health inequalities
2. Identifying which existing health system interventions specifically designed to reduce socio-economic health inequalities are effective and cost-effective
3. Assessing the effectiveness in reducing health inequalities of whole system approaches to improving the health of deprived communities
4. Identifying opportunities and risks presented by advancements in digital technology, and practical measures to ensure such technology does not exacerbate socio-economic health inequalities

N.B. The focus of this call is on existing interventions, and is not requesting research to develop new interventions to reduce health inequalities.

Please note that this is the last of two calls.

Capability to start promptly will be an advantage.

Further details available at the URL above.

We are pleased to announce the call for applications for our LifeArc AUTM Technology Transfer Training Fellowships. This fellowship is designed to provide promising Life Science postgraduates with the latest technology transfer training for a career as a technology transfer professional. The programme is led by LifeArc and the AUTM Foundation with partners, including ASTP Proton.  In addition to the outlined training programme, each fellow will be allocated a designated mentor, have access to career guidance and experts in the field and be assisted to gain practical experience in a technology transfer office.

The closing date for applications is midnight on the 7^th July. All details and the online application can be found at the links below.

Details of the programme:

https://www.lifearc.org/working-with-us/ip-management-and-protection/fellowships/

Application Form:

https://www.lifearc.org/working-with-us/ip-management-and-protection/fellowships-autm-application/

The next internal panel to consider applications to be submitted to the ESRC New Investigator Grant scheme will meet in June 2019.

New Investigator Grants form one element of ESRC’s support for early career researchers and the scheme is specifically aimed at supporting those looking to make the transition to an independent researcher through managing their first major research project. Full details can be found on ESRC’s website at: https://esrc.ukri.org/funding/funding-opportunities/new-investigator-grants/

The call is open to high-quality candidates from anywhere in the world who have a maximum of four years’ postdoctoral experience and the support of an eligible UK research organisation. Grants ranging from £100,000 to £300,000 full Economic Cost (fEC) can be awarded, with grants between 3 and 5 years.

The call is open to applicants both with and without a permanent academic post, but they must have strong support from a host UK institution. This includes a mentor, and provision of career development support which includes a programme of activities tailored to the needs of the applicant covering project management, methods development, KE activities and impact training, and international networking.

Proposals are welcomed across the full disciplinary range of the social sciences and at the interface with the wider sciences, however the social sciences must represent at least 50 per cent of the research focus and effort.

Following the previously agreed protocol (see the attached paper), all applications to be submitted to this scheme will go through an internal selection panel. Candidates are required to submit a 6 page case for support (following ESRC guidance), a 2 page pathways to impact, a 2 page CV and a 2 page mentor CV. Applications must have full support of the Research Director and Head of School to be put forward to the internal panel.

All documents for the panel should be submitted to Wendy Davison (wendy.davison@ncl.ac.uk). The deadline for submission of documents for the internal panel is 12pm (noon) on Monday 10^th June 2019. Applications submitted after this deadline will be required to submit to the following panel.

Attached is the current most up to date guidance

Newcastle University – ESRC New Investigator Grants

ESRC NIG – FAQs

ESRC NIG – Jes guidance

ESRC NIG – Call specification