BBSRC and SFI agree new partnership to foster collaborations
24th September 2015 – BBSRC and Science Foundation Ireland have entered an agreement to welcome, encourage and support research applications that cut across national boundaries involving collaborative teams led by researchers from the UK and Ireland. The new partnership will support collaborative research and technology development in areas such as bioscience for health, agriculture, food security, industrial biotechnology and bioenergy.
This new lead agency agreement enables a simplified and flexible process for researchers wishing to apply for UK/Ireland collaborative research funding. As the lead agency the BBSRC will accept joint applications for responsive mode research grants at any time, on behalf of both organisations.
Professor Jackie Hunter, BBSRC Chief Executive, said: “BBSRC is delighted to partner with Science Foundation Ireland to strengthen links between researchers in the UK and Ireland. By signing this agreement, we demonstrate our continued commitment to foster collaborations between world-class researchers in order to help address some of societies’ biggest challenges.”
Welcoming the new partnership, Prof Mark Ferguson, Director General Science Foundation Ireland and Chief Scientific Adviser to the Government of Ireland, said: “We are delighted to enter into this partnership with the BBSRC. By working together, our joint funding will increase the connectivity between the best scientists in Ireland and the UK, ensuring that biotech and biosciences research in both countries remain globally competitive, and useful – excellence and impact.”
