Public UK Research Council on Life Sciences
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council |
| Abbreviation | BBSRC |
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| Formation | 1994 (from merger of 2 other organisations) |
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| Type | Non-departmental public body |
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| Purpose | Funding of UK biological and biotechnological science research |
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| Headquarters | Polaris House,
North Star Avenue,
Swindon,
SN2 1UH |
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Region served | United Kingdom |
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Chair | Professor Martin Humphries FMedSci |
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| Professor Guy Poppy CB FMedSci |
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Main organ | BBSRC Council |
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Parent organisation | |
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| Affiliations | AHRC, EPSRC, ESRC, MRC, NERC, STFC, Innovate UK, Research England, UKSA |
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Budget | c. £498M |
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| Website | bbsrc.ukri.org |
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Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), part of UK Research and Innovation, is a non-departmental public body (NDPB), and is the largest UK public funder of non-medical bioscience. It predominantly funds scientific research institutes and university research departments in the UK.
Purpose
Receiving its funding through the science budget of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), BBSRC's mission is to "promote and support, by any means, high-quality basic, strategic and applied research and related postgraduate training relating to the understanding and exploitation of biological systems".[1]
Structure
BBSRC's head office is at Polaris House [2] in Swindon - the same building as the other councils of UK Research and Innovation, AHRC EPSRC, ESRC, Innovate UK, MRC, NERC, Research England and STFC, as well as the UKSA. Funded by Government, BBSRC invested over £498 million in bioscience in 2017–18. BBSRC also manages the joint Research Councils' Office in Brussels – the UK Research Office (UKRO).
History
BBSRC was created in 1994, merging the former Agricultural and Food Research Council (AFRC) and taking over the biological science activities of the former Science and Engineering Research Council (SERC).[3]
Chairs
Chief executives
Executive chairs
- Prof Melanie Welham FRSB (2018–2023)[5]
- Prof Guy Poppy (2023-2024)
- Prof Anne Ferguson-Smith FRS (2024-) (from 1 July 2024)
Governance and management
BBSRC is managed by the BBSRC Council consisting of a chair (Professor Martin Humphries), an executive chair (Professor Guy Poppy) and from ten to eighteen representatives from UK universities, government and industry. The council approves policies, strategy, budgets and major funding.
A research panel provides expert advice which BBSRC Council draws upon in making decisions. The purpose of the research panel is to advise on:
- the development and implementation of the council's strategic plans
- the competitiveness, relevance, economic impact, and societal considerations of the science and innovation activities funded by BBSRC
- opportunities for partnership with national and international organisations
Boards, panels and committees
In addition to the council and the research panel, BBSRC has a series of other internal bodies for specific purposes.
- Appointments Board
- Remuneration Board
- Strategy Advisory Panels - eight panels advise and report to the BBSRC Executive Chair
- Research Committees - five committees award research grants in specific science areas
Institutes of BBSRC
The council strategically funds eight research institutes in the UK, and a number of centres (BBSRC: Institutes and centres).
They have strong links with business, industry and the wider community, and support policy development.[citation needed]
The institutes' research underpins key sectors of the UK economy such as agriculture, bioenergy, biotechnology, food and drink and pharmaceuticals. In addition, the institutes maintain unique research facilities of national importance.
Other research institutes have merged with each other or with local universities. Previous BBSRC (or AFRC) sponsored institutes include:
