Expressions of interest for capital funding to support regenerative medicine research
The purpose of the MRC Call for Expression of Interest (EoI) is to gauge the range of interest for capital funding to support regenerative medicine research. The EoIs solicited will be used to determine the precise scope of a full call for proposals to be announced in April/May 2013, taking into account the nature and scale of the investments proposed, and their likely impact in relation to the scientific opportunities and capabilities presented in the context of the UK’s strategic needs in this area.
Background
Regenerative medicine is an interdisciplinary approach that seeks to repair or replace damaged or diseased human cells or tissues to restore normal functions. A number of challenges exist in progressing the research agenda in this area, as identified within the Strategy for UK Regenerative Medicine published in March 2012.A number of strategic initiatives have recently been launched to address these, including the UK Regenerative Medicine Platform (UKRMP), a joint initiative from the MRC, BBSRC and EPSRC, the TSB Cell Therapy Catapult, and the WT/MRC Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Initiative (HIPSCI). For full details of the MRC’s regenerative medicine initiatives please refer to: www.mrc.ac.uk/Ourresearch/ResearchInitiatives/RegenerativeMedicine/index.htm
The RCUK Strategic Framework for Capital Investment has further identified regenerative medicine as a priority area for investment, taking into account UK research excellence, innovation and timeliness, as well as societal impact and contribution to UK economic growth. In response to this, the UK Government announced a capital investment package which includes an allocation of £20m over two years to the MRC to support regenerative medicine.
Remit of this call for EoIs
This call seeks to identify interest in capital-only funding in the field of regenerative medicine. It is envisaged that EoIs will range from those seeking individual, major pieces of equipment through to the provision of larger facilities able to serve defined national needs. These resources will be able to provide/enhance national capability in line with the UK strategy for regenerative medicine published last year. They will build on existing strengths, supported by appropriate institutional commitment for staff and recurrent costs to provide delivery in the near-term and for longer-term sustainability.
The strategic case for enabling capital investment in regenerative medicine identified a number of current needs including:
- high-throughput and automated technologies for quality-controlled cell characterisation and manufacture (for scale-up and delivery as a medicinal product, as well as to support the application of stem cell for drug screening and development);
- next generation in vivo imaging technologies for safety assessment of cell and biomaterial implants, for preclinical work and early phase clinical studies;
These identified needs should not be viewed as prescriptive however, and proposals encompassing other ideas would be welcome.
The final call will be open to all UK groups able to contribute to this field. However, there is an expectation that capital awards will support the delivery of the goals of the Strategy for UK Regenerative Medicine, and priority will be given to programmes which align with and/or complement the UKRMP and other strategic investments in this arena and provide scope for future growth.
Financial support available
Up to £20M will be available under this call funded by the MRC. The expected scale of awards is in the range of £100K to £5M depending on capability and ambition.
Funding will be allocated in two tranches over the next two years, with a requirement for invoiced capital spend (as opposed to commitment) to be delivered within either FY 2013/14 or 2014/15.
What your EoI should address
At this stage, we are seeking high level information from potential applicants to a full call, identifying the capital investment required and an overview of the strategic need this would address. Note that the plans must be deliverable within existing staffing and recurrent funding of the applicants and partners.
EoIs should provide the following information where possible:
- Applicants: Key details of PIs, identifying whether this bid would be group, institutional or consortium based, and the potential engagement with industry or other partners;
- Type of resource: What it is that is required and its delivery focus (e.g. local needs, national resource/facility etc.);
- Cost: The estimated scale of investment needed (as a single award)
- Need: Describe how this capital investment will address current research needs, gaps, or new challenges e.g. essential underpinning or innovative cutting-edge technology etc;
- Strategic alignment: Describe how it fits in with current regenerative medicine strategies and approaches;
- Institutional support: Any information on likely institutional commitment to supporting the planned capital investment/ plans for sustainability.
How to submit the EoI
There is no template or form and EoIs should be emailed, by 4pm Wednesday 3rd April 2012, to: ukrmp@headoffice.mrc.ac.uk
Do not exceed 2 sides of A4 (Arial 11 point, single line spacing, 2cm margins) including any references you wish to include. Submission of CVs is not necessary at this stage. No appendices/annexes are allowed. EoIs not fitting these criteria will not be considered.
Process and timescale following submission of EoIs
This call for capital funding to support regenerative medicine research will operate through a two-stage process, with a rapid Expression of Interest (EoI; this phase) to guide the development of a subsequent call for full applications. The EoI will be assessed by the UKRMP Executive Group and members of the UKRMP programme Board who, in light of the scientific opportunities and capabilities presented and alignment with UK strategy, will determine the precise scope of the full call. The full call will be launched on the MRC website at the end of April/early May 2013 with a closing date towards the end of July 2013. An independent expert panel will be established to review the full proposals. Funding decisions will be made in September 2013 with the first wave of awards to start no later than January 2014.
Submission of an EoI is recommended and will help shape the nature of the full call. However, EoIs are not being reviewed as outlines with the aim of inviting full bids, and submission is not an eligibility requirement to apply to the full call.