Closing date 14th April 2015, 4pm

This priority area focuses on the study of the processes and mechanisms underpinning the formation, function, and maintenance of complex microbial communities, using a range of approaches and embracing any types of microorganisms. The scope could include the manipulation of the community to assess the impact: for example, synthetic biology at the community level.

 
Understanding complex microbial communities is potentially a broad area of research, but for this highlight outline applications must have a research focus clearly aligned to one of the specific areas below. Such applications may focus on understanding the behaviour and functioning of any appropriate complex microbial community.
 
Sub-areas

Biofilm formation
Applications that seek to understand how biofilms encourage attachment and survival of microbial communities on surfaces and how the extracellular components of micro-organisms facilitate formation of 3D biofilms are of particular interest. Applications focusing on biofilm formation in a practical setting, including approaches to disrupt biofilms or to utilise biofilms for enhancing catalysis or production of novel compounds, are also welcomed.
The human and/or animal microbiome
Proposals that seek to advance understanding of the mechanistic basis of healthy gut, skin, oral (and other) microbiomes and their host interactions to maintain and improve health and (in the case of animals) combat disease, are of interest. Applications that provide a generic understanding across animal species including man, or which utilise advances from veterinary studies or human health to benefit the other, are also welcomed.
Anti-microbial resistance
Applications that address how the formation and maintenance of microbial communities facilitates gene-transfer, especially of anti-microbial resistance genes, and how physiological changes to the microbe in forming the community enhance or protect its ability to resist antimicrobial agents, are of particular interest. The effects of anti-microbials on animal or human gut communities and their implications for health, as well as understanding and developing anti-microbials which disrupt the formation of pathogenic microbial communities, are within the scope of this area.
Soil
Within this area understanding how microbial communities form and interact to benefit soil health is of particular interest, including interactions underpinning uptake and cycling of nutrients. The formation of microbial communities in soil also underpins survival of pathogens and persistence of anti-microbial resistance genes. Biochemical pathways involved in microbial community formation are also sources of novel compounds, and understanding the genes involved in these pathways could be a source of new anti-microbials or novel high-value chemicals.

 
Funding typically supports integrated research projects requiring long timescales, extensive resources and/or multidisciplinary approaches. Proposals must be over £2M (FEC project value net of any industrial contribution) and can be up to 5 years in duration. All sLoLa applications must address at least one of the sub-categories detailed above or the Responsive Mode strategic research priorities. 
 
Please note that the eligibility criteria for this call are as follows:

Applicants must have a track record of securing BBSRC funding as lead PI. This should be at least 3 competitively awarded BBSRC research grants over the past 10 years or an equivalent track record in an institute of BBSRC. Research outcomes and/or Final report evaluations of these grants will be taken into account during the assessment process. Senior scientists returning to the UK from overseas must have an equivalent track record. (Please note: BBSRC Research Equipment Initiative grants, studentships, outlines and awards that have not been competitively awarded will not be considered as part of the applicant's BBSRC track record
The principal investigator must commit at least 8 hours per week on the sLoLa project
The principal investigator must not already be lead PI on an existing LoLa or sLoLa (unless the grant is in its final year)

 
For further information on this call including details of the application process please visit the  BBSRC website, Strategic Longer and Larger Grants.

Please contact Sian Rowland, email: sian.rowland@bbsrc.ac.uk, if you have any questions regarding the fit of your proposed research to the strategic area.