Opportunity status:
Open
Funders:
Funding type:
Grant
Total fund:
£20,000,000
Award range:
£200,000 - £1,500,000
Publication date:
23 October 2025
Opening date:
24 October 2025 9:00am UK time
Closing date:
20 January 2026 4:00pm UK time
Apply for funding to purchase mid-range equipment for research across Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)’s scientific areas through ALERT 2025.
You must be a researcher or a from an eligible UK research organisation to apply for funding.
You can only apply as project lead on one application.
This is an equipment only grant. The full economic cost (FEC) you request can be between £200,000 and £1.5 million. BBSRC will fund 100% of the FEC.
Awards last for 12 months and must start by 3 August 2026.
The ALERT 2025 funding opportunity is open to research organisations, researchers, and research technical professionals (RTPs) normally eligible to apply to BBSRC, as described in the .
This opportunity is open to organisations with standard eligibility. .
A research organisation may submit more than one application, but we strongly encourage research organisations to discuss and prioritise submissions given the highly competitive nature of this opportunity and scale of funding available. In the case of exceptional demand, we reserve the right to ask research organisations to undertake further internal prioritisation.
As an individual, you can only be the project lead on one submitted application, but you can still be project co-lead on a different application. However, as submissions will be in direct competition, this is not recommended unless the applications are in very different areas
Applications involving two or more collaborating research organisations are welcome but must be submitted as one application on the UKRI Funding Service by the lead research organisation.
Research technical professionals (RTPs)
Building on the and the, we particularly encourage applications from RTPs as either project leads or project co-leads. Further guidance on RTP eligibility criteria is provided within the Funding Service and in the ‘How to Apply’ section of this funding opportunity.
Equality, diversity and inclusion
for all funding applicants. We encourage applications from a diverse range of researchers.
We support people to work in a way that suits their personal circumstances. This includes:
* career breaks
* support for people with caring responsibilities
* flexible working
* alternative working patterns
for UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) applicants and grant holders during the application and assessment process.
Scope
The highlights the fundamental importance of supporting a diverse range of infrastructure to ensure the continued success of the UK biosciences. A key component of this is advanced, multi-user equipment that addresses the shared needs of research organisations, industry and end user communities.
Equipment funded through ALERT plays a vital role in driving the ambitions set out in. This document calls for strategic, future facing investment in the technologies and skills that underpin discovery and challenge-led research.
We recognise that new technologies, tools and approaches, often spanning several disciplines, are revolutionising biology and are providing unprecedented opportunities to:
* advance understanding of the complex, dynamic processes that govern life
* apply that knowledge for the benefit of society and the economy
To support this approach, this funding opportunity encourages you to apply for:
* equipment that will be widely used and underpins capability for scientific areas within our remit (relevance to the ambitions set out in is particularly encouraged)
* the use of emerging advanced research technology or utilisation of equipment in new ways, specifically ‘lab-to-field’ equipment which enables the translation (or applied use) of laboratory scale experiments to real-world settings or environments
* equipment that promotes collaboration and increased access to users within industry, public sector, and other institutions for example equipment sharing and access to equipment
.
Duration
The maximum duration of the grants is 12 months and grants must start by 3 August 2026 at the very latest.
No slippage will be allowed to this date, and grant extensions will not be allowed under any circumstances.
Funding available
The indicative budget for ALERT 2025 is approximately £20 million.
This is an equipment only grant. You may seek the costs of between £200,000 and £1.5 million in value, including VAT if applicable. Costs should be requested at 100% FEC.
The funding requested should be the costs being sought from us, net of any discounts and contributions from elsewhere. It may include associated eligible one-off costs such as initial service and maintenance contracts.
Funding must be requested under the ‘Exceptions – equipment’ heading only. Do not request costs under the ‘Directly Incurred – equipment’ heading. No other cost types are eligible under this funding opportunity. Any applications submitted with costs in any other heading will be rejected without consultation.
Contributions from host research organisations and other external sources are welcome but not mandatory. These may take the form of cash contributions, running costs or staff resourcing associated with the equipment, for example, managing, operating, or providing training on the equipment. Any contributions from elsewhere must be secured at the time of application.
What we will fund
Only one piece of capital equipment may be funded. However, this can include equipment that requires assembly or involves several components (not necessarily physically linked) provided they constitute one of the following:
* a pipeline: an end-to-end experimental process made up of several components that may require assembly
* a platform: a single piece of experimental equipment that may be constituted from multiple parts
If you plan to request several components that could constitute a pipeline or platform, your application should provide robust justification for why it should be considered as such. Relevant applications considered not to meet either of these definitions will be rejected. If you are unsure whether your proposed application meets either of these definitions, please contact us at
In a large multi-component application that is otherwise in scope, one or more small components costing under £10,000 may be requested. These must be from the same supplier with all components forming a single invoice. If they cannot be sourced from the same supplier, your research organisation will need to fund each component under £10,000 separately.
Costs such as initial installation or service maintenance contracts can be included if they are one-off costs and part of the manufacturer’s offer. These costs should be included in the equipment quotation.
Refurbishment or installation costs may be eligible under the scheme providing these are an absolute requirement for the proper functioning of the equipment, for example, a ventilation system or cold room. These costs must be itemised in the application and fully justified.
All equipment must be on the market at the time of the funding opportunity closing date.
What we will not fund
Applications in the following areas are excluded from ALERT 2025 and will not be accepted. We withhold the right to reject without consultation:
* applications where the principal beneficiaries are outside BBSRC remit
* applications where the principal beneficiaries are outside the UK
* applications that request any other costs apart from capital funding (for example running costs, staff costs, consumables, estate, and indirect costs)
* applications requesting costs with a total value below £200,000 or above £1.5 million (including VAT)
* applications that exceed 12 months in duration
* unsolicited resubmissions of applications that have previously been considered by us or any other funder
* applications requesting contributions to large facilities, purchase of equipment that constitute common elements of a well-found laboratory (such as centrifuges, fridges, incubators and so on) or for buildings and other types of infrastructures
* applications where the specified equipment is scheduled for market release after the funding opportunity close date
* multi-component applications that do not meet our pipeline or platform definition
* applications for technology development (although the use of new or emerging technologies is encouraged)
* applications to develop software packages
* applications for single-user or single-project equipment
* applications of the same nature that are currently under consideration by other funding opportunities
* applications where additional contributions are dependent on the outcome of applications to other funders or partners that are still under consideration
* applications that include general maintenance costs (other than those detailed in the ‘Additional funding considerations’ section) or depreciation costs
Resubmissions
If you have submitted a similar application that has either been peer reviewed or is currently undergoing peer review by another funder, please contact as soon as possible. We will confirm with you whether or not your new application is eligible for submission to ALERT 2025. Eligible resubmissions must have been prioritised for submission to ALERT 25 by the lead research organisation and, at a minimum, have addressed previous panel feedback.
Supporting skills and talent
We encourage you to follow the principles of the and the .
Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I)
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is committed in ensuring that effective international collaboration in research and innovation takes place with integrity and within strong ethical frameworks. Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I) is a UKRI work programme designed to help protect all those working in our thriving and collaborative international sector by enabling partnerships to be as open as possible, and as secure as necessary. Our set out UKRI’s expectations of organisations funded by UKRI in relation to due diligence for international collaboration.
As such, applicants for UKRI funding may be asked to demonstrate how their proposed projects will comply with our approach and expectation towards TR&I, identifying potential risks and the relevant controls you will put in place to help proportionately reduce these risks.
, including where applicants can find additional support.
We are running this funding opportunity on the new UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service so please ensure that your organisation is registered. You cannot apply on the Joint Electronic Submissions (Je-S) system.
The project lead is responsible for completing the application process on the Funding Service, but we expect all team members and project partners to contribute to the application.
Only the lead research organisation can submit an application to UKRI.
To apply
Select ‘Start application’ near the beginning of this Funding finder page.
1. Confirm you are the project lead.
2. Sign in or create a Funding Service account. To create an account, select your organisation, verify your email address, and set a password. If your organisation is not listed, email
Please allow at least 10 working days for your organisation to be added to the Funding Service. We strongly suggest that if you are asking UKRI to add your organisation to the Funding Service to enable you to apply to this opportunity, you also create an organisation Administration Account. This will be needed to allow the acceptance and management of any grant that might be offered to you.
3. Answer questions directly in the text boxes. You can save your answers and come back to complete them or work offline and return to copy and paste your answers. If we need you to upload a document, follow the upload instructions in the Funding Service. All questions and assessment criteria are listed in the How to apply section on this Funding finder page.
4. Allow enough time to check your application in ‘read-only’ view before sending to your research office.
5. Send the completed application to your research office for checking. They will return it to you if it needs editing.
6. Your research office will submit the completed and checked application to UKRI.
Where indicated, you can also demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant.
When including images, you must:
* provide a descriptive caption or legend for each image immediately underneath it in the text box (this must be outside the image and counts towards your word limit)
* insert each new image on a new line
* use files smaller than 5MB and in JPEG, JPG, JPE, JFI, JIF, JFIF, PNG, GIF, BMP or WEBP format
Images should only be used to convey important visual information that cannot easily be put into words. The following are not permitted, and your application may be rejected if you include:
* sentences or paragraphs of text
* tables
* excessive quantities of images
A few words are permitted where the image would lack clarity without the contextual words, such as a diagram, where text labels are required for an axis or graph column.
For more guidance on the Funding Service, see:
* * *
References
References should be included within the word count of the appropriate question section. You should use your discretion when including references and prioritise those most pertinent to the application.
Hyperlinks can be used in reference information. When including references, you should consider how your references will be viewed and used by the assessors, ensuring that:
* references are easily identifiable by the assessors
* references are formatted as appropriate to your research
* persistent identifiers are used where possible
General use of hyperlinks
Applications should be self-contained. You should only use hyperlinks to link directly to reference information. You must not include links to web resources to extend your application. Assessors are not required to access links to conduct assessment or recommend a funding decision.
Generative artificial intelligence (AI)
Use of generative AI tools to prepare funding applications is permitted, however, caution should be applied.
For more information see our policy on the .
Deadline
BBSRC must receive your application by 20 January 2026 at 4:00pm UK time.
You will not be able to apply after this time.
Make sure you are aware of and follow any internal institutional deadlines.
Following the submission of your application to the funding opportunity, your application cannot be changed, and applications will not be returned for amendment. If your application does not follow the guidance, it may be rejected.
Personal data
Processing personal data
BBSRC, as part of UKRI, will need to collect some personal information to manage your Funding Service account and the registration of your funding applications.
We will handle personal data in line with UK data protection legislation and manage it securely. For more information, including how to exercise your rights, read our .
Sensitive information
If you or a core team member need to tell us something you wish to remain confidential, email
Include in the subject line: [the funding opportunity title; sensitive information; your Funding Service application number].
Typical examples of confidential information include:
* individual is unavailable until a certain date (for example due to parental leave)
* declaration of interest
* additional information about eligibility to apply that would not be appropriately shared in the ‘Applicant and team capability’ section
* conflict of interest for UKRI to consider in reviewer or panel participant selection
* the application is an invited resubmission
For information about how UKRI handles personal data, read .
Publication of outcomes
BBSRC, as part of UKRI, will publish the outcomes of this funding opportunity at .
If your application is successful, we will publish some personal information on the.
Summary
Word limit: 550
In plain English, provide a summary we can use to identify the most suitable experts to assess your application.
We usually make this summary publicly available on external-facing websites, therefore do not include any confidential or sensitive information. Make it suitable for a variety of readers, for example:
* opinion-formers
* policymakers
* the public
* the wider research community
Guidance for writing a summary
Clearly describe your proposed work in terms of:
* context
* the research the equipment will enable
* aims and objectives
* potential applications and benefits
Core team
List the key members of your team and assign them roles from the following:
* project lead (PL)
* project co-lead (UK) (PcL)
* specialist
* technician
* professional enabling staff
* research and innovation associate
* researcher co-lead (RcL)
Only list one individual as project lead.
UKRI has introduced a new addition to the ‘Specialist’ role type. Public contributors such as people with lived experience can now be added to an application.