The call for Blue Zone Consortium Flexible Talent Mobility Account (FTMA) proposals is now open!  

We recognise the importance of supporting both early career researchers (prior to first permanent academic appointment) and technical professionals to enhance quality research and innovation. Therefore, a minimum of 25% of the overall Blue Zone Consortium FTMA funding will be dedicated to early career researchers, with an additional 25% of funding allocated to technical professionals. We therefore encourage applications led or co-led by staff in these roles. 

Call Summary  

The FTMA should support the exchange of personnel, perspectives and knowledge, skills, and expertise between the academic and other sectors, focusing on the exchange, development, and training of individuals.  

Activities proposed must align with one or more of the Blue Zone Consortium themes: metabolic health, healthy ageing across the life course, and transformative technologies. We particularly welcome applications within the UKRI’s strategic theme: ‘Securing better health, ageing and wellbeing’. 

FTMA funding can only be used for employed researchers, technicians and other staff. It cannot be used to support undergraduate, masters and PhD students, unless they have an employment contract. 

Applicants for FTMA funding will be asked to present a case for support that includes clear objectives and outputs from the proposed work, as well as identifying further routes for development and leverage of awarded funding.  

Applications will be reviewed by our independent reviewer pool from a range of sectors, with reviewers selected based on their experience relevant to each application. The assessment will be based on the project relevance to the Blue Zone Consortium, FTMA and UKRI Strategy objectives, potential sustainability through further funding leverage, the involvement of a research / other sector partner and consideration of EDI principles.     

There is flexibility in the usage of the FTMA, but activities undertaken must support the mobility and development of academic and other sector researchers, technical professionals, and other professional staff. The activities should aim to pump-prime the establishment of new interactions and further develop existing ones. Furthermore, they can be used to support non-UK nationals to undertake short-term secondments and research collaborations that are hosted within a UK research organisation (and involve other sector partners, where appropriate). In line with the principles of the Researcher Development Concordat and the Technician Commitment applicants should consider how the FTMA might be used to support individuals in their career development.  

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion   

At the Blue Zone Consortium, we believe that diverse perspectives contribute to more comprehensive and robust research and innovation outcomes we are committed to fostering an inclusive environment through an effective Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) policy that benefits our members and collaborators.   

When you joined the Blue Zone Consortium, with your permission we collected your equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) data. This information will be anonymized and used by our EDI team to monitor membership, training, networking, and funding applications and awards. This is part of our reporting process to the FTMA funder; the BBSRC. Additionally, this data will help us understand the diversity within our consortium and develop and implement action plans to support our EDI policy. The Blue Zone Consortium is committed to preventing discrimination and promoting opportunities for all. 

Please, see our EDI policy for more details.

Below is more information on the Blue Zone Consortium FTMA Funding Call

For more information you can view our recorded version below

Eligibility  

Who can apply? 

All researchers, technical professionals or other staff from BBSRC-eligible organisations who are members of the Blue Zone Consortium at the time of applying.  

Researchers and technical professionals or staff from other sector organisations who are members of the Blue Zone Consortium at the time of applying can be named on applications as collaborators.  

Outward applications can be submitted by researchers and technical professionals, or other staff currently employed, to support placement, exchange or secondment.    

Inward applications can be submitted by project leads who wish to host a person undertaking a mobility activity in their group or team.  

Who is eligible to benefit from FTMAs?  

Any research or supporting staff (UK and overseas), working within the Blue Zone Consortium remit or pursuing an FTMA activity within a BBSRC-funding eligible healthy ageing field, including but not limited to:  

• postdoctoral researchers  

• research technical professionals (including technicians)  

• academic research staff  

• knowledge exchange and commercialisation professionals  

• professional enabling staff  

• staff from non-academic organisations.  

Who is not eligible to benefit from NBIC-FTMAs?  

Students (including undergraduate, masters or PhD), unless they hold an employment contract. 

What we will fund

Types of mobility  

We will fund short-term placements and exchanges of up to six months duration. Funds can be used to support outgoing or incoming research professionals to undertake an exchange. The activities should aim to establish or further develop partnerships between academic, business, public sector and third sector organisations. Activities could include (but are not limited to):  

• exchanges between academic institutions and businesses, public sector and third sector organisations   

• interdisciplinary academia to academia exchanges  

• international placements and exchanges  

• placements and exchanges with policymakers  

• shorter placements, for example, day releases  

• longer placements, up to six months maximum  

• secondments, up to six months maximum  

• technology transfer and knowledge exchange development opportunities  

The FTMA can be used to support existing investments or partnerships or to establish new collaborations. The funds should be used to build and further develop those collaborations to enable knowledge exchange between sectors and institutions.  

Eligible costs 

Funding requested can be used to cover the direct costs of mobility activities, for example, travel, accommodation, reasonable subsistence, training, consumables, salary.  

Funds can be used to support non-UK nationals to undertake short-term placements and research collaborations that are hosted within a UK research organisation, subject to UK visa requirements.  

Costs for small grant specific consumables, for example, laboratory consumables are also eligible.  

All applications must be fully costed and approved by your institution’s finance office. Please liaise with your departmental finance team to obtain a costing for your proposal.  

Non-eligible costs 

Funds cannot be used for patent costs, estates costs, indirect costs or capital items of equipment.    

Activities (placements, exchanges or training) for students are not eligible.  

The Grant Application Process  

Applications must be prepared on the provided application form and submitted to us by sending the application to [email protected].  

Alongside your completed application form, you will be required to provide the following documents:  

• Your approved institutional costing and confirmation that the application has been submitted with the agreement of the host institution who, if awarded, would administer the grant. Either documents or email communication signed-off by the appropriate institutional signatory are acceptable. 

• A letter of support from the collaborative partner(s).   

Please submit all documents in PDF format.   

The Blue Zone Consortium will aim to review your application and provide the decision on funding within one month of the submission deadline.  

Assessment criteria  

Applications will be considered against the following criteria:  

• Relevance to FTMA objectives. 

• Relevance to objectives of Blue Zone Consortium and UKRI Strategic Themes 

• Potential benefits to collaborator(s) (if applicable)  

• Potential development benefits to the technical professional or early career researcher (where appropriate) 

• Plan for further translational activity as a result of the placement  

• EDI considerations  

Award Conditions, Final Report & Funding Arrangements  

Funding will be dispersed using the usual financial regulations and systems. Funds must be spent in accordance with the terms and conditions of the BBSRC.  

Those receiving awards will be required to work with their institutional Research Support Office to ensure appropriate protection of intellectual property, where relevant.  

As a condition of the grant, a final report and invoice, alongside expenditure statement, must be submitted to [email protected], within one month of your project end-date. Invoices will not be paid until receipt of the final project report.  

Invoices must not include items for activities that have taken place outside of your project timeframe. 

We will send a reporting template to successful applicants in due course. 

Potential applicants are advised to contact the Blue Zone Consortium Team at [email protected] before submitting their application if they have any questions.