Synthetic Plants
ARIA is an R&D funding agency built to unlock scientific and technological breakthroughs that benefit everyone. We empower scientists and engineers to pursue research at the edge of what is technologically or scientifically possible. We will reach across disciplines, sectors and institutions to shape, fund and manage projects across the R&D ecosystem, from startups to universities, to break down silos and discover new pathways. We are looking for proposals for our Synthetic Plants programme. For more info see here https://www.aria.org.uk/synthetic-plants/
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Contents
Summary
Why this programme
Representing eighty percent of the world’s biomass, with scope to provide everything from food to pharmaceuticals, plants are a critical lever for addressing the dual challenges of sustainable food supply and climate change. To unlock their potential, we must accelerate the pace of agricultural innovation. Synthetic biology is already revolutionising the world of healthcare. Exploring its application to tailor the traits of plants has the potential to transform the agricultural industry, and deliver valuable benefits ranging from food to pharmaceuticals and beyond.
What we’re shooting for
We see a vital opportunity to unlock new plant capabilities that can meet the future needs of humankind.We aim to develop synthetic chromosomes and chloroplasts that are viable in a living plant. This will move beyond what can be accomplished with gene editing and imbue plants with new functionalities, from reducing agricultural water use to protecting crop yields in uncertain conditions.
Our goal: to unite expertise in synthetic biology and plant biology, opening pathways to a new generation of major crops and future-proofing our agricultural system.
For more information, see here.
Eligibility
Eligibility crtieria can be found in the programme call documents on ARIA's website here.
Objectives
See ARIA website for more detail here.
Dates
Detailed timelines can be found in the programme call information on ARIA's website here. The application process for Technical Areas 1 and 2 consists of two stages:
Submission of a concept paper - At this stage and based on your concept paper, you will either be encouraged/ discouraged to submit a full proposal. If you receive feedback indicating that you are not encouraged to submit a full proposal you can still choose to submit a full proposal. You should note that this preliminary assessment/encouragement provides no guarantee of any full proposal being selected for award of funding.
The deadline for submission of concept papers is 25 September 2024 (12:00 BST).
Submission of a full proposal - the deadline for submission of full proposals is 12 November 2024 (12:00 GMT).
How to apply
See ARIA's website here.
Supporting information
The total funding value is the estimated budget available. We expect to fund multiple applicants.The maximum individual award figure is an estimate only. Funding is anticipated to be awarded via both contracts and grants. For more information on how we fund, see here.