What is the IBioIC Facilities Access Fund?
The Facility Access Fund provides an exclusive opportunity for IBioIC Members to access Scotland’s World class HEI facilities. Facility access will be a key enabler to unlock access to further funding for companies to develop a new product or service. Funding will cover access to university facilities on a fee-for-service basis at an academic rate. IBioIC will contribute a maximum of £5K (exceptionally up to £10k) towards HEI facility service fees at 100% fEC.
This Facilities Access Funding (FAF) should form part of a larger project in any area of industrial biotechnology including, but not limited to:
- biorefining
- food and drink
- biotech in textiles and materials
- biomanufacturing
- waste management
- enzymes and catalysts
- downstream processing
- agritech
Projects should be aligned with Scotland’s National Plan for Industrial Biotechnology and provide innovative solutions for an industrial issue.
Applications must:
- request funding for use of a facility at a Scottish higher education institution (HEI) that’s eligible for Scottish Funding Council funding (this includes IBioIC’s Scale Up facilities)
- demonstrate opportunities to build ongoing relationships between the industrial partner and the HEI
- be part of a larger project being undertaken by the industrial partner (FAF funding must not exceed 30% of the total project costs)
- have the potential to lead to a new product or service
- be led an industrial partner
- include provisions for a service agreement between the participants in each facility project – IBioIC do not need to see this service agreement, but applicants must confirm there is an agreement in place
- apply for up to £5,000 at 100% of full economic costing (fEC) (£10,000 will be considered in exceptional circumstances)
- prove an expected benefit to Scotland
- demonstrate that the project has potential to lead to larger scale work, for example through a Scottish Enterprise SMART award, Innovate UK Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) or private investment
The overall project must not include any other IBioIC funding as part of the overall project costs. Facility costings must be at the academic rate but will be covered at 100% of full economic costing (fEC).
All industry partners on the FAF application must be IBioIC members.
