Applicants can only access the proposal forms via the Joint Electronic Submission (Je-S) system between the call opening date and the deadline date. Please refer to MRC application deadlines for a list of forthcoming funding opportunities and their respective opening and deadline dates.
Applicants are responsible for ensuring the selection of the correct Je-S form and Call when they follow the create function within their ‘Documents’ section. This allows them to create a ‘New Document’ within Je-S and then select the correct research council, document type, scheme and call to enable the creation of the correct Je-S form and final submission to the correct MRC funding opportunity.
Where proposals to a specific call cover a wide science remit – for example MRC Research Boards MRC requires applicants to indicate the board and science area of their project, to ensure each submitted proposal is directed to the correct teams for examination and assessment. Applicants indicate these by completing the Je-S proforma section ‘Board or panel portfolio’. Completing this section requires applicants to firstly select the most appropriate board or panel from the list of options made available by MRC. Following selection of the most relevant MRC board or panel, the applicant is required to indicate the panel (MRC science area), most appropriate to their proposal.
If appropriate to the MRC funding opportunity, the MRC also requires the applicant to complete the Je-S proforma section ‘Grant type’. This is again to assist MRC during the assessment process of the proposal, helping us to identify the type of application being submitted. The grant type section includes a list of all options appropriate to the MRC call selected within project details of the Je-S form. Applicants are required to select one of the available options from the list, which is most relevant to their proposal.
Please note if the application is not being submitted to a board – for example Biomedical Catalyst: Developmental Pathway Funding Scheme (BMC:DPFS) – then the scheme and call will reflect this accordingly and the correct options should be chosen. These will be obvious and reflect what is being applied for. If you are unsure, please contact the MRC for guidance.
When applying to any of the four MRC research boards, applicants have two calls to select from, ‘New Investigator Research Grant (NIRG)’ and ‘Research Boards Submissions’. It should be noted that the ‘New Investigator’ grant is aimed at researchers who are capable of becoming independent Principal Investigators and who are ready to take the next step towards that goal. For further information regarding New Investigator eligibility please see the MRC website.
MRC also requires applicants to indicate the type of grant they are submitting for consideration. This selection is indicated within the ‘Grant Type’ section of the Je-S form. Applicants will then select the most appropriate grant type option available from the list of selections.
New Investigators applying to the NIRG call complete the grant type section by selecting and saving the ‘New Investigator Research Grant’ option.
MRC applicants applying to the Research Boards (+ Month + Year) for example Research Boards Sep 2021 Submissions, select the most appropriate grant type option applicable to their application:
- centre grant
- methodology research panel
- partnership grant
- programme grant
- research grant.
If the incorrect grant type is chosen, MRC will return the application to the applicant for amendment. For further information in regards to the above grant types please refer to how we fund research. Applicants from MRC units and institutes may not apply for centre and programme grant types.
Applicants considering the submission of either a programme or partnership grant, should note the additional requirement to contact MRC at least six weeks before the submission deadline, to discuss their application. This contact will allow MRC to ensure the application fits the scheme requirements.