Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), part of UK Research and Innovation, is a

non-departmental public body In the United Kingdom, non-departmental public body (NDPB) is a classification applied by the Cabinet Office, Treasury, the Scottish Government, and the Northern Ireland Executive to public sector organisations that have a role in the process o ...

(NDPB), and is the largest UK public funder of non-medical bioscience. It predominantly funds

scientific Science is a systematic discipline that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the universe. Modern science is typically divided into twoor threemajor branches: the natural sciences, which stu ...

research institutes and

university A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

research departments in the UK.

Purpose

Receiving its funding through the science budget of the

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) is a ministerial department of the government of the United Kingdom. It was established on 7 February 2023 by a cabinet reshuffle under the Rishi Sunak premiership. The departm ...

, 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".

Structure

BBSRC's head office is at Polaris House in

Swindon Swindon () is a town in Wiltshire, England. At the time of the 2021 Census the population of the built-up area was 183,638, making it the largest settlement in the county. Located at the northeastern edge of the South West England region, Swi ...

- the same building as the other councils of UK Research and Innovation, AHRC

EPSRC The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is a British Research Council that provides government funding for grants to undertake research and postgraduate degrees in engineering and the physical sciences, mainly to univers ...

, 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 2017–18. BBSRC also manages the joint Research Councils' Office in Brussels – the UK Research Office (UKRO).

History

BBSRC was created in 1994, merging the former

Agricultural and Food Research Council The Agricultural and Food Research Council (AFRC) was a British Research Council responsible for funding and managing scientific and technological developments in farming and horticulture. History The AFRC was formed in 1983 from its predecessor ...

(AFRC) and taking over the biological science activities of the former

Science and Engineering Research Council The Science and Engineering Research Council (SERC) and its predecessor the Science Research Council (SRC) were the UK agencies in charge of publicly funded scientific and engineering research activities, including astronomy, biotechnology and bi ...

(SERC). Chairs * Sir Alistair Grant (1994–1998) * Dr Peter Doyle (1998–2003) * Dr Peter Ringrose (2003–2009) * Prof Sir

Tom Blundell Sir Thomas Leon Blundell, (born 7 July 1942) is a British biochemist, structural biologist, and science administrator. He was a member of the team of Dorothy Hodgkin that solved in 1969 the first structure of a protein hormone, insulin. Blun ...

(2009–2015) * Prof Sir Gordon Duff (2015–present) Chief executives * Prof (now Sir)

(1994–1996) * Prof Ray Baker (1996–2002) * Prof (now Dame) Julia Goodfellow (2002–2007) * Prof Douglas Kell (2008–2013) * Dr Jackie Hunter (from 21 October 2013) * Prof Melanie Welham (2016–2018) Executive chairs * Prof Melanie Welham (2018–2023) * Prof Guy Poppy (2023–2024) * Prof Anne Ferguson-Smith (2024–) (from 1 July 2024)

Governance and management

BBSRC is managed by the BBSRC Council consisting of a chair (Professor Martin Humphries), an executive chair (Professor Guy Poppy) 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: * the development and implementation of the council's strategic plans * the competitiveness, relevance, economic impact, and societal considerations of the science and innovation activities funded by BBSRC * opportunities for partnership with national and international organisations

Boards, panels and committees

In addition to the council and the research panel, BBSRC has a series of other internal bodies for specific purposes. * Appointments Board * Remuneration Board * Strategy Advisory Panels – eight panels advise and report to the BBSRC Executive Chair * Research Committees – five committees award research grants in specific science areas

Institutes

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. 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. *

Babraham Institute The Babraham Institute is a life sciences research institution focussing on healthy ageing. The Babraham Institute is based on the Babraham Research Campus, partly occupying a former manor house, but also laboratory and science facility buil ...

(BI) (

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

) * Earlham Institute (EI) (formerly The Genome Analysis Centre) (

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...

) * The Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS), part of

Aberystwyth University Aberystwyth University () is a Public university, public Research university, research university in Aberystwyth, Wales. Aberystwyth was a founding member institution of the former federal University of Wales. The university has over 8,000 stude ...

(

Aberystwyth Aberystwyth (; ) is a University town, university and seaside town and a community (Wales), community in Ceredigion, Wales. It is the largest town in Ceredigion and from Aberaeron, the county's other administrative centre. In 2021, the popula ...

) * John Innes Centre (JIC) (

) * The Pirbright Institute (

Pirbright Pirbright () is a village in Surrey, England. Pirbright is in the Guildford (borough), borough of Guildford and has a civil parish council covering the traditional boundaries of the area. Pirbright contains one buffered sub-locality, Stanford ...

), formerly the Institute for Animal Health (IAH) *

Quadram Institute The Quadram Institute is a centre for food and health research, combining Quadram Institute Bioscience (formerly the Institute of Food Research), the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals' endoscopy centre and aspects of the University of E ...

(

), formerly the Institute of Food Research * The Roslin Institute (RI) (

Midlothian Midlothian (; ) is registration county, lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area and one of 32 council areas of Scotland used for local government. Midlothian lies in the east-central Lowlands, bordering the City of Edinburgh council ar ...

), part of the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

Rothamsted Research Rothamsted Research, previously known as the Rothamsted Experimental Station and then the Institute of Arable Crops Research, is one of the oldest agricultural experiment station, agricultural research institutions in the world, having been founde ...

(

Harpenden Harpenden () is a town and civil parish in the City and District of St Albans in the county of Hertfordshire, England. The population of the built-up area was 30,674 in the 2021 census, while the population of the civil parish was 31,128. Harpe ...

and North Wyke) Other research institutes have merged with each other or with local universities. Previous BBSRC (or AFRC) sponsored institutes include: * Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research (IGER –

), merged with the University of Aberystwyth 2008 * Letcombe Laboratory *

Long Ashton Research Station Long Ashton Research Station (LARS) was an agricultural and horticultural government-funded research centre located in the village of Long Ashton near Bristol, UK. It was created in 1903 to study and improve the West Country cider industry an ...

(LARS –

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

) * the Plant Breeding Institute (PBI –

) * the Weed Research Organisation (WRO –

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

) * Silsoe Research Institute (SRI –

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated ''Beds'') is a Ceremonial County, ceremonial county in the East of England. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Hertfordshire to the south and the south-east, and Buckin ...

) was closed in 2006.

References

{{Authority control Biological research institutes in the United Kingdom Biology education in the United Kingdom Biotechnology in the United Kingdom Biotechnology organizations Government agencies established in 1994 Life sciences industry Organisations based in Swindon Organizations established in 1994 Research institutes in the United Kingdom Science and technology in the United Kingdom UK Research and Innovation 1994 establishments in the United Kingdom