BBSRC: Japan-UK engineering biology for discovery research and cross-cutting technologies

15/02/2024

16/04/2024

Apply for grant funding to support research projects focused on the fundamentals of engineering biology and cross-cutting technologies. Based on the implementation principles of the ASPIRE program in Japan and the ISPF in the UK, this partnership program aims to support internationally competitive collaborative research projects between Japan and the UK focusing on the fundamentals of engineering biology and cross-cutting technologies, creating leading international researcher networks, and nurturing early career researchers to drive tomorrow’s engineering biology. Amount note Applicants may request up to: £1 million (80% full economic cost (FEC)) for the UK project component with duration up to three years ¥234 million (including 30% overhead expenses) for the Japanese project component with duration up to three years, which can be extended up to five, subject to travelling and other researcher exchanges.

Synthetic Biology. The following are specific examples of inclusions (illustrative not exhaustive): orthogonal biosystems: we encourage proposals in engineering cells and organisms to include systems or parts not found in nature to impart new capacities or chemistry regulatory circuits: proposals for designing and inserting well-characterised circuits or networks, to generate new functions or responses in cells and organisms, are encouraged protocells: we also encourage proposals in bottom-up chemical design approaches to produce synthetic or semi-synthetic cells and compartments metabolic engineering: proposals involving using complex modifications informed by predictive models of biosynthetic pathways to allow or enhance production of useful products are also encouraged minimal genomes: we encourage proposals involving the understanding of the minimal number of parts (genes) needed for life, to serve as a chassis for engineering minimal cell factories for new functions bio nanoscience: proposals for projects that utilise and exploit synthetic molecular nano machines based on cellular systems are also encouraged.

Career stages Early Career and Emerging in Field; Mid-Career to Established in Field Eligibility Note For support under this funding opportunity, applicants and organisations must be eligible to apply for funding from their respective country’s funding agency. For UK applicants, you must be based at a UK-based research organisation eligible for BBSRC funding.