Feasibility Awards

Applicant Guidance

Consumer Lab is one of six Diet and Health Open Innovation Research Clubs (OIRC), funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), with support from DEFRA, Innovate UK, and the Medical Research Council (MRC). Our vision is to develop a distributed UK-wide network (including industry and academic members) that works to improve the translation of academic research for application in an industry context. The Consumer Lab Impact Account will fund three types of award to address this challenge.

Feasibility Awards

Overview

Consumer Lab Feasibility Awards are designed to enable translation and commercialisation activity to help bridge the gap towards later-stage innovation. These awards must have matched cash or in-kind contributions from one or more non-University partners.

Feasibility awards are paid directly to the academic partner up to £100,000 (inclusive of VAT) BBSRC funding per project. However, the expectation is that most feasibility awards will be for smaller amounts. Bristol shall pay the awardee the funding at 100% directly incurred (DI) costs plus 100% of directly allocated (DA) staff costs of the full economic costs incurred by the awardee in respect of the project, up to the maximum amount of the funding. These awards must have matched (i.e. equivalent to or greater than the award amount being requested) cash or in-kind contributions from at least one or more industry partner. Note that charities are eligible to be a partner but the matched cash or in-kind contributions must come from an industry partner.

Application process and instructions

Detailed ‘Guidance for Applicants’ can be downloaded below, together with an ‘Expression of Interest Form’

Consumer Lab follows a two-step application process for Feasibility Awards.

Stage 1: All prospective applicants should first submit an ‘Expression of Interest’ form. Following submission of an expression of interest, all applications will be offered feedback and selected projects will be invited to submit a full application.

Stage 2: The full application form will be emailed directly to the Principal Investigator along with instructions from the Consumer Lab Manager

2025 funding call deadlines: 
Expression of interest: 11 March 2025, 9am
Full application: 28 April 2025, 9am

Download Feasibility Award Guidance for Applicants
Download Feasibility Award Expression of Interest Form
 

To submit the application:

Please send the completed application form, letter(s) of support (if relevant) by e-mail to the Consumer Lab Manager: consumer-lab@bristol.ac.uk

The application form should be a MS Word document. Other documents can be submitted as a PDF

Any questions? Please email the Consumer Lab Hub Manager: consumer-lab@bristol.ac.uk

Assessment of applications

The Consumer Lab Impact Account Panel (IAP) will review all applications. The IAP reviews applications independent from the hub Executive Committee and the hub Advisory Board. Applications will be assessed against the following criteria:

  • Relevance of application to the objectives of Consumer Lab: Does the project address a topic that has the potential to promote a positive change in human health? Will it facilitate an understanding of drivers of human dietary behaviour by studying consumer interactions with food?
  • Benefit and impact: To what extent does the proposal demonstrate benefit for the applicant and the partner? Will there be lasting benefits beyond the duration of the project? Is there potential for the project to act as a springboard to translational research with real industrial or societal relevance? Does the project recruit hard-to-reach (or seldom heard) and marginalised communities?
  • Deliverables: Are there clear objectives and milestones in the work plan clear? Are the outcomes realistic and achievable? Has the applicant demonstrated sufficient awareness of risks and contingencies?

Once agreed by the panel, applicants (both successful and unsuccessful) will be informed of the outcome and will receive feedback on the application.