Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and Department of Biotechnology (DBT) seek to bring research groups in the UK and India together to build on their combined strengths and work on projects, engaging with users, in particular farmers, with the aim of improving farmed animal health and welfare. Projects should build new links or strengthen existing links between India and the UK, and demonstrate how research in the two countries would be integrated.

Each project must list one principal investigator in the UK and one principal investigator in India along with one co-principal investigator in India. There is no limit to the number of participants listed as collaborators or co-investigators. Industry will not be funded under this funding opportunity.

UK participants

This funding opportunity invites applicants from UK-based organisations that meet BBSRC’s standard eligibility conditions, including:

• higher education institutions
• eligible independent research organisations
• approved public sector research establishments
• UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)-funded labs and facilities

All UK principal investigators and co-investigators must meet the standard BBSRC eligibility criteria, as per BBSRC research grants guide.

India participants

All Indian faculty (from public or private universities or institution, non-governmental organisations, voluntary organisation trusts or research foundations) are normally eligible to apply for DBT funding opportunities as principal investigators with at least one eligible faculty from UK listed as co-principal investigator. Please check eligibility criteria for Indian funding. Please follow DBT guidelines (annexure) for submitting the proposals under this joint funding opportunity.

Applications involving ineligible applicants, from either India or the UK, will result in the whole application being withdrawn.

The UK and India participants should submit a joint application to both BBSRC and DBT. Applications submitted to only one funder will not be considered.

The lead UK principal investigator should submit the joint application to BBSRC using the Joint Electronic Submission (Je‑S) system. Name only UK participants as applicants.

The Indian principal investigator should submit the joint application to DBT using the DBT Electronic Project Management System (eProMIS).

Applications may involve researchers from multiple eligible UK institutions but should be submitted as a single Je‑S application by the organisation of the lead UK principal investigator.

If successful, the lead organisation would be the recipient of the UK component of the award and would be responsible for managing and distributing funds to other participating UK institutions in accordance with the terms and conditions of the award.

Funding for the Indian component of the collaboration will be paid by DBT to the Indian partner institutions.

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