Industrial biotechnology network BIOCATNET is opening two funding calls this week (11 September).

5th Proof-of-Concept Call

The organisation has announced the launch of the fifth call for BIOCATNET Proof-of-Concept funding, which will fund projects with a total combined value of £200,000, supporting projects in the Network subthemes of Biocatalyst Discovery, Development, and Scale Up.

Projects funded under the fifth call must be completed no later than 31 October 2018 in order to complete reporting requirements.

Proof-of-concept projects are designed to stimulate collaborations between BIOCATNET members leading to further applications for funding. The awards will support short-term, precompetitive research projects and scoping exercises in order to de-risk future research and development projects, thereby increasing chances of success and opportunities for uptake of biocatalysis in industry. Awards will support high quality integrated research and development projects that bring together key academic and business components of the UK Industrial Biotechnology and Bioenergy community.

The funding call is open from the 11 September 2017 and the deadline for submission is 5pm on the 31 October 2017.

For information and details on how to apply please see biocatnet.com.

Industrial Biotechnology Seeding Catalyst Awards

BIOCATNET has also announced the launch of a new funding initiative – Industrial Biotechnology Seeding Catalyst Awards.

BBSRC recognises the importance of helping businesses and researchers to commercialise their research and develop innovative solutions to industrial challenges. Under the auspices of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF), BIOCATNET has been awarded funds that will support several Industrial Biotechnology Seeding Catalyst Awards to build upon the success of the IB Catalyst, and capture the benefits of the Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) approach employed across the Research Councils.

Industrial Biotechnology Seeding Catalyst Awards provide funding of up to £25,000 (reimbursed at 100 per cent  fEC) to support the direct costs of a project. These awards, with a total value of up to £100,000, are intended to fund short collaborative projects between BIOCATNET academic and industrial members with the aim of facilitating translational activities.

These awards are intended to fund short collaborative projects between BIOCATNET academic and industrial members with the aim of facilitating translational activities.

BIOCATNET IB Seeding Catalyst Awards may be used to support a range of activities to address challenges using biocatalytic processes, or processes in which biocatalysis and chemical approaches are used in combination. The scientific scope of the funding will include production of:

  • Fine and speciality chemicals and natural products (e.g. fragrances, flavours; pharmaceutical intermediates)
  • Commodity, platform and intermediate chemicals and materials (e.g. .plastics and textiles)
  • Liquid and gaseous biofuels
  • Peptides and proteins (e.g. enzymes, antibiotics, recombinant biologics)
  • Novel or improved upstream or downstream processes to reduce costs or improve efficiency

The funding call is also open from the 11 September 2017 and the deadline for submission is 5pm on the 29 September 2017.

For information and details on how to apply please see biocatnet.com.