Bioinformatics and Biological Resources Fund (26BBR)

What the assessor looks for

• is of excellent quality and importance within or beyond the field(s) or area(s)
• has the potential to advance current understanding, or generate new knowledge, thinking or discovery within or beyond the field or area
• is timely given current trends, context, and needs
• meets the evidenced needs of clearly identified user groups
• impacts world-leading research, society, the economy, or the environment and have measurable impact where appropriate
• the expected added value of the proposed resource, including how it will strengthen the UK bioscience research infrastructure landscape, complement existing investments, and enhance benefits to the bioscience research community
• how the resource relates to past and current resources in the subject area in both the UK and abroad
• full details of the resource and an overview of the associated objectives. Details on how these objectives are delivered should be included in the ‘Approach’ section
• a description of the types of research that will be enabled by the resource
• consideration of the potential impact on the scientific community and other possibly dependent resources if the resource did not exist
• how the resource will support its user community, including any training, guidance or skills development opportunities that enable effective use of the resource, and how future needs are identified

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.

What the assessor looks for

• establishment of a new and innovative resource that will be beneficial to a broader BBSRC user base
• maturation and subsequent maintenance of a project-based resource into a community-based one
• further development or essential maintenance of an existing community resource, with well-established access mechanisms
• association, or integration, of distinct resources

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.

What the assessor looks for

• is effective and appropriate to achieve your objectives
• is feasible, and comprehensively identifies any risks to delivery and how they will be managed
• uses a clearly written and transparent methodology
• summarises previous work and describes how this will be built upon and progressed
• will maximise translation of outputs into outcomes and impacts
• describes how your, and if applicable your team’s, research environment (in terms of the place and relevance to the project) will contribute to the success of the work
• significant technical details for the development, maintenance or enhancement of the resource, indicating how this is of internationally exceptional quality
• measurable targets against which the outcome of the work will be assessed
• plans for operational sustainability and legacy beyond the end of UKRI funding. These could include cost recovery models, securing additional funding, development or expansion after the initial period of funding
• data management approach, including plans for storage, curation, access, sharing, and long-term sustainability. Clearly outline how the resource will comply with relevant data standards, ensure interoperability, and support reuse by the wider research community. Information already included in the ‘Data management and sharing’ section does not need to be duplicated
• a project Gantt chart identifying a work plan, milestones, appropriate deliverables, responsibilities, and time points for each objective, is a mandatory part of the Approach
• any proposed research efforts and how they directly facilitate development of the resource (if applicable)

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.

What the assessor looks for

• strategic relevance: strength of contribution to BBSRC’s strategic priorities , the national importance of the resource to bioscience and its wider international significance
• uniqueness: the resource’s distinctive capabilities, infrastructure, data, collections or services, including the extent to which these are not available elsewhere or would be difficult to replicate
• future strategic value: emerging opportunities and developments that could increase the resource’s strategic value and future user demand

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.

What the assessor looks for

• the organisation name (searchable via a drop-down list or enter the organisation’s details manually, as applicable)
• contact name of the signatory
• outline the uniqueness and expected added value of the proposed resource to the UK bioscience research community and infrastructure landscape
• clearly explain the impact and benefit of the proposed resource on the writer’s research and the associated community
• if possible, explain where this supported research has already demonstrated or could have potential for particular scientific, economic or societal impact
• help to demonstrate the breadth of the relevant user community

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.

What the assessor looks for

• the relevant experience (appropriate to career stage) to deliver the proposed work
• the right balance of skills and expertise to cover the proposed work
• the appropriate leadership and management skills to deliver the work and your approach to develop others
• contributed to developing a positive research environment and wider community
• contributions to the generation of new ideas, tools, methodologies, or knowledge
• the development of others and maintenance of effective working relationships
• contributions to the wider research and innovation community
• contributions to broader research or innovation users and audiences and towards wider societal benefit

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.

What the assessor looks for

• 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 two sides A4 per partner

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.

What the assessor looks for

• governance arrangements appropriate for the oversight and successful delivery of the project’s complexity
• the project’s management and advisory structure
• the proposed membership of the advisory board and how it will be used. An advisory board is required and is to be independent from both the academic institutions and project partners involved in the proposal
• the approach to project and risk management, and the monitoring strategy for tracking progress of the proposed programme
• how demand and access requests will be managed, and what support will be provided to the users of the resource
• how the resource user perspective and their needs will be considered, including how feedback will be sought and subsequently used to inform the management of the resource

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.

What the assessor looks for

• project staff
• significant travel for field work or collaboration (but not regular travel between collaborating organisations or to conferences)
• any equipment that will cost more than £25,000
• any consumables beyond typical requirements, or that are required in exceptional quantities
• all facilities and infrastructure costs
• all resources that have been costed as ‘Exceptions’
• are comprehensive, appropriate, and justified
• represent the optimal use of resources to achieve the intended outcomes
• maximise potential outcomes and impacts

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.

What the assessor looks for

• the relevant ethical and RRI considerations, including both the research or topic area itself and the design and delivery of the project
• the wider implications of the proposed work, and how you will maximise the positive societal, environmental, and economic benefits arising from the project, while minimising unintended negative impacts, such as research misuse or accidental harm
• how you will manage these considerations throughout the lifecycle of the project
• any legal and ethical considerations of collecting, releasing and storing the data (including consent, confidentiality, anonymisation, security and other ethical considerations and, in particular, strategies to not preclude further reuse of data)
• formal information standards that your proposed work will comply with
• human participants
• genetically modified organisms

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.