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BBSRC ALERT 2026: Mid-range Equipment for Biosciences Research
Funding Value
Full Description
The BBSRC ALERT 2026: Mid-range Equipment for Biosciences Research opportunity provides funding for strategically important research equipment supporting work across the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council’s scientific remit.
The opportunity has a total fund of £13 million. Individual applications may request between £200,000 and £1.5 million, funded at 100% of full economic cost. Awards will last for 12 months and must start by 3 August 2027.
This is an equipment-only funding opportunity. Applications must request a single item of equipment that will be widely used and appropriately supported, promoting access, collaboration and equipment sharing.
Proposed equipment should:
- support research within BBSRC’s bioscience remit;
- deliver significant strategic benefit to the research community;
- demonstrate broad access and shared-use arrangements;
- enhance collaboration and institutional research capability; and
- be supported by appropriate governance, technical expertise and sustainability plans.
Queen Mary demand management
BBSRC permits each research organisation to submit a maximum of three applications. Queen Mary University of London will therefore operate an internal Expression of Interest process to assess demand and select the applications that may proceed to external submission.
Researchers must not submit an external application unless their proposal has been selected through the Queen Mary internal demand-management process.
Webinar
JRMO will hold an applicant webinar on 4 November 2026 at 11:00am to provide further information about the opportunity and Queen Mary’s internal process.
Internal EOI and Funder Deadlines
Eligibility criteria
Applicants must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for BBSRC funding. At Queen Mary, applications are subject to an internal demand-management process because each organisation may submit a maximum of three applications.
Applications must:
- request funding for a single item of research equipment;
- have a full economic cost of between £200,000 and £1.5 million;
- support research within BBSRC’s scientific remit;
- demonstrate a significant strategic benefit to the relevant research community;
- provide broad access to the equipment and credible shared-use arrangements;
- promote collaboration, equipment sharing and enhanced research capability;
- demonstrate appropriate technical expertise, governance and management arrangements; and
- provide a credible plan for the equipment’s operation and long-term sustainability.
An individual may apply as project lead on only one application and as project co-lead on one other application. BBSRC advises that lead and co-lead involvement across two applications is generally not recommended unless the proposals concern distinctly different research areas.
Research technical professionals are eligible to apply as project leads or project co-leads where they can demonstrate the expertise, skills, leadership and capability required to deliver the proposed work and outcomes.
Applications involving more than one research organisation are permitted, but they must be submitted as a single application through the UKRI Funding Service by the lead research organisation. International researchers cannot receive funding through this opportunity but may participate as project partners or international collaborators.
Internal application instructions
Researchers interested in applying must submit an internal Expression of Interest by 13 November 2026.
The EOI should include:
- Equipment title and estimated cost: the proposed item of equipment and its anticipated full economic cost.
- Lead applicant and collaborators: the proposed project lead, project co-leads, collaborators and participating organisational units.
- Strategic rationale and research need: why the equipment is required, the research challenges it will address and its fit with BBSRC’s scientific remit.
- User community and institutional benefit: the anticipated users, likely level of demand and strategic benefits for Queen Mary and the wider research community.
- Access and shared use: how access to the equipment will be managed fairly and how collaboration and equipment sharing will be supported.
- Management and sustainability: the proposed governance, technical support, maintenance, operating model and plans for long-term sustainability.
The completed EOI and any required supporting material must be submitted through the designated JRMO internal submission form.
Applications will be assessed by a central Queen Mary panel chaired by Professor Mark Bradley, Deputy Vice-Principal for Impact and Innovation, on behalf of the Research and Innovation Board. Panel members will be drawn from the faculties and University Research Institutes submitting applications, with relevant expertise represented wherever possible.
Applicants selected through the internal process will receive institutional approval to develop and submit an application to BBSRC. Selection by Queen Mary does not guarantee funding from BBSRC.