Flexible mobility 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.
Flexible mobility awards
Overview
Flexible Mobility Awards (FMAs) support the mobility of industry and academic researchers, including early career researchers (ECRs), to work in new environments, to develop new skills, and to promote the translation of research to promote health and positive societal impact. They provide funding to enable industry researchers to work in an academic group, or an academic to work in a non-university setting.
Awards will be up to £100,000 (inclusive of VAT) BBSRC funding per project. However, the expectation is that most FMAs will be for smaller amounts. Bristol shall pay the awardee the funding at 100% directly incurred (DI) costs plus 100% directly allocated (DA) costs of the full economic costs incurred by the awardee in respect of the project, up to the maximum amount of the funding. FMAs must support research activities and they can last up to nine months, with non-University partners providing cash or in-kind contributions for the duration of the award. Additional support can be provided by project partners to extend the length of secondment beyond nine months.
Application form and instructions
Detailed ‘Guidance for Applicants’ can be downloaded below, together with an ‘Application Form’.
Deadlines: Applications can be submitted at any time and will be reviewed every two months.
To submit the application:
Please send the completed application form, letter(s) of support, and 2-page curriculum vitae by e-mail to the Consumer Lab Hub 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 e-mail 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 placement to the objectives of Consumer Lab: Does the placement 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 placement benefit the applicant and the host? Will there be lasting benefits beyond the duration of the placement?
• Deliverables: Are the placement objectives clear? Are the outcomes and targets realistic and achievable?
Once agreed by the panel, applicants (both successful and unsuccessful) will be informed of the outcome and will receive feedback on the application.