BBSRC New Investigator Award: Applicant-Led Mode
UK Research and Innovation’s BBSRC New Investigator Award funds early-career researchers to lead innovative, independent bioscience research across the full BBSRC remit.
Funder: UK Research and Innovation
Due Dates: Rolling (no closing date)
Funding Amounts: Up to £2 million FEC per project (BBSRC funds 80% FEC, max £1.6M); project duration up to 5 years.
Summary: Supports early-career researchers in the biosciences to establish independent, investigator-led research within the BBSRC remit.
Key Information: Applications are accepted continuously; only one application as project lead at a time.
Description
This opportunity, offered by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) under UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), is designed to help early-career researchers—such as newly appointed university lecturers, research council institute researchers, and fellows at lecturer-equivalent level—secure their first major research funding. The scheme funds investigator-led research projects across the full BBSRC remit, including work in plants, microbes, animals, humans, and underpinning biological technologies. Multidisciplinary and curiosity-driven research is encouraged, and proposals may include data-intensive studies, technology development, infrastructure, community resources, or research networks. The award aims to foster the next generation of bioscience leaders by providing resources and support for innovative, high-quality projects.
