Scope
The primary purpose of the equipment must be biomedical research.
Applications from all scientific areas within MRC remit are eligible at this expression of interests stage, but we reserve the right to focus the remit of the full funding opportunity to manage demand.
Relevance to the priority areas in MRC’s delivery plan (PDF, 5.6MB) is particularly encouraged.
Applications may be for new capability or replacement equipment for existing capability. In the case of the latter, applications are encouraged to outline any additional new capacity or capability provided by the replacement.
Applications for second-hand or beta-testing equipment are also permitted, if you can demonstrate how you are addressing any associated risks with increased chance of equipment failure.
Requests for contributions to the following are outside the scope of this funding opportunity:
- very large facilities
- the purchase of equipment that constitutes normal elements of a well-founded laboratory, including:
- centrifuges
- fridges and other sample storage
- incubators
- buildings and other types of infrastructures
- establishment of generic departmental computing platforms (for example, high performance computing clusters) for data analysis or data storage.
Applications must consist of a single piece of capital equipment, although this can include equipment that requires assembly or involves several components (not necessarily physically linked) provided they constitute a single technology platform.
Funding available
Applications may seek the cost of capital equipment over £100,000, including VAT, requested under the ‘directly incurred equipment’ heading only.
An MRC contribution of up to 100% of the total cost can be requested. The MRC contribution requested must be over £100,000.
The maximum MRC contribution for an item of equipment will be £800,000, although the total item cost may be higher, with the remainder being met by institutional or partner contributions.
Contributions from the host institution or institutions and other external sources are encouraged but not mandatory.
It is expected that awards would be made in quarter three 2022. Successful applicants need to complete their spending by 31 March 2023.
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.
Service maintenance contracts may extend a maximum of 30 months past the end date of the award but the contract cost must be paid by the award end date.
Should the expected length of the contract exceed 30 months past the end date, then the cost included in the application should be reduced on a pro-rata basis so as to fit within the conditions as stated.
MRC expects that institutions will make longer term arrangements to ensure appropriate ongoing support over the lifetime of the equipment. Separately negotiated service contracts are not eligible for this opportunity.
Exclusions
Applications in the following areas will not be accepted and MRC withholds the right to reject these applications without consultation:
- applications that request any other costs apart from capital funding
- equipment requested valued below the £100,000 (VAT included) threshold
- requests for funding for equipment that is scheduled for market release after the opportunity closing date
- principal beneficiaries outside the UK (except for eligible MRC units in Africa)
- principal beneficiaries outside biomedical research
- establishment of generic computing platforms (for example, high performance computing clusters) when the intended use largely extends beyond research areas that are within the MRC remit
- requests for contributions to very large facilities or to the purchase of equipment that constitutes normal elements of a well-founded laboratory (for example, centrifuges, fridges and incubators) or for buildings and other types of infrastructures
- proposals for the development of new technology that are outside of the scope of this opportunity and will be rejected, although the use of new or emerging technologies is encouraged
- proposals to develop software packages
- applications of the same nature that at the same time have also been submitted to other award schemes (including research council grant schemes)
- unsolicited resubmissions of proposals that have previously been considered by MRC or any other funder.