Flexible funding call 1: Biomass to bio-based products
We’re pleased to launch the first funding call from the Supergen Bioenergy Impact Hub. This call is focused on using sustainable biomass to produce chemicals and materials.
Up to £50,000 funding is available for projects led by UK academic institutes eligible to receive research funding. We encourage projects that align with industry or policy needs, as well as collaboration with non-academic partners. Projects are expected to show additional funding leverage of £50,000 in cash or in kind. We expect to fund three to five projects, depending on the quality and alignment of submissions.
Background and themes
The greenhouse gas emissions and wider environmental impacts of many traditional fossil-based chemicals and materials means there is growing demand for sustainable alternatives based on renewable carbon sources, including biomass. Biomass can be converted into a wide variety of chemical products, from high value or speciality products (eg, fragrances, fine chemicals, or polymers for liquid formulations) to products like platform chemicals and plastics. All of these products are considered within the scope of this call, as are the variety of conversion technologies and processes that might be used.
As the hub receives funding from both EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council) and BBSRC (Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council) we particularly encourage proposals that cross traditional disciplinary boundaries and address one or more of the following thematic areas:
- Innovative processes for conversion of biomass into bio-based chemicals and materials
- Development of biorefinery processes or integration of biomass conversion technologies with existing industrial systems
- Evaluation of the economic viability and scalability of biomass-based production processes, considering factors such as feedstock availability, production costs, and market demand
- Evaluation and optimisation of the sustainability and environmental impacts of bio-based chemicals and materials and their production at scale
- Optimisation of biomass to chemicals process efficiency, to enhance resource utilisation throughout the value chain.
Eligibility
Funding is available to UK academic institutes eligible to receive research funding.
Institutions receiving flexible funding must become members of the Supergen Bioenergy Hub and sign the accession agreement to our new consortium agreement before returning their acceptance letter.
Non-members applying for funding are therefore required to submit an institutional application to demonstrate that they carry out a significant amount of research or activity in biomass, bioenergy or bioproducts for review and approval by the Supergen Bioenergy Hub project management group simultaneous with their proposal application. Applicants can contact Rakhi Parmar (r.s.parmar@aston.ac.uk) to confirm their status before submitting their flexible funding application.
Call document and more information
For full details and the application form, please download the call document below.
Flexible Funding Call Document and Application Form Round 1 (PDF)
Flexible Funding Call Round 1 Application Form Only (Word doc)
Completed applications should be sent to Rakhi Parmar at r.s.parmar@aston.ac.uk by 30 June 2024 at 23.59 UK time.
There is no word limit on the application form, however, concise answers are encouraged. Please contact Rakhi with any questions you have.
Slides from the funding information webinar that took place on 7 June, along with frequently asked questions, are below.
Flexible funding round 1 information slides
Frequently asked questions
What is the eligibility criteria to apply?
The funding is available to UK academic institutes eligible to receive research funding. To check if you are eligible for research and innovation funding please visit the UK Research and Innovation website: www.ukri.org/apply-for-funding/how-to-apply/check-if-you-are-eligible-for-research-and-innovation-funding
Institutes receiving flexible funding must be members of the Supergen Bioenergy Hub and sign the accession agreement to the Hub’s new consortium agreement before returning their acceptance letter. Non-members applying for funding are required to submit an institutional application for review and approval by the Supergen Bioenergy Hub project management group simultaneous with their proposal application.
Is funding from another research funder permissible as leveraged funding for this call?
The Supergen Bioenergy Hub is able to consider a wide variety of external funding sources as leverage. Both the nature and level of funding will be scored under the criterion set out in the application form. Please see the call document (available to download above) for more information.
How can my institution become a member of the Hub?
Details of becoming a member of the Hub are on our partners page along with a link to the application form.
My institution was a member of the previous Hub, can we apply again to become members?
Yes, you can reapply to join, please see our partners page for details on how to join.
Does the industry partner have to be UK based?
The main applicant must be a UK researcher, but they can subcontract work overseas and/or overseas groups can join with their own funding providing the “non-UKRI” match funding.
Do I need an industrial partner?
Our funders – UK Research and Innovation – favour leverage. However, we can accept applications without an industrial partner. We will take this into account when scoring against the criteria.
Can I mention my industrial partner in my proposal?
If your partners are other UK universities then you should not mention them. You should say that you’re working with ‘other UK universities’ to ensure anonymity and to prevent bias. If you are bringing in an international partner, we do need you to name them. For due diligence purposes we need to know who the overseas partner is, in particular which country they come from.
Can I have a UK regulatory authority as a partner?
Yes.
I already have letters of support from industry partners for the work I am doing, can these be used?
The letters of support need to be specific to your application for this funding call.
What type of technologies/research area will you accept?
All applications will need to meet the criteria and scope of the thematic areas outlined in the call document (available above).
Is this call open to early career researchers?
We are encouraging early career researchers to apply; however, it is not exclusive to them.
Can I submit more than one application?
Yes, if it’s for a different project.
Can you help me to put my application together?
From an equality perspective and in fairness to all applicants, we cannot offer support to individuals. Information on how to apply can be found in the call document.
Is there a word limit for the application?
There is no official word limit. However, we request that applicants keep their answers concise.
Will future calls be on the same topic?
No, topics may change. If your area of research is in biochemicals and biomaterials, you should apply to this funding call.
Is it ok to apply for another fund as well as this one?
Yes. It is helpful to articulate the impact that you believe your project will have and mention in your proposal that you are also applying for other funding, and that there could be other activities happening in parallel.
