BBSRC Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) Award

The BBSRC Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) award is a strategic award aimed at facilitating impact from biotechnology and biological science research. The remit of the BBSRC IAA is broad and enables a wide variety of projects across MVLS. Projects are required to align with at least one of the IAA core objectives.

BBSRC IAA funding can be used to support:

  • Projects involving prototype evaluation, proof of concept, pump-priming of initial trials and scoping exercises;
  • Facilitating impact agendas including forging new collaborations with industry and strengthening existing external, non-academic collaborators;
  • Strengthening user engagement;
  • Strengthening the knowledge exchange (KE) through culture and capability development, including through the development of skills for KE activity;
  • Supporting KE and commercialisation at early stages of progressing research outputs and outcomes to the point when they would be supported by further funding (e.g., BBSRC Follow on Funds);
  • Progressing projects along the Translational pipeline;
  • Supporting new, innovative and imaginative approaches to KE and Impact, including processes that enable “fast failure” and appropriate learning;
  • Secondments and people exchange that will lead to impact;
  • Supporting market assessments, developing business cases, talent mobility, industry champion support as well as costs towards industry-based events.

The scheme is open to all researchers; no previous BBSRC funding is required.

  • Project development and partnership awards can be up to £25k in value,
  • Mobility awards can be up to £10k in value with project durations up to 12 months

Mobility Opportunities support the flow of people & expertise between academia & external partners. Mobility awards are flexible - they can be short and focused or can be a component of a larger project. Secondments can also be part time. The IAA will cover the salary costs for university staff seconded to external organisations for the time spent with the host. IAA funds can also be used to fund travel and subsistence costs, as well as other resources required by the secondment project.

Please note that there are institutional rules and processes relating to formal staff secondments which must be adhered with. In particular, the visa and immigration status of the proposed secondee must be considered. If you are unsure please contact your local HR Advisor for advice.

Application forms must be submitted via email to mvls-innovation@glasgow.ac.uk.

The main Project & Partnership Application form can be used for all 4 IAA objectives. However, if you are applying for an event only, or mobility only, please use the lighter touch application forms below.

Development Grant Funding Application Form

Events, Engagement & Training Application Form

Mobility fund application form

It is important that applicants can demonstrate how their project fits within the remit and provide a short background of their underpinning research, explaining how the funds requested can contribute towards the successful progression of their work with a focus on clear outcomes.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to reach out to the TRI and their local school IEE Director to discuss their project proposal prior to submission.

If within remit, multiple IAAs can be applied for from one application. For more information, access the drop-down menus below and read the full T&Cs. Please also watch our Applying for TRI Funding Video for advice on your application.

Project & Applicant Eligibility

This support scheme is focused on the translation of research towards impact. Fundamental or discovery research is out with remit.

It is important that applicants can demonstrate how their project fits within the remit and provide a short background of their underpinning research, explaining how the funds requested can contribute towards the successful progression of their work with a focus on clear outcomes.

Collaborations with external partners is encouraged, but not necessary for your funding application. Examples of eligible partners include private sector, government bodies, public sector organisations including the NHS, charities, NGO's and other third sector organisations. If such a collaboration is proposed in your applications, you must ensure that formal collaboration agreements are in place with any external partners before the beginning of your project. This can be included as a letter of support. The TRI recommend that you discuss this with your external partners or collaborators at an early stage of the proposal development and before applying for funding.

Principal investigators of IAA awards must be a University of Glasgow employee and have a staff number, as well as being contracted for the duration of the project. Early Career Researchers can apply for standard IAA funding as the principal investigator of a project. Written approval of their line manager will be required.

For secondment projects, all secondees must comply with visa and immigration requirements. Please check with the MVLS HR team prior to applying.

Application Criteria

Funding proposals must:

  • describe the area of knowledge, including the underpinning research and the anticipated innovation to be developed;
  • have a single, named PI who is responsible for the project, who must be a member of staff at the University of Glasgow;
  • briefly outline the background research on which the proposed work is based on;
  • describe the current stage of development and how it will be moved forward by the funding requested for the proposed IAA project;
  • provide details on the existing needs for this work and the opportunities that will be addressed by this project. This can be backed up by evidence derived from the market, existing or identified stakeholders or any other impact drivers, where appropriate;
  • outline the current barriers to impact;
  • describe any competing technologies and the advantages of the proposed innovation;
  • clearly present a budget breakdown per milestone, with timescales, including the value of contributions in-cash or in-kind from partners;
  • describe the risks involved with each milestone and the mitigation plans in place to address these;
  • provide details of anticipated project outcomes and impacts, including the way of achievement, anticipated timescales, and how the anticipated outcomes will be measured;
  • demonstrate that all appropriate agreements and contracts are in place and an appropriate IP strategy is being considered or adopted (where applicable);
  • state clear next steps, should the project be successful, along with potential benefits to the University of Glasgow;
  • outline how responsible innovation, sustainability and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) principals will be incorporated into your project.

IAA applications will be assessed by the TRI Management Review Panel and will consider the above criteria. Proposals that fail to address these criteria will be deemed ineligible for funding and may by rejected, or feedback given for resubmission. It is strongly encouraged that you discuss your proposal with the TRI management team before submitting your application.

Funded Projects & Case Studies

Please see links to case studies of some of the previously funded MRC IAA projects, and a full list of funded projects below, listed by parent award.

  • Solasta Bio: next generation green insecticides
  • SalmoSim: optimising aquafeed for sustainable agriculture
  • Sci-Seedlets: Developing Plant Science Educational Packages for Classrooms
  • Increasing Vaccine Access: Cattle vaccines against malignant catarrhal fever in East Africa
  • Everyday Clean: Engaging people and communities in Everyday Clean water, sanitation and hygiene (WaSH) interventions
  • Mitotargin: Developing novel diagnostics and therapeutics targeting the mitochondria

 

BBSRC IAA

2022
Kimberly Fornace Tool to identify malaria vector habitats from earth observation data 
Matt Jones Reducing Plasticity to Increase the Uniformity of Crop Productivity
Harriet Auty Policy development to improve animal trypanosomiasis control
Joel Milner Bacteriocin-based treatment for protecting seed and ware potatoes against Blackleg disease and soft rot. 
Rucha Karnik Sci-Seedlets – Developing Product Pipeline for Plant Science Education
Sarah Cleaveland Malignant catarrhal fever vaccination delivery in Tanzanian pastoral communities
David Eckersall Validation of biomarkers of cardiomyopathy in Atlantic Salmon
Michael Barrett A portable device to detect counterfeit anti-parasitic drugs
Katie Hampson Improving vaccine access through a One Health approach – translating science into policy and practice in Tanzania
Francesco Baldini SpectraLearning – Training vector control experts on spectral analysis to accelerate Malaria surveillance in Africa
Marieke Pingen  Post-Academic Career Mentorship / Advice Network (PACMAN) Events 2 and 3
Marina Santana Vega  SYMposium on BIO- Sensing and Imaging Systems for Healthcare Technologies
2018
Matt Dalby CeMI Industry day
Karl Burgess Developing the RTMet Instrumentation for Reliability and Robustness
Julian Dow/Shireen Davies Market research - Kidney nephrotoxicity
Joel Milner Bacteriocins as a seed treatment: A novel method for protecting plants against bacterial pathogens.
Martin Llewellyn SalmoSim
Martin Llewellyn AquaScan & Aquaculture screening market assessment
Caroline Gauchotte-Lindsay Delivery of a Fully Automated On-line Position Specific Isotope Analysis Inlet 
Kostas Tokatlidis Mitotargin
Shireen Davies Biopesticide Product Development
Alicia Davis Operationalising One Health Interventions in Tanzania—District Engagement
Judith Robinson Exploring the role of (digital) storytelling to engage people and communities in Everyday Clean WaSH interventions
David Eckersall Veterinary biomarker development and clinical validation
Martin Llewellyn In situ eDNA monitoring of planktonic threats to salmon aquaculture using a paper-based PCR device
Sarah Cleaveland Towards large-scale adoption of cattle vaccines against malignant catarrhal fever in East Africa
Martin Llewellyn SalmoSim: Processing in vivo trial data
Jim Brewer Market-led proof of concept data generation for vaccine adjuvant portfolio 
Joel Milner Developing a novel prophylactic seed treatment for Xanthomonas infections of crops 
Rucha Karnik Sci-Seedlets 
Harry de-Koning A combination treatment for the fatal horse disease dourine
Marieke Pingen  Post-Academic Career Mentorship / Advice Network (PACMAN) Event
Joel Milner Bacteriocin Commercial Scoping
2015
David Eckersall Accelerating the impact of veterinary biomarker discovery
John Gordon/Caroline Woodside One health show case and networking event
Cheryl Woolhead Characterisation of the ion channels using cell-free expression in microfluidic format
Graeme Milligan Developing strategic links with Biopta to support development of a novel anti-asthma concept
Douglas Morrison Inulin Proprionate Ester: a novel food ingredient for appetite suppression and weight management
Sara Macdonald/Caroline Woodside Policy Research Day - driving Impact through policy-relevant research excellence
Cleaveland/Sharp/Zadoks/Jo Halliday Delivering key disease prevention messages to health care providers in Tanzania
Louise Matthews /Richard Reeve Promoting impact in the Boyd Orr Centre for Population and Ecosystem Health
Penelope Tsimbouri/Matthew Dalby NanoKick bioreactor - usefulness in cancer research
Shireen Davies/Julian Dow Novel insect control reagents for Food Security
Dan Haydon Developing a platform for communicating impacts of infectious disease research in real-time
Matt Dalby Giving Stem Cells a Good (Nano)Kicking – Royal Society Summer Exhibition

BBSRC IAA Talent Mobility

2018
Izaskun Mitxorena/Ruaidhri Carmody
Graeme Milligan
Aysin Tulunay Virlan/Carl Goodyear
George Baillie
Sarah Mancini 
Taya Forde 
Karen Thompson 
Filipa Baltazar Da Costa 
Simon Bradstreet 
Christian Keitel 
Graeme Keith 
Li-Chiung Lin
Pierpaolo Pellicori
Nuria Quiles
Hans Recknagel
Daniele Bolognini
Chris Mort
Lesley Graham
Julia Cordero
Tamara Martin
Laurie Baker
Elaine Leung
Thomas Otto
Ruud Hortensius
Christian Keitel
Andrew MacLean
Janet Scott
Lewis Rodgers
Francisco Rios
William Weir/Mark Westman
2017
Amanda Kennedy
Ellanor Whiteley