BBSRC: Discovery fellowship

17/02/2022

05/05/2022

The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council invites applications for its discovery fellowship. This enables researchers to gain leadership skills by undertaking independent research in any area of science within the council’s remit, which includes research on plants, microbes, animals, and tools and technology underpinning biological research. Up to 15 fellowships, each worth up to £500,000 at 80 per cent of full economic cost over three years, are available. Awards include personal salary as well as support for travel and subsistence, training activities and research consumables. The host institution must agree to fund the remaining project costs and should also provide support in terms of access to facilities, equipment, and training.

Projects that fit the following strategic priorities are particularly encouraged: •animal health; •bioenergy: generating new replacement fuels for a greener, sustainable future; •combatting antimicrobial resistance; •data driven biology; •food, nutrition and health; •healthy ageing across the lifecourse; •integrative microbiome research; •new strategic approaches to industrial biotechnology; •reducing waste in the food chain; •the replacement, refinement and reduction in research using animals; •sustainably enhancing agricultural production; •synthetic biology; •systems approaches to the biosciences; •technology development for the biosciences; •welfare of managed animals.

Applicants should have a PhD, or be expecting to have passed their viva prior to 30 November 2022. Overseas researchers may apply but the host institution must be a UK-based university or BBSRC-sponsored institute. Applicants should not hold, or have held, an academic position of lecturer level or equivalent or an equivalent competitive fellowship that provides the opportunity to establish an independent research group.