BBSRC: Partner with researchers in Canada on antimicrobial resistance

09/06/2022

06/09/2022

The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council invites applications for its partner with researchers in Canada on antimicrobial resistance call. This supports collaborative research involving investigators in Canada and the UK on a project relating to combating antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The project must be primarily relevant to combating AMR in both the UK and Canada. The total budget is £1.5 million. Grants are worth up to £150,000 each to cover up to 80 per cent of the total eligible project costs. Projects may last between 18 months and two years.

Proposals in both fundamental and applied bioscience are eligible, and cross-disciplinary proposals that have the potential to enhance impact arising from the research are particularly encouraged. Proposals should involve at least one or more of the targeted microbial reservoirs, namely farmed animals, companion animals, crops, and managed agricultural environments. Priority research areas include the following: •magnitude and trends in the AMR burden in farm animals, crops and their associated environments; •identification of drivers for antimicrobial usage (AMU); •antimicrobial and AMR transmission between animal, plant, human and environmental reservoirs; •impact of transmission on human health, and risk analysis of acceptable AMU and AMR transmission levels in livestock agriculture and its environment; •impact of AMR on food security; •comparative research in the priority topics between the UK and Canada.

The UK PI must be based at a UK institution eligible for UKRI funding, such as a UK HEI, research council institute, UKRI-approved independent research organisation or a UKRI-approved public sector research establishment. The PI and co-investigator must be resident in the UK at the time of the application, or alternatively be moving to the UK to take up an already agreed contract at an eligible organisation and remain in the UK for the duration of the proposed project. They must also be employed by the eligible research organisation submitting the proposal and hold a research staff appointment at the organisation at academic lecturer level or equivalent, resourced from the central funds of the organisation. The UK applicant must partner with a researcher at a research organisation in Canada. Applicants may also partner with business and industry, practitioners and policymakers.