Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council

Public UK Research Council on Life Sciences

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Budget

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.

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]

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 201718. BBSRC also manages the joint Research Councils' Office in Brussels the UK Research Office (UKRO).

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

BBSRC is managed by the BBSRC Council consisting of a chair (from 2015, Professor Sir Gordon Duff), an executive chair (Professor Melanie Welham) 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:

In addition to the council and the research panel, BBSRC has a series of other internal bodies for specific purposes.

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:

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Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council