UK Research and Innovation: Strengthening the resilience of the UK food system

Overview

Overview

Apply for funding to strengthen the resilience of the UK food system, by taking a food systems approach and considering cascading risks.

You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for BBSRC funding, who will administer the funding on behalf of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

Your project must be interdisciplinary and you must collaborate with at least one stakeholder organisation (government, business and the third sector).

The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £1.75 million. BBSRC will fund 80% of the FEC.

The funding is available for three year projects.

Who can apply

Before applying for funding, check the Eligibility of your organisation.

Who is eligible to apply

You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for BBSRC funding, noting that any discipline can apply. That organisation will be responsible for submitting the grant application to UKRI.

As the project lead, you should normally hold a permanent post, but if you are a fixed-term employee you may be eligible, provided that the host research organisation commits in writing to give all the support normal for a permanent employee and that there is no conflict of interest between your obligations to UKRI and to any other organisation or employer. The term of employment of a fixed-term employee must extend beyond the duration of the proposed research project.

For this funding opportunity, you may apply only once as a project lead but may appear as a project co-lead on other applications, preferably not more than two in total (one as project lead and one as project co-lead).

There is no limit to the number of project co-leads per application, but it must be clear from the application what unique contribution each co-lead will make to the success of the proposed project. Project co-lead(s) must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for BBSRC funding.

Funding Criteria

This funding opportunity aims to improve the resilience of the UK food system to a variety of potentially cascading risks, including but not limited to:

• further pandemics
• climate change and extreme weather
• food safety
• pests and diseases
• trade and geopolitics
• labour shortages
• food price spikes
• civil unrest

An example of cascading risks in the food system might involve extreme weather abroad reducing imports of fruit and vegetables and an increase in energy prices reducing domestic production, both leading to empty supermarket shelves and higher food prices.

Find out more here

Duration: The duration of this award is three years.

Projects must start by 1 September 2024.

Funding available: The FEC of your project can be up to £1.75 million.

BBSRC will fund 80% of the FEC up to £1.4 million.

What they will fund: Interdisciplinary projects that will strengthen the resilience of the UK food system, by taking a food systems approach and considering cascading risks.