Call for Proposals: UK-India Covid-19 Partnership Initiative

Deadline: 1-Dec-20

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the Medical Research Council (MRC) and Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) have joined hands with the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), India, to invite proposals for the UK-India Covid-19 Partnership Initiative.

The objective is to deliver research funding for internationally competitive and innovative collaborations between researchers from India and the UK.

Proposals must consider the immediate morbidity and mortality associated with COVID-19 and demonstrate how progress within the period of award could make a direct and significant contribution to the understanding, prevention or management of the COVID-19 outbreak among south Asian populations in the UK and India.

Through the UK-India Covid-19 partnership initiative, the funders aim to:

Support world-leading collaborative research teams focussed on mitigating the severity of COVID-19 in South Asian populations in the UK and India;
Enhance existing partnerships and develop new partnerships between the UK and India in efforts to address COVID-19;
Strengthen the strategic relationship between the UK and India.

Your research should focus on south Asian populations in the UK and India and can involve:

Mechanistic studies of the disease and its long term effects;
Virology, immunity and pathophysiology;
Epidemiology.

Funding Information and Duration

In total, UKRI will make up to £4 million available in support of the UK component of the collaborative projects, with matched equivalent resource provided by DBT in support of the Indian components.
Projects must be up to 18 months in duration.
All proposals will need to be able to show how progress within the period of award could make a valuable contribution to the understanding, diagnosis, prevention or management of the COVID-19 outbreak, with data, tools and reagents generated under this call to be made widely available.
Projects must start by 1 May 2021. Applicant teams must be able to commence research quickly with relevant collaborations in place by the start of the research.
UK applicants should refer to the standard MRC guidance for applicants for information on what the starting procedure entails. Please inform the relevant support staff in your organisation of this requirement to ensure the project starts on time.
Applicants from India should refer to DBT guidance for information on the pre-award process and should be prepared to proactively engage in DBT and finance processes to ensure that their project starts on time.

UKRI and DBT will fund research collaborations that:

study related ethnic groups in different environments;
explore the role of external influences and demographic variables in influencing COVID-19;
improve the understanding of the differential outcomes in populations of similar ethnic origin.

What they’re looking for?

Short term (up to 18 month) proposals are sought, with rapid activation required.
Proposals must consider the immediate morbidity and mortality associated with COVID-19. They must demonstrate how progress within the period of award could make a direct and significant contribution to the understanding, prevention or management of the COVID-19 outbreak among south Asian populations in the UK and India.
Proposals must focus on south Asian populations in both the UK and India. As this is a joint UK-India call, the primary population of focus should be Indian, but, where justified, applicants may include an additional focus on other south Asian populations within the UK and India.
The funders are particularly encouraging proposals that: explore the role of external influences and demographic variables in influencing COVID-19 through the study of related ethnic groups in different environments and, or improve their understanding of the differential outcomes in populations of similar ethnic origin.
Where appropriate, proposals may include a focus on different regions or sub-populations within the respective UK and Indian south Asian populations.

Eligibility Criteria

This call will fund partnerships between UK and India-based researchers working on COVID-19.
Principal investigators/applicants may only submit one application to this scheme as principal investigator, but may be involved in more applications if listed as a co-investigator.

Assessment Criteria

To be funded, proposals must be internationally competitive and at a standard equivalent to that normally expected to be supported by each funding organisation.
Proposals will be reviewed firstly by external experts, chosen based on the subject matter of the proposal. These reviews will then inform an expert panel, who will make recommendations on outcome to UKRI and DBT.
The panel will comprise an equal number of UK and India-based members. On the UK side, they will strive to ensure a diverse and representative panel membership.
Applicants will not have an opportunity to respond to panel comments in instances where feedback is provided, except where clarifications or changes are required as part of the award process. Key assessment criteria for the submissions will include:
- the potential for the proposal to have an impact within the period of the award and to provide a unique value-adding contribution relative to existing activity;
- access to required resources;
- applicant expertise and experience;
- partnership: including strength and clarity of collaborations and opportunities provided;
- design and feasibility of project plan;
- value for money (for UK and India);
- alignment with World Health Organisation roadmap priorities.
The decisions of the panel will not be open to appeal and the funders reserve the right to amend the application process.
Funding decisions will be made through a joint process between MRC, ESRC and DBT.