Category: Funding

Funding for Mid-Range Capital Equipment over £200K

This supports the purchase of research equipment through the 17ALERT call for investigators that seeks to pioneer the use of emerging advanced technology and seek to utilise equipment in novel applications.

The principal investigator must be resident in the UK and an academic employee at the lecturer or equivalent level at an eligible organisation. Instrumentation should be deployed on a multi-project or multi-use basis and must enhance the capability of the UK research base in areas of science in BBSRC remit.

The capital equipment budget is £10 million. Applicants can seek capital funding for equipment over £200,000 including VAT, including limited installation and maintenance costs

Closing Date: 14th Sept 2017.

See: www.bbsrc.ac.uk/funding/filter/2017-alert-mid-range-equipment-initiative/ .

Funding: EPSRC Resilient and sustainable energy networks for developing countries

This call is supported through EPSRC’s Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) allocation. The aim of this activity is to support an internationally leading programme of research to tackle the energy distribution challenges faced by developing countries.

See: www.epsrc.ac.uk/funding/calls/sustengnetworks/ .

Expression of Interest deadline: 17th August 2017. Proposal deadline: 21st September 2017.

Call for postdoc panel members: Biosciences Skills and Careers Strategy Advisory Panel

The Bioscience Skills and Careers Strategy Advisory Panel (BSC) has received input from a Bioscience Skills and Careers Postdoctoral Researcher Subgroup since March 2013. Membership of the subgroup is currently being refreshed to ensure it continues to have the necessary skills and expertise to provide input into topics highlighted by the subgroup’s recently updated terms of reference.

BBSRC is looking to appoint eight postdocs to the subgroup. Applications are sought from postdocs working in academia, including those based in research institutions, as well as those in government laboratories or industry (Postdoc in the industrial context meaning someone with a PhD carrying out a research role, but who is not directing a research programme / who does not have significant management responsibilities) Further information can be found here:

www.bbsrc.ac.uk/news/people-skills-training/2017/170703-n-call-for-bioscience-skills-careers-postdoctoral-researcher-subgroup-members/ .

The deadline for applications is 7thAugust 2017.

Funding available: EPSRC “Engineering for a Prosperous Nation”

Unique to this funding call is the double blind peer review process. This type of initiative should benefit early career academics in particular.

This initiative will look to support a portfolio of exceptional and potentially transformative engineering research projects that have the potential to contribute to each of the prosperity outcomes. This could be a pioneering first step to the broader outcome or a contribution to one or more of the ambitions within each outcome. A high degree of risk in these applications is expected and welcomed to encourage speculative ideas or new ways of thinking.

  • Up to £6 million from theEngineering Theme will be available for this Call, subject to research quality.
  • Bright IDEAS Awards are intended to support genuinely novel and potentially transformative research activities.
  • Proposals will be assessed over a two-stage process: Outline proposals assessed anonymously, followed by a Big Pitch.
  • Applicants can apply for up to £250K (80% value of the full costing) in total

Applications submitted to this Call should be up to 24 months in duration.

See: https://www.epsrc.ac.uk/funding/calls/engineeringprosperousnation/ .

Deadline for intention to submit: 8th August 2017

AD Network Events Roundup – Find an AD or IB event near you!

In addition to our AD Network Research Colloquium 2017 in Southampton on 11-12 Sep 17 and our joint IBioIC / Food Waste / AD Network event on “Opportunities for food by-product valorisation” event in Glasgow on 4 Sep 17 (more information on our website), you may be interested in some of the following.

SludgeTech 2017, London – 9-13th July 2017. See: www.sludgetech.com

7th International Conference on Biotechniques for Air Pollution Control and Bioenergy (Biotechniques-2017), La Coruña. Spain, 19-21st July 2017. Biotechniques-2017 covers a wide range of topics related to the application of environmental biotechnology for air pollution control, gas fermentation in bioreactors and clean (bio)fuels production and upgrading, among others. See: http://bioengingroup.es/biotechniques2017/ .

ECI Conference, Biochar: Production, Characterization and Applications, Alba, Italy, 20-25th August 2017 See: http://www.engconf.org/biochar-production-characterization-and-applications/#header0

IBCarb: “Bioactive Polysaccharides”, Cambridge, 12-13th September. See website for details.

CBMNET and BIOCATNET Joint Event: Import And Export of Small Molecules into Cells for Biocatalysis, Edinburgh, 12-14th Sept 2017. See: www.cbmnetnibb.net .

ADBA Northern Ireland Conference, Belfast, 20th September 2017. Northern Ireland has more AD plants per head than England, Wales or Scotland, but with the green fuels subsidy scheme removed, will the industry continue to grow? What needs to be done to make sure the AD industry keeps on thriving? Find out at the ADBA Northern Ireland National Conference 2017. See: http://adbioresources.org/events/northern-ireland-conference .

Pitch Event: Chemistry and industrial biotechnology for a circular bioeconomy , York, 21st Sept 2017. The Innovate UK Knowledge Transfer Network and BioVale are working together to deliver an opportunity for entrepreneurs and investors to gain insight and form new business relationships in sustainable technologies for a circular bio-economy. Entrepreneurs can benefit from funded training and live pitching to a panel of investors. See:  https://www.biovale.org/event/pitch-event-chemistry-and-industrial-biotechnology-for-a-circular-bioeconomy/ .

ADBA Biomethane and Gas Vehicle Conference, Leeds, 28th September 2017. With the transport sector playing a key role in the £1 trillion potential of the AD industry, our third Biomethane and Gas Vehicle Conference will bring together professionals from acrossthe AD community, transport and fuel infrastructure, freight and logistics, local authorities and more. Over the past year, use of biomethane as a transport fuel has shown strong growth,particularly with buses and HGVs in the logistics sector. The Conference will answer the question on everybody’s lips – is transport the future of the AD industry? See: http://adbioresources.org/events/adba .

10th Biofuels International Conference & Expo , Edinburgh, 4-5th October 2017

Co-located with Bioenergy Insight conference & expo, this will focus on the latest developments in biofuels policy, international biofuels trading, sustainability, solutions for first generation producers, progress in advanced biofuels and information on feedstock pricing and trends.  See: https://biofuels-news.com/conference/index.php .

BioProNET 4th Annual Science Meeting, Warwick Slate Conference Centre, October 10-11th 2017. Registration is free, and includes overnight accommodation (for the majority of registrants). We’ve got a great line-up of speakers — many international — who will present the latest bioprocessing research, and there will be poster sessions so that all delegates have the opportunity to present their work, as well as plenty of time for networking.  The programme and registration details are here: http://biopronetuk.org/biopronet-4th-annual-science-meeting/

HVCfP Annual Meeting 2017, Manchester, 19th October 2017.The programme will combine a showcase of updates from Network-funded Projects, invited talks and flash presentations selected from those suggested by delegates. Further details will be available from April 2017, when online bookings will open. See: https://hvcfp.net/events/annual-meeting-2017/ .

Total Food 2017- Exploitation of agri-food chain waste , Norwich Research Park, Norwich, 31st October -2nd November 2017, Total Food 2017 will be the 5th in a series of international conferences which focus on the sustainable exploitation of agri-food co-products and related biomass, thereby helping to minimise waste.  For more information visit: http://totalfood2017.com .

C1net – CHEMICALS FROM C1 GAS CONFERENCE 3, East Midlands Conference Centre, 5-7th November 2017. Hosted by C1net (BBSRC-NIBB) this FREE two-day conference will bring together academic and industrial partners to identify and address key challenges in the study of those organisms able to grow on C1 compounds and commercially exploit them as platforms for chemical manufacture.  The programme will include talks from selected submitted abstracts, as well as from key academics and industry representatives. See C1Net website for details.

The 2017 AquaEnviro Biosolids Conference, the Royal Armouries, Leeds – 20/21st November 2017. Attendees have fantastic networking opportunities with over 250 recognised professionals from around the world and the latest presentations from high-profile industry experts. Now in its third decade, The Biosolids gives an essential annual update on: legislatory changes; new technologies; best practice and site-experiences with existing technologies and an insight into relevant research in the science and engineering of biosolids and organic resources.  See: http://european-biosolids.com/ .

EBA conference 2018, Antwerp, 24-26th January 2018. “Greening Gas” is the theme of the next EBA Conference, covering the latest developments of biogas, syngas and biomethane production. More than 300 biogas representatives are expected to gather in Antwerp, at the Hilton Hotel and the Kinepolis Event Centre. EBA speakers list includes high level policy makers and representatives from leading biogas and biomethane business. Particular attention will also be paid to the theme of transport, with sessions dedicated to biomethane as a transport fuel and power-to-gas. Speakers will address all issues from a technical, economic, scientific and political perspective. See: http://biogasconference.eu/ .

EPSRC call for feasibility studies in energy – closes 5 Jan 17

Up to £3m is available for this call, with a cap of £200k for each proposal. Proposals should examine a topic within EPSRC’s Energy remit (e.g. Bioenergy), review past and current activity, and identify key research challenges that need to be addressed. The proposed research must be novel, innovative, have the potential to lead to high impact outcomes and strengthen the UK’s position in within the international energy community. Submissions towards this call must also demonstrate collaborations with established energy groups/organisations (academia, industry, non-governmental organisations, Government etc.) who are willing to support the research proposal and provide a potential route for exploitation. More information can be found on their website.

Tender for Industrial Biotechnology Landscape Report Provision (by 20 Jan 17 at 1200 hrs)

BACKGROUND
BBSRC, with support from EPSRC, have committed £18M to fund 13 unique collaborative networks in Industrial Biotechnology and Bioenergy (BBSRC NIBB). The BBSRC NIBB foster collaborations between academia, industry, policy makers and NGOs in order to find new approaches to tackle research challenges, translate research and deliver key benefits in Industrial Biotechnology (IB). Each network has a particular focus area, mainly within the UK, but with interest to build international links. These multidisciplinary networks will drive new ideas to harness the potential of biological resources for producing and processing materials, biopharmaceuticals, chemicals and energy.

Four NIBBs (CBMNet, BIOCATNET, C1Net and P2P) are commissioning this project with the aim of mapping the strengths of the entire UK Industrial Biotechnology sector. The focus of the project should be on research and development through to commercialisation with additional focus on Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 4-7. The target audience for the report are UK funders and The Government.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION
The report will provide the following:
1. A concise, critical synopsis of the relevant reports and roadmaps assessing and analysing UK Industrial Biotechnology and BioEnergy (IBBE) (see below for a list from a previous report; the list is not exhaustive), the report should cover the last 5 years. This exercise should identify any limitations in the existing studies and not simply summarise what is already known.
2. A detailed analysis of the current UK landscape in IBBE. Mapping the key capabilities (strengths and weaknesses e.g. research, technologies, scale up technologies) across the UK IBBE sector, including research organisations and small, medium, and large companies.
3. Critical evaluation of the current state of the UK IBBE sector, including its capacity to commercialise research.
4. A benchmark assessment of the UK IBBE industry compared to that of the top performing competitors (for example USA, Canada, Brazil, Malaysia and Germany).
5. Identify UK IBBE success stories and projects that provide examples of best practise for translation of research into commercial application (Case Studies).
6. Identify IBBE areas in which the UK could have a competitive advantage in terms of inherent resources (feedstocks), infrastructure (plant and buildings), innovation (expertise), enterprise and funding systems. This should include an assessment of whether and how IBBE-related IP generated in the UK is exploited in the UK.
7. Identify and assess options for an IBBE translation framework to support future commercialisation of IBBE research in the UK. This should include an assessment of various forward looking mechansims to encourage adoption of innovative solutions by industry by removing/mitigating risk.
8. Horizon scanning to identify emerging technologies and trends that will impact on a range of sectors and drive the future of IBBE in the UK.
9. Provide an evidence-based roadmap and policy recommendations for the developing key IBBE activities in which the UK has existing strength and capacity that provide a solid and credible foundation on which to build a competitive world-class UK IBBE sector.
If you would like to tender for this report or for more information, please see https://in-tendhost.co.uk/sheffield

The tender reference number is 1526/DM and the closing date for responses is at 12 noon on Friday 20th January 2017. To view the tender notice and access the documents, please hover over “Tenders” and click on “Current” and from there click “View Details”, finally please click on the “Express Interest” button where, after registering to use the site, you will be able to download the relevant details. Please also be aware that all correspondence’s & tender returns should be conducted through the In-tend site.
Contact Us

For any enquiries about our network, please contact:
Dr Jen Vanderhoven
Network Manager, CBM Network
jen.vanderhoven@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 (0) 114 2229766
University of Sheffield, E100 Addison Building, Firth Court, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN

Tracking Functional Microbiomes of UK Anaerobic Digesters

This 1 year project, funded by BBSRC and led by Professor Orkun Soyer at the University of Warwick, focuses on furthering our understanding of anaerobic digestion, particularly on how the complex microbial communities affect and are affected by operational conditions. Altogether, 16 UK full scale AD reactors are taking part in the project, where both genetic and meta-data are collected weekly. The large amounts of genetic data will allow us to characterise which species of microbes inhabit the digesters, what their functions are and, importantly, how they change over time. The meta-data will allow us to monitor changes in response to their environment. The datasets will be made available through the project website at http://anaerodynamics.com, funded by the AD Network. These will provide an unbiased and transparent source of information on the performance of industrial AD reactors in real time, which we hope will help to enhance and expand this technology in the UK. Enquiries can be directed to: Prof. Orkun Soyer at Warwick University.

Careers Fair for Industrial Biotechnology and Bioenergy Scientists

Our careers fair will provide you with the chance to meet employers face-to-face, to learn about current vacancies and opportunities available, and to market yourself to prospective employers. There are several talks you can attend about the sector and the opportunities within it, along with opportunity to get advice on your CV from professionals.  

  • Explore careers in IBBE from laboratory based jobs to working as a patent lawyer
  • Meet  employers with graduate schemes, current and future job opportunities
  • Hear from different employers about what it’s like to work for them
  • Get feedback on your CV in our one-to-one clinics
  • Speak with industrialists in our one-to-one clinics
  • Speak with academics  in our one-to-one clinics
  • Speak to the BBSRC about your future career in academia in our one-to-one clinics

SPACES ARE LIMITED SO BOOK NOW TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT HERE.