BBSRC new investigator award: applicant-led mode (open no close date)
Apply for funding to support excellent new investigator-led research across the breadth of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) scientific remit. You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for BBSRC funding. This scheme is designed to assist newly employed university lecturers, researchers (at a level equivalent to lecturer) in research council institutes, and fellows (at a level equivalent to lecturer) to secure their first major element of research support funding. The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £2 million. Funding is available for up to five years. BBSRC will fund 80% of the FEC.
Scope
Funding is available for:
- research projects, including data intensive and technology development projects
- equipment or use of existing facilities
- community resources, new facilities, or infrastructure
- research networks and coordination
- summer schools
You can apply to undertake biotechnology or biological research in:
- plants
- microbes
- animals and humans
- tools and technology underpinning biological research
Investigations within and across scales are supported, from molecules and cells, to tissues, whole organisms, populations and landscapes.
We welcome multidisciplinary proposals that cross into other research council areas but expect the primary focus of your work to fall within BBSRC’s remit.
We work with other research councils to ensure that applications close to remit boundaries are assessed by the most appropriate lead council. Please contact remit@bbsrc.ukri.org with any queries about the suitability of your application before applying.
Published 1 May 2026