BBSRC Brazil pump-priming award (FAPPA) (Grant)

To lead a project, you must be based at an eligible organisation. Check if your organisation is eligible.

Who is eligible to apply

You can apply for support if you are:

• a holder of a current Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) research grant

• a researcher in a BBSRC strategically supported institute working on projects supported through the Institute Core Grant Awards (for example, Institute Strategic Programme Grants, Core Capability Grants, National Bioscience Research Infrastructures)

• applicants must meet standard BBSRC eligibility rules

The application must be made by a project lead, but the project lead does not have to be the one travelling. Any questions relating to the eligibility of UK applicants should be directed to the BBSRC international mailbox: bbsrc.iru@bbsrc.ukri.org

You can only apply after your BBSRC grant has started, and there must be at least six months remaining on your project from the start of the FAPPA Award.

Applications must indicate the benefit of the collaboration to:

• the UK applicant’s BBSRC funding and UK science generally

• the São Paulo based collaborators’ State of São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) funding and Brazilian science generally

Who is not eligible to apply

Students are not eligible to apply

International applicants

These awards are funded jointly with the project lead in São Paulo. The Brazilian applicant must be currently in receipt of a FAPESP research grant as a project lead or project co-lead. Brazilian counterparts should contact chamada-bbsrc-fappa@fapesp.br directly for current eligibility advice.

On behalf of both sides of the collaboration, the UK applicants must submit a single joint application to BBSRC, which will have a budget request to BBSRC for the UK partners and a budget request to FAPESP for the São Paulo based researchers. BBSRC will contact FAPESP, and a joint decision will be made on funding.

Sao Paulo researchers also need to submit the same proposal to FAPESP via the SAGe system alongside all other requested documents.

FAPESP’s guidelines for São Paulo-based researchers can be found at FAPESP-BBSRC Pump-Priming Award (FAPPA).

Equality, diversity and inclusion

We are committed to achieving equality of opportunity for all funding applicants. We encourage applications from a diverse range of researchers.

We support people to work in a way that suits their personal circumstances. This includes:

• career breaks

• support for people with caring responsibilities

• flexible working

• alternative working patterns

UKRI can offer disability and accessibility support for UKRI applicants and grant holders during the application and assessment process.

Scope

This award is for Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)-funded research groups to pump-prime interactions with State of São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) scientists in Brazil.

Duration

The duration of this award is a maximum of two years.

You should apply at least 12 weeks before the start of your project.

Funding available

Funding of up to £35,000 is available.

FEC at 80% is applied to any direct research component of these awards, and travel, subsistence and other collaborative activities are funded at 100% FEC. Please include a breakdown of these requested costs that are to be made at 100% FEC under ‘exceptions’, in the justification of resources on the UKRI Funding Service. Brazilian counterparts should apply for equivalent funding directly from FAPESP.

For all costs, applicants should ask for the full value of the activities that they wish to undertake and the BBSRC allocation will be calculated automatically.

What we will fund

Funding of up to £35,000 is available for travel and subsistence and other collaborative activities, such as workshops or exchanges.

Funding may be used to support a modest level of direct research costs, including consumables and access to specialist equipment to support research to gather preliminary data to support new applications under the UKRI/ FAPESP Agreement. These direct research costs may not account for more than 50% of the total value requested from BBSRC.

What we will not fund

Funding cannot be used for:

• salary costs

• overheads

• equipment costs

Support available for people with caring responsibilities

BBSRC applicants are allowed to request additional care costs as part of a FAPPA proposal. These may cover the additional care requirements for visits, meetings and overseas travel undertaken as part of the supported activity. Costs which form part of someone’s normal care arrangements must not be included and making arrangements for the care to be provided is the responsibility of the carer themselves. Costs should be reasonable and outlined in the directly incurred costs section of the application. Funds for supporting people with caring responsibilities should form part of the overall budget envelope.

Supporting skills and talent

We encourage you to follow the principles of the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers and the Technician Commitment.

Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I)

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is committed in ensuring that effective international collaboration in research and innovation takes place with integrity and within strong ethical frameworks. Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I) is a UKRI work programme designed to help protect all those working in our thriving and collaborative international sector by enabling partnerships to be as open as possible, and as secure as necessary. Our TR&I Principles set out UKRI’s expectations of organisations funded by UKRI in relation to due diligence for international collaboration.

As such, applicants for UKRI funding may be asked to demonstrate how their proposed projects will comply with our approach and expectation towards TR&I, identifying potential risks and the relevant controls you will put in place to help proportionately reduce these risks.

See further guidance and information about TR&I, including where applicants can find additional support.

Assessment process

We will assess your application using the following process.

Expert review

We will invite experts from within Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) to review your application, against the specified criteria for this funding opportunity. BBSRC will then contact FAPESP and a joint decision on the funding outcome will be made.

Timescale

You can only apply after your BBSRC grant has started, and there must be at least six months remaining on your project from the start of the international travel award.

You must apply at least twelve weeks before you travel. A decision will be communicated to you following internal review by BBSRC and FAPESP.

Principles of assessment

We support the San Francisco declaration on research assessment and recognise the relationship between research assessment and research integrity.

Find out about the UKRI principles of assessment and decision making.

Using generative artificial intelligence (AI) in expert review

Reviewers and panellists are not permitted to use generative AI tools to develop their assessment. Using these tools can potentially compromise the confidentiality of the ideas that applicants have entrusted to UKRI to safeguard.

For more detail see our policy on the use of generative AI.

Sharing data with co-funders

We will need to share the application (including any personal information that it contains) with FAPESP so that they can participate in the assessment process.

We reserve the right to modify the assessment process as needed.

Assessment areas

The assessment areas we will use are:

• the purpose

• resources and cost justification

• ethics and responsible research and innovation

• your organisation’s support

• project partners: letters of support

• FAPESP SAGe online form

Find details of assessment questions and criteria under the ‘Application questions’ heading in the ‘How to apply’ section.

Click here to start application on the UKRI Funding Service: Are you leading the project? - UKRI Funding Service

We are running this funding opportunity on the new UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service so please ensure that your organisation is registered. You cannot apply on the Joint Electronic Submissions (Je-S) system.

The project lead is responsible for completing the application process on the Funding Service, but we expect all team members and project partners to contribute to the application.

Only the lead research organisation can submit an application to UKRI.

To apply

Select ‘Start application’ near the beginning of this Funding finder page.

1. Confirm you are the project lead.

2. Sign in or create a Funding Service account. To create an account, select your organisation, verify your email address, and set a password. If your organisation is not listed, email support@funding-service.ukri.orgPlease allow at least 10 working days for your organisation to be added to the Funding Service. We strongly suggest that if you are asking UKRI to add your organisation to the Funding Service to enable you to apply to this funding opportunity, you also create an organisation Administration Account. This will be needed to allow the acceptance and management of any grant that might be offered to you.

3. Answer questions directly in the text boxes. You can save your answers and come back to complete them or work offline and return to copy and paste your answers. If we need you to upload a document, follow the upload instructions in the Funding Service. All questions and assessment criteria are listed in the How to apply section on this Funding finder page.

4. Allow enough time to check your application in ‘read-only’ view before sending to your research office.

5. Send the completed application to your research office for checking. They will return it to you if it needs editing.

6. Your research office will submit the completed and checked application to UKRI.

Where indicated, you can also demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant.

When including images, you must:

• provide a descriptive caption or legend for each image immediately underneath it in the text box (this must be outside the image and counts towards your word limit)

• insert each new image on a new line

• use files smaller than 5MB and in JPEG, JPG, JPE, JFI, JIF, JFIF, PNG, GIF, BMP or WEBP format

Images should only be used to convey important visual information that cannot easily be put into words. The following are not permitted, and your application may be rejected if you include:

• sentences or paragraphs of text

• tables

• excessive quantities of images

A few words are permitted where the image would lack clarity without the contextual words, such as a diagram, where text labels are required for an axis or graph column.

For more guidance on the Funding Service, see:

• how applicants use the Funding Service

• how research offices use the Funding Service

• how reviewers use the Funding Service

References

References should be included within the word count of the appropriate question section. You should use your discretion when including references and prioritise those most pertinent to the application.

Hyperlinks can be used in reference information. When including references, you should consider how your references will be viewed and used by the assessors, ensuring that:

• references are easily identifiable by the assessors

• references are formatted as appropriate to your research

• persistent identifiers are used where possible

General use of hyperlinks

Applications should be self-contained. You should only use hyperlinks to link directly to reference information. You must not include links to web resources to extend your application. Assessors are not required to access links to conduct assessment or recommend a funding decision.

Deadline

You must submit your application at least 12 weeks before you intend to travel. Due to systems requirements a closing date will appear on the Funding Service approximately a year from when this opportunity opened.

Make sure you are aware of and follow any internal institutional deadlines.

Following the submission of your application to the funding opportunity, your application cannot be changed, and applications will not be returned for amendment. If your application does not follow the guidance, it may be rejected.

Personal data

Processing personal data

Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), as part of UKRI, will need to collect some personal information to manage your Funding Service account and the registration of your funding applications.

We will handle personal data in line with UK data protection legislation and manage it securely. For more information, including how to exercise your rights, read our privacy notice.

BBSRC, as part of UKRI, will need to share the application and any personal information that it contains with FAPESP so that they can participate in the assessment process. More information on how FAPESP uses personal information.

Sensitive information

If you or a core team member need to tell us something you wish to remain confidential, email bbsrc.iru@bbsrc.ukri.org

Include in the subject line: [the funding opportunity title; sensitive information; your Funding Service application number].

Typical examples of confidential information include:

• individual is unavailable until a certain date (for example due to parental leave)

• declaration of interest

• additional information about eligibility to apply that would not be appropriately shared in the ‘Applicant and team capability’ section

• conflict of interest for UKRI to consider in reviewer or panel participant selection

• the application is an invited resubmission

For information about how UKRI handles personal data, read UKRI’s privacy notice.

Publication of outcomes

If your application is successful, we will publish some personal information on the UKRI Gateway to Research.

Summary

Word limit: 550

In plain English, provide a summary we can use to identify the most suitable experts to assess your application.

We usually make this summary publicly available on external-facing websites, therefore do not include any confidential or sensitive information. Make it suitable for a variety of readers, for example:

• opinion-formers

• policymakers

• the public

• the wider research community

Guidance for writing a summary

Clearly describe your proposed work in terms of:

• context

• the challenge the project addresses

• aims and objectives

• potential applications and benefits

Core team

List the key members of your team and assign them roles from the following:

• project lead (PL)

• project co-lead (UK) (PcL)

• specialist

• technician

• researcher co-lead (RcL)

Only list one individual as project lead.

The project lead should be the named individual on an existing BBSRC research grant. This individual does not need to be the one travelling.

UKRI has introduced a new addition to the ‘Specialist’ role type. Public contributors such as people with lived experience can now be added to an application.

Find out more about UKRI’s core team roles in funding applications.

Please note only UK-based applicants should be added to this section. Brazilian applicants should be listed and assigned roles in the next section ‘Brazil team’.

Brazil team

Please provide the following details of the Brazilian applicants:

• name

• institute

• job title

• role in project, for example, project lead or project co-lead (see definitions in previous UK ‘Core team’ section)

• email address

Please make sure to indicate who the lead Brazilian applicant is. FAPESP will use this information to confirm applicant eligibility.

Please do not include details of Brazilian applicants in the previous UK ‘Core team’ section.

Application questions

Purpose

Word limit: 2,500

Why is the travel and joint research needed?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Explain why the proposed travel and joint research is necessary, including reference to:

• the added value to existing BBSRC and FAPESP research and innovation

• the promotion of collaboration between researchers in the UK and Brazil

• the future joint research likely to accrue from the collaboration

• the acquisition and development of skills for the individuals involved

• opportunities for early career scientist exchanges

• why the people involved are the best people to carry out this collaboration

• why the places you are travelling to are the best places to go to, in terms of access to people, expertise, skills and resources

• why travel and collaboration need to happen at this time

Resources and cost justification

Word limit: 500

What will you need to deliver your proposed work and how much will it cost?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Justify the application’s resources, in particular:

• travel costs

• subsistence costs

• collaborative activities

• research costs, including consumables and access to specialist equipment, which will support the development of preliminary data and new applications under the UKRI-FAPESP agreement

Please note: direct research costs may not account for more than 50% of the total value requested from BBSRC. FEC at 80% is applied to any direct research component of these awards, and travel, subsistence and other collaborative activities are funded at 100% FEC. Please include a breakdown of these requested costs that are to be made at 100% FEC under ‘exceptions’, in the justification of resources on the Funding Service.

Please note, this award cannot be used to fund:

• salary

• overheads

• equipment costs

Assessors are not looking for detailed costs or a line-by-line breakdown of all project resources. Overall, they want you to demonstrate how the resources you anticipate needing for your proposed work:

• are comprehensive, appropriate, and justified

• represent the optimal use of resources to achieve the intended outcomes

• maximise potential outcomes and impacts

The SAGe online form, which includes the budget request from FAPESP for the São Paulo based researchers, should be downloaded and uploaded as an attachment by the UK project lead.

Additional documentation: FAPESP SAGe online form

This question is included in the Funding Service.

Word limit: 10

The SAGe online form (PDF, 698KB), which includes the budget request from FAPESP for the São Paulo based researchers, should be downloaded and uploaded as an attachment by the UK project lead.

Please upload a PDF attachment of the SAGe online form, as it will be submitted to FAPESP.

For the file name, use the unique Funding Service number the system gives you when you create an application on the Funding Service, followed by the words ‘FAPPA SAGe online form’.

Save this document as a single PDF file, no bigger than 8MB.

If the attachment does not meet these requirements, the application will be rejected.

The Funding Service will provide document upload details when you apply.

Ethics and responsible research and innovation (RRI)

Word limit: 500

What are the ethical or RRI implications and issues relating to the proposed work? If you do not think that the proposed work raises any ethical or RRI issues, explain why.

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Demonstrate that you have identified and evaluated:

• the relevant ethical or responsible research and innovation considerations

• how you will manage these considerations

You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.

Genetic and biological risk

Word limit: 700

Does your proposed research involve any genetic or biological risk?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

In respect of animals, plants or microbes, are you proposing to:

• use genetic modification as an experimental tool, like studying gene function in a genetically modified organism

• release genetically modified organisms

• ultimately develop commercial and industrial genetically modified outcomes

If yes, provide the name of any required approving body and state if approval is already in place. If it is not, provide an indicative timeframe for obtaining the required approval.

Identify the organism or organisms as a plant, animal or microbe and specify the species and which of the three categories the research relates to.

Identify the genetic and biological risks resulting from the proposed research, their implications, and any mitigation you plan on taking. Assessors will want to know you have considered the risks and their implications to justify that any identified risks do not outweigh any benefits of the proposed research.

If this does not apply to your proposed work, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.

Research involving the use of animals

Does your proposed research involve the use of vertebrate animals or other organisms covered by the Animals Scientific Procedures Act?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

If you are proposing research that requires using animals, download and complete the Animals Scientific Procedures Act template (DOCX, 74KB), which contains all the questions relating to research using vertebrate animals or other Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 regulated organisms.

Save it as a PDF. The Funding Service will provide document upload details when you apply.

If this does not apply to your proposed work, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.

Conducting research with animals overseas

Word limit: 700

Will any of the proposed animal research be conducted overseas?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

If you are proposing to conduct overseas research, it must be conducted in accordance with welfare standards consistent with those in the UK, as in Responsibility in the use of animals in bioscience research. Ensure all named applicants in the UK and overseas are aware of this requirement.

If your application proposes animal research to be conducted overseas, you must provide a statement in the text box. Depending on the species involved, you may also need to upload a completed template for each species listed.

Statement

Provide a statement to confirm that:

• all named applicants are aware of the requirements and have agreed to abide by them

• this overseas research will be conducted in accordance with welfare standards consistent with the principles of UK legislation

• the expectation set out in Responsibility in the use of animals in bioscience research will be applied and maintained

• appropriate national and institutional approvals are in place

Templates

Overseas studies proposing to use non-human primates, cats, dogs, equines or pigs will be assessed during NC3Rs review of research applications. Provide the required information by completing the template from the question ‘Research involving the use of animals’.

For studies involving other species, such as:

• rodents

• rabbits

• sheep

• goats

• pigs

• cattle

• xenopus laevis and xenopus tropicalis

• zebrafish

Select, download, and complete the relevant Word checklist or checklists by exploring NC3Rs checklist for the use of animals overseas.

Save your completed template as a PDF and upload to the Funding Service. If you use more than one checklist template, save it as a single PDF.

The Funding Service will provide document upload details when you apply.

If conducting research with animals overseas does not apply to your proposed work, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.

Your organisation’s support

Word limit: 500

Provide details of support from your research organisation.

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Provide a Statement of Support from your research organisation detailing how they will support you, as the applicant, and your proposed activities. This should include details of any matched funding that will be provided to support the activity and any additional support that might add value to the work.

Assessors will be looking for a strong statement of support from your research organisation. This information should have been approved for submission by an appropriate institutional authority.

You must also include the following details:

• a significant person’s name, their position and office or department, or all

• office address or web link

Upload details are provided within the Funding Service on the actual application.

Project partners

To note that you do not need to add the Brazilian collaborators in this section.Add details about any project partners’ contributions. If there are no project partners, you can indicate this on the Funding Service.

A project partner is a collaborating organisation who will have an integral role in the proposed research. This may include direct (cash) or indirect (in-kind) contributions such as expertise, staff time or use of facilities. Project partners may be in industry, academia, third sector or government organisations in the UK or overseas, including partners based in the EU.

Add the following project partner details:

• the organisation name and address (searchable via a drop-down list or enter the organisation’s details manually, as applicable)

• the project partner contact name and email address

• the type of contribution (direct or in-direct) and its monetary value

If a detail is entered incorrectly and you have saved the entry, remove the specific project partner record and re-add it with the correct information.

For audit purposes, UKRI requires formal collaboration agreements to be put in place if an award is made.

Project partners: letters (or emails) of support

Upload a single PDF containing the letters or emails of support from each partner you named in the Project partners section. These should be uploaded in English or Welsh only.

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Enter the words ‘attachment supplied’ in the text box, or if you do not have any project partners enter ‘N/A’. Each letter or email you provide should:

• confirm the partner’s commitment to the project

• clearly explain the value, relevance, and possible benefits of the work to them

• describe any additional value that they bring to the project

• have a page limit of one side of A4 per partner

The Funding Service will provide document upload details when you apply.

If you do not have any project partners, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.

Ensure you have prior agreement from project partners so that, if you are offered funding, they will support your project as indicated in the Project partners section.

For audit purposes, UKRI requires formal collaboration agreements to be put in place if an award is made.

Data management and sharing

Word limit: 500

How will you manage and share data collected or acquired through the proposed research?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Provide a data management plan that clearly details how you will comply with UKRI’s published data sharing policy, which includes detailed guidance notes.

Facilities

Word limit: 500

Does your proposed research require the support and use of a facility?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

If you will need to use a facility, follow your proposed facility’s normal access request procedures. Ensure you have prior agreement so that if you are offered funding, they will support the use of their facility on your project.

For each requested facility you will need to provide the:

• name of facility, copied and pasted from the facility information list (DOCX, 42KB)

• proposed usage or costs, or costs per unit where indicated on the facility information list

• confirmation you have their agreement where required

Facilities should only be named if they are on the facility information list above. If you will not need to use a facility, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.

Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I)

Word limit: 100

Does the proposed work involve international collaboration in a sensitive research or technology area?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Demonstrate how your proposed international collaboration relates to Trusted Research and Innovation, including:

• list the countries your international project co-leads, project partners and visiting researchers, or other collaborators are based in

• if international collaboration is involved, explain whether this project is relevant to one or more of the 17 areas of the UK National Security and Investment (NSI) Act

• if one or more of the 17 areas of the UK National Security and Investment (NSI) Act are involved list the areas

We may contact you following submission of your application to provide additional information about how your proposed project will comply with our approach and expectation towards TR&I, identifying potential risks and the relevant controls you will put in place to help manage these risks.

Research disruption due to COVID-19

We recognise that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused major interruptions and disruptions across our communities. We are committed to ensuring that individual applicants and their wider team, including partners and networks, are not penalised for any disruption to their career, such as:

• breaks and delays

• disruptive working patterns and conditions

• the loss of ongoing work

• role changes that may have been caused by the pandemic

Reviewers and panel members will be advised to consider the unequal impacts that COVID-19 related disruption might have had on the capability to deliver and career development of those individuals included in the application. They will be asked to consider the capability of the applicant and their wider team to deliver the research they are proposing.

Where disruptions have occurred, you can highlight this within your application if you wish, but there is no requirement to detail the specific circumstances that caused the disruption.

Supporting document

BBSRC-Brazil (FAPESP) joint funding of research (PDF, 34KB)

Related content

• UKRI policies and standards

• BBSRC policies and standards

• FAPESP-BBSRC Pump-Priming Award (FAPPA)

Related opportunities

• Collaborate with researchers in Brazil

• BBSRC standard research grant: 2025 round 2: responsive mode

Get help with your application

If you have a question and the answers aren’t provided on this page

IMPORTANT NOTE: The Helpdesk is committed to helping users of the UKRI Funding Service as effectively and as quickly as possible. In order to manage cases at peak volume times, the Helpdesk will triage and prioritise those queries with an imminent opportunity deadline or a technical issue. Enquiries raised where information is available on the Funding Finder opportunity page and should be understood early in the application process (for example, regarding eligibility or content/remit of an opportunity) will not constitute a priority case and will be addressed as soon as possible.

Contact details

For help and advice on costings and writing your proposal please contact your research office in the first instance, allowing sufficient time for your organisation’s submission process.

For questions related to this specific funding opportunity please contact Sania Afzal, Assistant Portfolio Manager, BBSRC International: bbsrc.iru@bbsrc.ukri.org Include ‘FAPPA’ in the subject header.

Brazilian counterparts should contact FAPESP for eligibility advice.

Any queries regarding the system or the submission of applications through the Funding Service should be directed to the helpdesk.

Email: support@funding-service.ukri.orgPhone: 01793 547490

Our phone lines are open:

• Monday to Thursday 8:30am to 5:00pm

• Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm

To help us process queries quicker, we request that users highlight the council and opportunity name in the subject title of their email query, include the application reference number, and refrain from contacting more than one mailbox at a time.

For further information on submitting an application read How applicants use the Funding Service.