This call is now closed for applications and is available for reference purposes only.

 

The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC) and Medical Research Council (MRC) are establishing a £25M UK Regenerative Medicine Platform (UKRMP) to address the technical and scientific challenges associated with translating promising scientific discoveries in this area towards clinical impact.

At its core the UKRMP will comprise several interdisciplinary and complementary research hubs that will together provide a world-leading programme to promote the development of regenerative therapies. BBSRC, EPSRC and MRC are therefore inviting proposals to establish high quality, collaborative research groupings to address key challenges in translational regenerative medicine.

Background 

Regenerative medicine is an interdisciplinary approach spanning tissue engineering, developmental and stem cell biology, gene therapy, cellular therapeutics, biomaterials (scaffolds and matrices), nanoscience, bioengineering and chemical biology. It may involve:

  • transplantation of stem cells, progenitors or tissue;
  • stimulation of dormant repair processes;
  • using cells as delivery vehicles for therapeutic agents;
  • engineered cells / synthetic biology.

Regenerative medicine has already provided significant medical advances in areas such as skin regeneration for burns patients and diabetic ulcers and the treatment of anaemia, and has the potential to go much further with next-generation products offering treatments with long term benefits or cures. The underpinning science is progressing rapidly, yet there are a number of developmental challenges which need to be overcome if we are to successfully translate promising discoveries for the benefit of patients as well as the UK economy.  These are elaborated upon in the Research Council/TSB Strategy for UK Regenerative Medicine, published on 28thMarch 2012.

As a response to these translational requirements, and to ensure that research addressing regenerative medicine connects seamlessly from discovery science through to clinical and commercial application, BBSRC, EPSRC and MRC are together establishing a UK Regenerative Medicine Platform (UKRMP) with the goals of:

  • establishing interdisciplinary research hubs with the critical mass and expertise to address key knowledge-gaps in the translation of stem cell and regenerative biology towards application;
  • providing the novel tools, platform technologies and engineering solutions needed for therapeutic development;
  • creating a world-leading and fully connected national programme to pull through excellent discovery science in support of the commercial development and clinical delivery of regenerative medicine products.

 

The current call follows an invitation to submit UKRMP Expressions of Interest (EoIs) in June 2012. The EoI stage was used to provide an opportunity for interested parties to highlight potential areas of need that they considered would merit the establishment of a Hub.  These were assessed by a joint Review Panel involving both UK and international experts and used to refine the remit of this full call for proposals.

The Funders anticipate that full submissions to this call may differ from the EoI submissions, and applicants who submitted EoIs previously are encouraged to reassess their bids in the light of the requirements specified below.

Aim of the UKRMP Call 

The call aims to fund the establishment of up to five interdisciplinary research hubs that bring together teams of researchers to address a number of strategically important, tractable translational challenges refined from the community’s responses to the scoping call for Expressions of Interest in the UKRMP.

It is anticipated that one award will be made in each identified thematic area, subject to quality (see Hub Themes). The establishment of the Hubs will be based on scientific excellence, coupled to the attainment of the critical mass required to address key developmental challenges for the field.

This first stage in the development of the UKRMP will focus on approaches with broad applicability, and whilst system, organ or- disease-based exemplars will be utilised to provide “real world” context, they should not constitute the primary focus of the submissions. A second stage of the UKRMP, to be launched later in 2013, will seek to exploit the Hubs to deliver more disease-specific programmes.

UKRMP Hubs 

The UKRMP Hubs will each:

  • provide a UK centre of expertise/knowledge with the necessary critical mass to address key translational challenges and provide new tools, protocols and resources with broad applicability that can and should be utilised by other UK research groups in academia and industry. Where consistent with the overarching aims, the Hubs might also provide early stage substrates and/or preclinically validated therapeutic opportunities that can be taken on by the TSB-led Cell Therapy Catapult and/or industry; however,a disease-specific focus should not be the main driver of Hub activity within this call;
  • assemble appropriate interdisciplinary activity to provide a UK competency that will be able to attract further partnerships and investment, and provide outputs that have broad utility even if developed using specific systems/diseases as exemplars;
  • be proactively managed by a director/management team that will be empowered by the host institution(s) to be responsive to need within its theme and which will report annually to the UKRMP Programme Board;
  • evolve during the course of the award and reach out to groups that best enable the Hub to meet its goals – it is anticipated that 25% of the Hub award will be set aside for use as a ‘partnership fund’ that can be used to expand the Hub’s activities in collaboration with external expertise (seePartnership and Networking Support);
  • preferentially involve multiple groups from more than one location/University/industrial setting that have a proven track record in delivering internationally competitive research either in the basic sciences related to the identified themes or translating aspects for drug development or clinical protocols.

Successful applications will ultimately be those which:

  • demonstrate the formation of novel interactions based upon research excellence;
  • provide innovation in addressing the identified challenges;
  • effectively link basic and clinical research groups;
  • incorporate relevant cross-disciplinary expertise spanning the remits of the three Research Council sponsors;
  • build on a strong portfolio of existing Research Council investment, and demonstrate significant added-value to this;
  • demonstrate strong scientific leadership;
  • propose a milestone-based programme of activity spanning work-packages or clustered projects;
  • include appropriate project management to underpin coordination and collaboration within the consortium;
  • promote outreach activities to connect to other UK groups that provide complementary skills and resources;
  • specify an approach towards early engagement with regulators and anticipated hurdles for regulatory compliance;
  • include strong plans to facilitate engagement with (bio)industry and end-users outside of the Hub.

UKRMP Hub Themes 

The UKRMP Hubs will address one of the following themes which reflect the strengths and strategic opportunities identified from the UKRMP Expressions of Interest.

1. Cell behaviour, differentiation and manufacturing

Aim of Hub: To develop the approaches and technologies capable of providing well-defined and stable stem cell lines with appropriate scalability and quality controls to meet the standards of regulators, and ultimately support manufacture for clinical application.

The Hub will identify routes and develop appropriate innovative technologies to underpin the supply of well-characterised pluripotent cells (including iPS and hES cells) that are homogeneous, stable, and can be generated under scalable procedures that could be utilized for clinical application (most likely using exemplars or specific applications). The development of standardised approaches applicable to human stem cells derived from primary tissue would also be within remit. Delivery will require the integration of several work packages covering biosciences, chemical biology and engineering to produce appropriate outcomes.  Consideration of how these technologies might further relate to emerging protocols regarding directed-differentiation would also be welcomed.

Successful bids should include components/work packages addressing:

  • Cell characterisation and stability: To address the establishment and maintenance of clearly defined or homogeneous populations of pluripotent and /or progenitor cells and to understand their genetic and epigenetic stability.  Protocols and high-throughput capabilities will need to be developed to detect variant cells in culture, and cell lines will require systematic, genome-level analysis and /or expression profiling to assess genetic/epigenetic variation and the existence of adventitious agents (eg. viruses, TSEs) during expansion. All approaches should be scalable with translational potential.
  • Understanding routes to differentiation: To cover the induction of differentiation through the use of different agents or approaches, including understanding cell autonomous pathways, in lineages of relevance to future clinical utility. This also encompasses the scalable expansion of cells with desired properties towards the relevant cell lineage, as judged by the use of appropriate markers and physiologic traits. This will require the establishment of, for example, suitable reporter technologies and selection/purification processes while differentiation protocols will need to be quantified and be made scalable, reproducible and have the potential to be ultimately GMP-compliant.
  • Quality control and reproducibility: To cover metrology, quality control issues pertinent to biomanufacturing and scalability as applied to progenitor and/or differentiated cell types. This should cover the use of bioinformatic approaches and the development and/or use of appropriate marker selection and screening procedures to assess cell phenotype and detect and separate variant cells. Close working with regulators will be essential to establish the suitability of the manufacturing processes and measures.

2.  Engineering and exploiting the stem cell niche

Aim of Hub: To develop novel approaches to better understand and exploit the stem cell ‘niche’ in order to deliver functional cells of therapeutic value.

The development of effective stem and progenitor cell–based therapies is likely to require the exploitation of knowledge of the relevant stem cell niche (or microenvironment), given its role in guiding the processes that regulate and differentiate tissue-specific stem cells in vivo. Engineering strategies capable of reconstructing or dissecting elements of the niche might also provide novel approaches for enhancing differentiation protocols to provide and/or validate cells with appropriate functionality for regenerative therapies.

Successful bids should include components/work packages covering some or all of the following:

  • The characterisation and regulation of critical stem cell–ECM interactions, signalling pathways and physiochemical cues that may play a role in controlling cell fate and/or tissue formation;
  • Strategies involving physiologically relevant information (e.g. from developmental biology) for the recapitulation of the stem cell–niche in vitroand ex vivo, as a tool to control cell functionality and promote cell maturity, and as a basis for establishing tissue-equivalent assays for preclinical testing;
  • The role of mixed and 3D cell cultures in enhancing  cell functionality and  tissue morphogenesis, with validation of their standardisation and scalability as a platform for tissue regeneration;
  • The development of niche-based biologics, small molecules and engineering solutions as a basis for regenerative therapy, either to stimulate endogenous repair processes or to help deliver and engraft stem cells in vivo.

3 .  Safety and efficacy, focussing on imaging technologies

Aim of Hub: To develop technologies and methodologies to identify potential hazards, aid delivery and quantitatively monitor the effectiveness of regenerative medicine therapies.

We need to understand the fate of the different stem/progenitor/differentiated cell types which may be used in therapy and how the clinical risk from delivering them to patients can be managed through different modalities. This includes understanding the safety implications of using strategies to stimulate repair from endogenous stem cell sources. Development of appropriate imaging technologies will be fundamental in gaining insight here. In addition there is a need to assess how effective the delivery of cells and other regenerative agents are, given the likely need for small dosages in some cases, requirements for minimally invasive administration, and the long residence times required for regeneration to take place. In order to do this we need to be able to monitor the tissues and organs that stem cells populate after transplantation as well as understand their biological interactions with other cells, their micro-environment, and cell turnover.

Successful bids should include components/work packages covering some or all of the following:

  • Development of strategies for safe, efficacious, stem/cell and growth factor application;
  • Quantitative pre-clinical and clinical imaging technologies, with the sensitivity and capability to answer key questions at the cellular level (in small and large-animal models and ultimately in patients), such as monitoring the behaviour/stability of cells and/or their progeny as well as biomaterials and other acellular implants;
  • Assessment of functional integration of cells into organ systems with minimal immunological response and maximal survival of cells in vivo;
  • Development of clinical imaging protocols in order to enable an assessment of biodistribution of transplanted cells and/or therapeutic agents in man and including minimally or non-invasive methods for delivering novel contrast agents;
  • The approaches to be developed should have broad applicability but will reference specific clinical needs and associated regulatory input.

4.  Acellular (smart material) approaches for therapeutic delivery

Aim of Hub: To develop next generation scaffolds and biomatrices to support regenerative therapies.

The overarching goal is to produce scaffolds which transform them from passive mechanical supports to active components of regenerative medicine manufacturing processes and therapies. We need to be able to prepare better optimised scaffolds and enhance scaffolds with bioactive molecules and cells, as well as better understand how to harness external factors in guiding cellular propagation and differentiation to deliver appropriate function.

Successful multidisciplinary bids should include components/work packages addressing some or all of the following:

  • The production of smart biomimetic scaffolds tailored to specific physiological systems, which have tuneable, bioresponsive properties and can restore tissue functionality;
  • Strategies to evaluate and characterise post-intervention repair and regeneration processes, including the dynamics of synthetic scaffold degradation;
  • The interaction of acellular technologies with therapeutic stem, progenitor or differentiated cells, as well as the immune system and disease state;
  • Approaches to support cell functionality and engraftment as delivery vehicles, including strategies designed to improve blood flow to support transplants;
  • Surface modification strategies to optimise stem/progenitor cell behaviour.

5.  Inducing immune tolerance

Aim of Hub: To undertake a focussed programme of activity that will identify and evaluate broadly applicable approaches to induce tolerance or enable transplanted cells/tissues to evade host immunity.

Understanding and overcoming immune rejection of cell–based transplants is a critical barrier to the clinical delivery of allogeneic regenerative medicine therapies. While approaches to controlling rejection through immune suppression are widely researched in the pharmaceutical sector, the alternative strategy of inducing host immune tolerance is relatively under-explored. This call is therefore inviting applications that draw in relevant expertise across the stem cell biology and immunology fields to address host immune tolerance.

It is anticipated that the Hub will investigate a range of approaches, covering one or more of:

  • The induction of central tolerance through the use of tolerogenic dendritic cells or mixed chimerism;
  • The manipulation of components of the immune system such as regulatory T cells or NK cells;
  • Engineering the adaptive or innate immune system;
  • Reducing the immunogenicity of stem or progenitor cells.

In line with the more focussed objectives for this theme, the funding for this Hub will be smaller in scale than others, with a budget of up to £2m available. The successful Hub will be expected to interact strongly with other RMP themes during the course of the programme.

Funding available

  • £20M will be available under this call for the first stage of the UKRMP to fund up to five Hubs addressing broad, programmatic themes;
  • It is anticipated that only one award will be made in each thematic area of interest, subject to quality;
  • It is expected that for themes 1-4 each Hub will ultimately receive funding of up to £4.5M, while up to £2M will be available for theme 5 “Inducing Immune Tolerance”, reflecting its more specific focus;
  • The funding for themes 1-4 will be allocated through a primary award of up to £3.5M, with the potential for a further £1M to be provided in the second year for partnership development (see below). This would be released on the positive review of submissions for the use of this supplementary funding and delivery of the appropriate developmental milestones expected at 12 months;
  • Bids should therefore be submitted for up to £3.5 M for themes 1-4, and for up to £2M for theme 5. The option for supplementary partnership funding will not be available for this latter theme;
  • Awards will be for 4 years in the first instance. A longer-term sustainability plan with demonstrable commitment by the host HEI(s) to ongoing support of the Hub at the end of the initial 4 year funding term must be submitted as part of the UKRMP application;
  • Awards for Hubs will be administered by the MRC on behalf of the partners and subject to MRC terms and conditions.

Support available 

  • The Director’s salary costs for the portion of their time dedicated to scientific and management leadership of the Hub;
  • Modest start-up costs for new positions to develop capacity (this can include the initial costs of new appointments from overseas) or key positions central to the Hub’s success;
  • Funds for new research and translational activities, in particular to support new interactions across the Hub and including collaborations with industry, NHS, etc;
  • Funds to enable the Hub to develop and function as a cohesive regional or UK research focus (e.g. funds for pilot studies, support posts, common resources/datasets etc);
  • Funds to provide a support/advisory service to collaborate with researchers working outside the Hub;
  • User and public engagement, coordination and collaboration costs to bring the research closer to application and patients.

Partnership and Networking Support 

A key aspect of establishing the UKRMP Hubs is to build critical mass and provide focus on creating greater translational impact. The core collaboration should draw together leading researchers from key aspects of the research challenge addressed. The Hubs are expected to be dynamic and responsive to new opportunities, and each Hub will be expected to bring in new UK research partners during the course of the grant, to complement and strengthen the expertise working on the identified challenges. Such collaborations may involve both academic and commercial partners. Accordingly, the Hubs will be provided with resource for i) establishing complementary research activities in partnership with other research groups and stakeholders, and ii) for networking activity to address key needs relevant to the Hub’s  theme. In combination these mechanisms will help build connectivity and coherence in delivering the broader goals of the UKRMP.

i) Partnership Fund

In the region of 25% of the overall Hub award (for themes 1-4) will be available as a supplementary award from year 2 to incentivise connectivity with complementary expertise and technological support and to fund new research that will further the objectives of the Hub. It is intended that this funding will be used flexibly to address critical developmental needs and/or respond to new opportunities, and will cover the costs for staff, travel and consumables engaging with new Hub activities. It will be a requirement that 50% or more of this supplementary funding will be allocated to a partner external to the Hub. This resource is intended for substantial activities, and may be utilised to engage new partners (both academic and commercial) or to provide novel linkages across Hubs. In order to build links between areas and generate activity with greater impact potential, Hubs might also wish to work cooperatively in submitting bids that pool resources.

The Partnership Funding will be administered as a supplement to the Hub award. Support for new partnerships will need to meet RC funding eligibility rules, and comply with standard RCUK terms and conditions.

The current grant application should identify how such linkages will be identified, although detail on how the supplement might be used is not expected at this time.  Potential partnership activities should instead be identified during the first 12 months of the Hub’s programme, and all such activity must be discussed with and ultimately approved through the UKRMP programme. Requests for the release of supplementary Partnership Funding will be assessed by the UKRMP Programme Board in accordance with advertised deadlines, prior to approval by the UKRMP Executive.

ii) Networking

Up to £60k will be available within the primary Hub awards to support networking activities that further the objectives of the Hub and help address end-user and stakeholder needs. Examples of such activities could include:

  • Bringing in new academic research partners;
  • Initiating collaborations with industry and other end-users;
  • Building routes for linking with the Cell Therapy Catapult;
  • Networking across the UKRMP Hubs;
  • Linking with other strategic initiatives in the regenerative medicine area, both within the UK and overseas;
  • Coordinating resources to share /exploit equipment and other facilities;
  • Organising workshops relevant to the Hub’s theme (which shouldn’t replicate or replace existing meetings organised by other stakeholders in the field.

This is not an exhaustive list, and bids to establish UKRMP Hubs will need to make the case for the resources they are requesting for networking activities, identified in detail for the first two years of the award. All networking activities must identify the key deliverables and associated dissemination activities. The programme of activity will be reported to the UKRMP Programme Board on an annual basis, while activities beyond the first 12 months of the Hub award will also need to be approved by the UKRMP Programme Board.

Based on the advice of the UKRMP Programme Board and Executive Group, other UKRMP networking activities could be initiated if there is a gap or a specific intervention is needed. Ultimately the intention is to establish a coherent UK-wide networking structure that addresses the key needs of the community as identified through the ‘Strategy for UK Regenerative Medicine’.

Support not available 

Funds cannot be requested for capital and refurbishment costs or infrastructure and core administrative services (secretarial, finance, personnel, computing support, estates and building maintenance) covered by the indirect cost component of FEC.

Funds cannot be requested for training awards, including studentships and fellowships.

Funds cannot be requested to support clinical trial activity. Due to the complex nature of such applications, it is more appropriate for these to be submitted separately to other appropriate response-mode schemes offered by the funders.

Eligibility 

Submission of an Expression of Interest used in the initial scoping of this call is NOT an eligibility requirement.

For administrative purposes, the UKRMP application will be led by a single UK academic institution or independent research organisation approved by the Research Councils. Only one proposal as Hub lead is permitted per applying host institution, although involvement as partners on other bids is allowable. Applications from throughout the UK are eligible.

The Director must be the principal investigator on the proposal and be given appropriate status within the lead host institution to facilitate management and development of the Hub’s activities. The Director should be in a position to influence research programmes associated with the Hub, and must have full control over use of Hub funds.

Co-applicants are expected to be the leading scientists involved in delivering the Hub’s aims and objectives.

The normal MRC eligibility rules apply; please see the Applicants’ Handbook and the Research Council UK website.

Partnerships with industry are encouraged. Applicants considering establishing collaboration with an industrial partner(s), are advised to refer to the guidance on MRC Industry Collaboration Awards (MICAs).

Application and assessment procedure

ALL applicants are required to discuss their proposals with Dr David Pan, UKRMP Science Manager, before submission. A brief abstract should be e-mailed in advance of discussions.

The purpose of the abstract is for administrative purposes only. This will allow the office to ensure that proposals are aligned with the remit of the call. No feedback will be given other than confirmation that the proposed bid is within scope and can be submitted.  Abstracts should be top level and provide the underlying objectives and identify lead and key partners. It is recognized that final proposals are likely to continue to evolve right up to the application deadline, so they need not be restricted to the precise description provided within the abstract, although the full proposal must fully reflect its core elements.   Abstracts must be submitted by 4pm Tuesday 6th of November.

The call will be supported by an applicant workshop to provide information and answer queries relating to the call, to be held in London on the 21stSeptember 2012. Applicants will submit proposals through the RCUK JeSsystem and be led by academic institutions. The deadline for full applications will be 4pm 27th November 2012.

Specific instructions for completing the case for support are detailed in theGuidance Notes for UK Regenerative Medicine Platform. Proposals will be externally peer reviewed before being considered by an expert review panel in February 2013. Final funding decisions will be made by the contributing funding partners represented through the UKRMP Executive Group. Awards will be announced in March 2013.

Proposals should describe:

  • the critical and generic translational challenges to be tackled by the Hub;
  • the gaps in knowledge, and how the Hub will address these and contribute to the development of therapies in the longer term;
  • how what is being proposed is transformative and different from “business as usual;
  • the level of innovation to be delivered through the programme of activity;
  • the PIs / groups and industrial partners involved as the core group;
  • any additional skill sets that will need to be incorporated during the course of the project;
  • end-user groups that need to be engaged; for example, linkage with the TSB Cell Therapy Catapult. Consideration should also be given to complementarity and linkage with other relevant national and international strategic initiatives;
  • how the collaborative approach will be developed and managed; a clear governance structure and project management plan is required;
  • a plan for longer-term sustainability beyond the 4-year award;
  • deliverables and potential milestones of progress; note that applicants will be asked to identify up to 4 key milestones (out of the expected broader set identified in the case for support) which will be described in more detail in a Milestone Form which is a required attachment to the proposal for this call.

The assessment will take account of the scientific opportunities and national capabilities presented. Consideration will be given to the:

– significance of the challenges to be addressed;
– novelty, importance and timeliness of the research;
– ability of the investigators to deliver the research proposed;
– strength and clarity of collaborations and end-user engagement;
– quality of the project management structure proposed;
– quality and suitability of the research environment and of the facilities;
– value for money;
– ethical considerations and governance arrangements.

Applicants are directed to the supplementary terms and conditions for RC grants introduced in the context of stem cell research, see for exampleMedical Research Council – MRC Terms and Conditions, section AC24. Hubs will be required to annually submit reports to MRC’s Electronic Valuation System (Researchfish; previously MRC e-Val).

Further details are available from Dr David Pan.

Contacts and guidance 

Dr David Pan

Science Manager, UKRMP (on behalf of the BBSRC, EPSRC & MRC)

david.pan@headoffice.mrc.ac.uk

Telephone: 01793 416430

Guidance can also be sought from:

Dr Paul Colville-Nash (MRC Head Office)

E-mail: paul.colville-nash@headoffice.mrc.ac.uk

Telephone: 0207 395 2261

Dr Colin Miles (BBSRC)

E-mail: Colin.Miles@bbsrc.ac.uk

Dr Nicola Goldberg (EPSRC)

E-mail: Nicola.Goldberg@epsrc.ac.uk;

Telephone: 01793 444475

Deadline dates 

Call Launch – 6th September 2012

Workshop for applicants –  21st September 2012

Call open on JeS – 4th October 2012

Submission Deadline for Full Applications  – 4.00pm 27th November 2012

Funding Decisions  – February 2013

Aligned BHF call in cardiovascular regenerative medicine 

Alongside the UKRMP, the British Heart Foundation (BHF) is seeking to establish 1 or 2 UK Centres for Cardiovascular Regenerative Medicine, offering clear opportunities to synergise with the Regenerative Medicine Platform and acting as demonstrators for how more disease-focussed activity can capitalise upon and reinforce the Platform concept. Accordingly, the BHF has shortlisted outline applications in an aligned call for bids for Cardiovascular Regenerative Medicine Centres, and will be assessing full applications to the same timetable as the RMP applications and in consultation with the RMP award panel.

For queries relating to the BHF call for cardiovascular research centres, please contact:

Dr Jeremy Pearson, (BHF)

E-mail: pearsonj@bhf.org.uk.

Application Guidance 

Application process

The process and timetable for the call is outlined below. Proposals will be sent out for external written peer-review with an opportunity for the Principal Investigator to respond. The application, reviews and PI responses will be assessed by a specially convened expert review panel. Recommendations from the panel will inform the final funding decisions to be taken by the UK Regenerative Medicine Platform Executive Group.

Timetable for call:

  • Launch of call for proposals: 6th September 2012
  • Applicants’ Workshop, London:  21st September 2012
  • Call open on JeS: 4th October 2012
  • Deadline for proposals: 4.00pm 27th November 2012
  • Expert Review Panel meeting: 14th February 2013
  • Notification of outcome: March 2013
  • Start date of awards – between 1st April and 30th September 2013

 The decision of Funders will be final and not be open to appeal.

How to apply?

The Joint electronic-Submission System (Je-S)

Your completed proposal must be submitted through the Research Council’s Joint Electronic System (Je-S) and be received by the deadline date. This is done by your host institution’s administrative department (HEI), after they have completed their section of your Je-S application form. To ensure that your application reaches us in time, please give your administrative department advance notice of your application and the deadline date. Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

For the purposes of this call, when filling in the Je-S application details, applicants should ensure that they select:

Select Council: MRC

Select document type: Standard 

Select Scheme: Research Grants

Select call:  UK Regenerative Medicine Platform November 2012

Please note: All mandatory sections on the application need to be completed.

Please read the MRC applicants’ handbook, which will guide you through the standard processes for preparing a proposal, costing your proposals and any ethical and regulatory requirements that may apply to the research.

Applicants are particularly directed to the supplementary terms and conditions for RC grants introduced in the context of stem cell research, see for example Medical Research Council – MRC Terms and Conditions, section AC24.

Terms and Conditions

Awards funded through the UKRMP will follow the standard MRC terms and conditions with a small number of additions or amendments relating to components specific to this call:

  • retention of partnership funds (to be requested by the Hub at a Year 1 milestone and released subject to satisfactory progress);
  • use of networking funds;
  • requirements for the provision of an annual report;
  • attendance at annual scientific meetings or other meetings as requested;
  • branding, publication and acknowledgement of support.

The MRC terms and conditions spell out the responsibilities of the principal investigator and the host institution which will be required to agree to these as part of the award process. The principal investigator will be required to signify acceptance of these terms and conditions before an award is made. It will be a condition of all awards that any data originating from the study will be made publicly available.

Grant holders will be required to annually submit reports to MRC’s Electronic Valuation System (Researchfish; formerly MRC e-Val).  In addition a final, Year 4 report will be required.

Assessment Criteria

The assessment will take account of the scientific opportunities and capabilities presented. Consideration will be given to the:

  • significance of the challenges to be addressed;
  • novelty, importance and timeliness of the research;
  • ability of the investigators to deliver the research proposed;
  • strength and clarity of collaborations and end-user or technology supplier engagement;
  • quality of the project management structure proposed;
  • quality and suitability of the research environment and of the facilities;
  • value for money;
  • ethical considerations and governance arrangements.

Case for support

General guidance

Please follow the general guidance for completing your case for support in the applicants’ handbook.

Your case for support must not exceed 12 sides of A4 (Verdana 10 point), including references and governance but excluding the permitted Appendices. Applications exceeding the page limit will be rejected.

Please complete your case for support around the following headings:

1) Aims and objectives

  • Explain the Hub’s vision, aims and objectives, identifying the critical and generic translational challenges to be tackled by the Hub; the gaps in knowledge, and how the Hub will address these and contribute to the development of therapies in the longer term;
  • Outline how the Hub’s objectives and overall strategy will contribute to delivery of the strategic aims of the UKRMP;
  • Describe the added value of the Hub over and above the current research activities of its constituent members; ie. what is transformative and different from “business as usual” by scope and reach.

2) Science Excellence and Delivery

  • Provide a summary of the research to be undertaken within the Hub. Outline how the programmes of research will be developed and contribute to the aims and objectives of the Hub;
  • Identify the level of innovation to be provided through the programme;
  • Describe the PIs / groups and industrial partners involved as the core group, and how their expertise will extend existing capabilities to deliver this research;
  • Identify clearly defined deliverables and potential milestones of progress;
  • Document existing (and/or planned) activities and infrastructure and how these relate to the proposed research undertaken by the Hub;
  • Outline collaborations either within the Hub or externally that are important for it to deliver its aims and objectives, identifying any additional skill sets that will need to be incorporated during the course of the project.

3) Management and Governance

  • Provide an overview of the management and governance arrangements for the Hub including the role of the director, senior roles and responsibilities and relationships with any Hub partners;
  • Outline the project management plan for delivery of the programme of activity.

4) Partnership and Networking Activities

  • Explain what mechanisms will be used by the Hub to identify and progress potential partnerships, as well as provide advice and collaborate with the local/wider community wishing to undertake translational research in this domain;
  • Identify the end-user or technology supplier groups that need to be engaged, as well as any other national and international strategic initiatives that might be utilised in delivering the Hub’s objectives.
[Please note that in the region of 25% of the overall Hub award (for themes 1-4) will be available as a supplementary award from year 2 to incentivise connectivity with complementary expertise and technological support and to fund new research that will further the objectives of the Hub. The Partnership Funding will be administered as a supplement to the Hub award, subject to each Hub meeting appropriate 12 month developmental milestones Hubs will be invited to make a case to UKRMP Programme Board to fund partnerships that add value and capability at the end of year 1. While detail on how the supplement might be used is not expected at this time, it is essential that the Hubs demonstrate in their application their vision for how this opportunity for partnership activity will be developed and actioned].

  • Outline the networking activities that will be instigated in support of the Hub’s objectives and to help disseminate its outputs, with specific detail to be provided for activities within the first two years of the award.
[Note that up to £60k will be available within the Hub award for such activity].

5) Research environment and host institution commitment

  • Describe the environment(s) in which the Hub will operate and explain how this will add value to the Hub’s objectives and operation;
  • Explain how the Hub will benefit from facilities/resources provided by or within the host research organisation(s) and Hub partner organisations as relevant;
  • Proposals will also need to include a statement from the Vice Chancellor (or equivalent) stating the hosts(s) institution’s long term commitment to translational research in regenerative medicine, and a plan for sustainability of  the Hub’s activity beyond the initial 4 year funding term.

6) Public engagement

Describe what public engagement activities will be undertaken and indicate how these will promote greater understanding of the challenges facing translational research in this area.

Applicants will also be required to address the following:

  • Exploitation and dissemination;
  • Ethics and research governance;
  • Data preservation and sharing including a Data Management Plan;
  • Metrics and milestones including a GANTT Chart. Applicants will be required to identify up to four key milestones (out of the expected broader set identified in the case for support) which will be described in more detail in a Milestone Form which is a required attachment to the proposal for this call.
  • Industry Collaboration: Applicants considering establishing collaboration with an industrial partner(s), are advised to refer to the guidance on MRC Industry Collaboration Awards (MICAs). A MICA form and Heads of Terms may be required as supporting documents in this case.

Contact and guidance

ALL applicants are required to discuss their proposals with the UKRMP Science Manager before submission. A brief abstract should be e-mailed in advance of discussions.

If you have a query about scientific aspects of your proposal, please contact Dr David Pan, Science Manager, UK Regenerative Medicine Platform:

Contact: Dr David Pan

Email: david.pan@headoffice.mrc.ac.uk

Tel: 01793 416430

Guidance can also be sought from:

Dr Paul Colville-Nash (MRC Head Office)

E-mail: paul.colville-nash@headoffice.mrc.ac.uk

Telephone: 0207 395 2261

Dr Colin Miles (BBSRC)

E-mail: Colin.Miles@bbsrc.ac.uk

Dr Nicola Goldberg (EPSRC)

E-mail: Nicola.Goldberg@epsrc.ac.uk;

Telephone: 01793 444475

 

Guidance and support for using the Je-S is provided by the Je-S helpdesk. Contact details for this service are as follows:

Email: mailto:JeSHelp@rcuk.ac.uk

Phone: 01793 44 4164 *Staffed Monday to Friday 9am – 5pm (excluding bank holidays and other holidays)

Out of hours: leave a Voice Mail message

 

*Phone calls that cannot be answered during working hours will be redirected after 30 seconds to Voice Mail. The helpdesk will normally return your call within 3 hours.

Detailed online guidance for the Je-S is also provided on the Je-S website, together with a series of frequently asked questions. There are also help pages on the Je-S system itself to accompany each section of the application form.

Milestone form 

This form should be completed by applicants submitting an application to the UK Regenerative Medicine Platform (UKRMP) call for proposals with reference to the Guidance for UKRMP Applicants.

Please complete the following project milestone data sheets for each of up to four major progression milestones (to encompass the project end goal) you identify as the key measures of success from within the broader set of project milestones you will identify within the case for support.

Please note that:

– Milestones must be SMART that is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time framed.

– The success criteria are the key measures that must be met in order for the project to be considered a success to that point thereby justifying progression.

Where appropriate, for each success criterion, please specify a quantified target value that you will seek to attain and a quantified acceptable value, which, if achieved, would support project progression

DO NOT include project management meetings or other process-related tasks as milestone.

Your estimates of the milestone criteria being met should assume that preceding relevant target values had been achieved.

You are also asked to provide justification for the proposed set of criteria and for the selected target and acceptable values. As an example, in measuring partnership working you might propose a milestone based on number of new productive partnerships developed within a relevant time frame, a productive partnership might be evidenced by new jointly authored publications arising from the partnership research, with a target value of 5 new productive partnerships developed but an acceptable value of 3. In this case, you would justify why publications are a suitable measure of success and why 3 or more new partnerships would support appropriate project progression.

The range of potentially applicable milestones within an UKRMP Hub are broad and it may not be appropriate in all cases to measure success in this manner. However, applying such critical thinking can be informative in the development of the milestone metrics you present.

When completed, this form must be converted to a pdf file and submitted via the Jointelectronic Submission (Je-S) system as part of an Application for UKRMP funding as an attachment under document type Milestone Report.

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Funded by

BBSRC
epsrc
MRC