BBSRC Stand-alone LINK

BBSRC Stand-alone LINK is BBSRC’s pre-competitive industry-academia collaboration route under UKRI. It supports projects that would not move forward in that form without LINK support, and it is still active under the modern name Stand-alone LINK. The scheme sits inside Responsive Mode rather than operating as a separate dated call. A project needs at least one company and one academic partner, and the industry side must contribute at least 50% of total project cost. Cash or in-kind support both count, while BBSRC covers 80% of the remaining full economic cost and institutions cover the balance. The scheme can reach GBP 2 million and is submitted through the standard applicant-led route. LINK is designed for collaborations with formal industrial commitment, agreed IP ownership or exploitation terms, and a collaboration agreement in place before work starts. It suits pre-competitive research where the company partner is essential and the project has clear scientific and commercial deliverables. Applications run on the rolling Responsive Mode timetable through the UKRI Funding Service.

Each grant below is a distinct funding opportunity with its own eligibility, scope, and deliverables.