MRC Discovery Award
Programme Specification
ROUND 1
BACKGROUND TO THE MRC DISCOVERY AWARD
The University has been awarded a block grant of £800k from the MRC under its Discovery
Awards scheme to fund ‘A window into the brain: Imaging neural circuits involved in
behaviour and neuropathologies.’ The majority of these funds will be allocated through an
open internal scheme to fund pilot projects which will drive the development of technologies that
allow optical imaging of neural activity in structures deep in the brain, with a resolution down to
individual neurons.
The aim of the MRC Discovery Award scheme is to enable new areas of basic research to
develop faster and better than response mode funding alone. The MRC state that one of the
long-term aims can be: “Development within the university – e.g. progressing a new area
towards large Programme award(s), developing new technology platforms, or progress
towards a new centre of excellence”. Our application was centered on these long-term
objectives.
PURPOSE OF THE AWARD
This is best described by the summary to the original application.
How does the brain process stimuli to coordinate behavioural processes? Mechanistic answers
to this question will require real-time observations of the activity patterns of neurons within key
circuits of the brain. This level of analysis will also reveal how brain function becomes
compromised as a consequence of drugs, neurodegeneration or inflammation. Optical methods
such as multiphoton microscopy now provide the resolution required to image neuronal and
synaptic activity in awake animals and we will develop these methods to drive the circuit-level
analysis of behaviours such as addiction and neuropathologies such as Alzheimer’s Disease.
We will achieve this by:
1.
Developing new methods that allow the imaging and manipulation of neural activity in
deep brain structures of awake animals carrying out cognitive and behavioural tasks. These
approaches will build on our current expertise in multiphoton microscopy and behavioural and
circuits-level neuroscience to provide a ‘window into the brain’.
2.
Driving collaboration between molecular neuroscientists who develop new reporter
proteins, sensory and behavioural neuroscientists who implement novel behavioural assays in
which imaging data can be collected and computational neuroscientists who develop software
tools to analyse the resulting large datasets.
3.
Initiating ambitious new lines of research that seek to understand the neural circuits
involved in addiction, the recognition of specific stimulus sequences, the cognitive deficits in
Alzheimer’s Disease or the mechanisms of neurovascular coupling in the brain.
Our ambition is to make Sussex a world-leading centre for the circuit-level analysis of sensory
processing and behaviour in vertebrates. An MRC Discovery Award will build on our recent
investments in multiphoton imaging by allowing us to develop our technical platform to image
subcortical brain structures. This will be a crucial step in expanding the use of high-resolution
imaging methods beyond sensory neuroscientists investigating the cortex to behavioural
neuroscientists studying deeper brain structures. The dissemination of this expertise within the
UK will play a key role in driving research that aims to understand how neural circuits operate to
control behaviour in both healthy and diseased states.
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PURPOSE OF THE INTERNAL FUNDING SCHEME
Total funds available for this call are approximately £200-250K. Applicants for this round can
apply for projects up to about £125K but applications towards the higher end of this scale would
have to have an especially compelling rationale to be successful and involve collaboration
between laboratories.
Projects would normally be expected to begin within 2 months of notification and run for a
maximum of 18 months. Projects should start by 1 July 2016 at the latest as all projects must
have ended by 28 February 2018. Projects cannot exceed this end date. If you need to recruit
staff please allow enough time for the recruitment process when selecting a project start date.
Multidisciplinarity is not a requirement but is strongly encouraged.
Applications need to provide a convincing case according to the purpose of the award described
above. Specifically factors that will be taken into account include:
 The likelihood that the project will lead to submission of an external grant application.
 That specific external funding applications will be made within 18 months of the start of
the award.
 That the timeframe of the project is realistic.
 That the funds requested are fully justified and provide value for money.
 That the application will contribute to the growth of Sussex Neuroscience as a leading
centre for the circuit-level analysis of sensory processing and behaviour.
ELIGIBILE APPLICANTS
The scheme is open to all research staff (PIs and research fellows) from relevant disciplines;
however, we expect the applicant to be employed during the Discovery Award funded project
period and also during the proposed externally funded project(s) which would occur after the
Discovery Award pump-priming activity. Staff on teaching-only contracts are ineligible to apply.
INELIGIBLE COSTS
The funding is not intended to support:
 Continuation of normal research grants
 Research directed at generating or validating preliminary data for a ‘follow-on’ grant from
established lines of enquiry.
 Administrative costs
 PhD costs
 Bridging funds for staff between posts
 Permanent staff time (e.g. PI, Co-I)
ELIGIBLE COSTS
Projects can request 100% of Directly Incurred costs (excluding those listed above) plus Major
and Small Research Facilities, and MRI scanning costs. If you plan to hire a Research
Assistant as part of your project, please include recruitment costs in your budget.
APPLICATION PROCESS
A single Principal Investigator should be identified as the lead or co-ordinating applicant.
Applicants are encouraged to be as concise as possible and not exceed the maximum page
limits specified. Any material beyond these page limits will not be considered. Single line
spacing can be used and font should be 11pt Arial. The application form must be used continuation sheets will not be accepted.
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Applications are structured as follows:
Part 1: Cover sheet
Part 2: Project description and methodology.
Part 3: Outcomes
Part 4: Budget and justification of resources
Part 5: Licences, ethics and intellectual property
Applicants should submit their completed application to Ruth Staras R.Staras@sussex.ac.uk by
5pm on Friday 15th April 2016. Applications submitted after the deadline will not be reviewed.
KEY COMMISSIONING DATES
Call issued
Deadline
Panel
meeting
Decision to
applicants
Earliest project
start date
Latest start
date
(if no staff to be
recruited)
Friday 18th
March 2016
Friday
15th April 2016
Wednesday 27th
April 2016.
Friday 29th
April 2016.
16th May 2016.
1st July 2016.
A call for a second round will be issued, most likely in October 2016, for a closing date in
November 2016. Applications for the second round may be for new projects or for further
development of projects funded in the first round.
REVIEW PROCEDURE
Applications will be reviewed by a panel consisting of Prof. Leon Lagnado, Prof. Kevin Staras,
Dr. Sarah King and Prof. Matteo Carandini (UCL). Other internal or external experts may also
be asked to review applications.
Applications should address the following criteria which will be used to review the proposals:
 Project’s ability to generate innovative research resulting in a substantive external
funding application.
 Importance and originality of research questions.
 Clarity of objectives and methodology.
 Planned endpoint of the project (please provide a one sentence statement).
 Viability of programme of activities.
 Plan for delivery.
 The extent to which the work is likely to meet the MRC aims that it “initiate and build
critical mass and capacity in otherwise underexplored, high-potential areas of research”.
 The extent to which the work is likely to meet the purpose of the award described above.
REPORTING REQUIREMENTS
Successful principal applicants will be expected to submit at least two reports: one detailing
progress and outcomes 6 months from the start of the award and a second follow-on report 6
months after the project end date.
Reports should address the following:
 Progress towards anticipated outcomes.
 Priorities/planned activities for next period.
 How the work accomplished has contributed to the growth of Sussex Neuroscience as a
leading centre for the circuit-level analysis of sensory processing and behaviour.
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FURTHER INFORMATION
All applicants are welcome to discuss their planned proposal with:
Leon Lagnado, L.Lagnado@sussex.ac.uk
All costing queries should be directed to:
 Gisela Hafezparast, G.J.Hafezparast@sussex.ac.uk ext. 3253
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