BBSRC Standard Research Grant: 2026 Round One: Applicant-Led Mode

The BBSRC Standard Research Grant: 2026 Round One: Applicant-led Mode is a major funding opportunity delivered by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). It supports excellent investigator-led research across the full breadth of the biosciences, enabling researchers to pursue high quality, curiosity driven projects that expand knowledge and capability within the UK research landscape.

This open applicant-led competition allows researchers to define their own research questions within BBSRC’s scientific remit, spanning fundamental and applied biological sciences, including work on plants, microbes, animals and humans, as well as tools and technologies that enable cutting-edge research.

Funding is available for projects of up to five years’ duration, with a maximum full economic cost (FEC) of £2 million and BBSRC providing up to 80 % of the FEC. This level of support allows research teams to undertake ambitious programmes of work, purchase essential equipment and resources, and foster collaborations that strengthen the UK’s bioscience research base.

Eligibility is restricted to researchers based at UK research organisations eligible for BBSRC funding, ensuring the investment directly benefits the UK research ecosystem. International collaborators may be included as project partners where appropriate, but the lead must be at a UK-based eligible organisation.

The Standard Research Grant scheme is a cornerstone of BBSRC’s responsive funding portfolio, committed to advancing excellent science, interdisciplinary discovery and long-term capacity building within the UK’s biotechnology and biological sciences community.