Actualités biocampus

BioCampus Montpellier Research and Service Core Facilities offer the users community a wide range of research services based on a broad set of key technologies. Adapted to the user’s scientific question, these services maybe routine or require mere adjustments. For more complex investigations, the extent of the adaptations required or the lack of available tools from the facility justifies the implementation of a joint R&D project to tackle all the technological issues raised by the users.

Both Service and Research&Development activities are at the very heart of the platform’s missions. Core facilities are a place for innovation and the key partner of the research teams to develop ambitious and original approaches. These R&D project i) give the research group access to a new tool to decipher the biological processes and ii) contribute to diversifying the core’s applications.  

Call description (French & English) Application form (in french)

The main goal of the program is to foster a research team/core facility partnership to give the user access to new services, adapted to their scientific questions. The objectives of the programme are to fund:

• Feasibility studies to adapt and validate an existing service to the research team's topic.

• Pilot approaches to either set up proofs of concept or generate preliminary data. These pilots will then allow the team and the Core Facility to continue in a larger project, through the submission of a joint application to an external, more ambitiously funded call.

• Short-term and complete R&D projects to develop a completely new, innovative tool adapted to the research team's questions.

There is no maximum amount of the project budget that can be claimed with the application. However, for the purpose of estimation, in 2021, the program funded 5 projects for a total of € 80,000.

The program will directly finance the BioCampus Montpellier Core Facilty (CF). Funds will be restricted to the joint user/CF project.

The maximum project duration is 6 months, within a 2022/01/01 to 2022/12/31 timeframe.

Eligible applicants are scientist (regardless of status) with at least a doctoral degree and a scientific record track proven by international achievements.

Proposals must comply with all following eligibility criteria:

• The project must involve one or several BioCampus Montpellier Core Facilities.
• As the Unit is funded through local contributions, applicant must work in a research structure of the MUSE I-Site. Other applicants may apply; however, the application will demonstrate to what extend the specific applicant’s added-value could not be brought by any other MUSE research group.
• The Applicant will be a user of the newly developed service.
• Project involving new facility users will be encouraged (as to diversify the origin of groups collaborating with the facility for its R&D).
• Applicant must not be facility staff nor work in the same research team of a staff of the local facility where the project will be carried out (when the latter does work for the platform and, for the rest of its working time, in this research team).
• Applicant must not have a running R&D Program award at time of application submission.
• The project should involve facility staff, committed to at least 30% of a full-time employment for the purposes of project realisation.

The project involves a Principal Investigator (the applicant) and a facility deputy project manager (deputy-PI) permanently overseeing the team’s work. A short description of the project management modalities will be provided.

Financing under the programme is not restricted to any topics. However, when pilot projects are proposed, connections to any lists of technologies such as Occitanie’s Smart Specialization Strategy/Défis clés, that will prove important for further external grant application success will be highlighted. Applicants should show significant application potential or importance to overcome a major technological bottleneck.

If applicable, the project may be the subject of a consortium agreement with a third party industrial partner. The applicants will then explain to which extend intellectual property is dealt with.

The project budget (VAT excl.) submitted with the competition application should be planned accordingly by the Project Manager/applicant, i.e. reflecting appropriately all the costs necessary to carry out the project. Costs that are not directly supported either by the applicant’s research team or the facility will not be included in the project budget nor are eligible.

When feasibility studies involve CF Service expenses, the applicant will provide the appropriate associated billing authorization.

All expenditures will be made by the BioCampus Montpellier unit. All equipments purchased will be the property of the unit/facility and recorded in its inventory.

When applicable, the recruitment of team members should follow HR Excellence in Research standards.

Eligible projects are being carried-out in partnership with one or more BioCampus Montpellier platforms. Would the applicant have difficulty in identifying a partner CF, he/she should feel free to contact the unit's director This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The BioCampus Montpellier R&D Program supports short-term full R&D projects, pilot projects and feasibility studies, defined for the purposes of the program as:

• Feasibility study: A study to determine if a service or technology available at a core facility is able to meet the needs of a current or upcoming longer term project, given adaptations. The project description will highlight how the proposal differs from mere regular adaptation, regularly carried-out by the facility. The program is not intended to fund simple, feasibility study whose outcome is expected. The mid-term potential of the study will be explicited

• R&D pilot: A small pilot project to generate an appropriate preliminary data set for inclusion in an upcoming funding application (or similar). Pilot project awards are not intended to fund ongoing research or full-scale research projects. The pilot project must have a high potential for long-term use. Applicants will describe the global consortium strategy and how funding of the described developments within the pilot will allow for a leverage effect. A brief provisional timeline will be given, including the pilot project itself and the subsequent phases (mature R&D project) till the delivery of the full development to the end-users of the facility. A short risk assessment will determine to which extent the pilot project has the potential to transform into a fully mature R&D project.

• Short term full R&D project: financing under the R&D program, together with any other available source of funding, will enable the project to be fully implemented. Given the whole program budget, those project are limited to a modest funding (ie. either the whole project does not require higher amounts or co-funding is mandatory to meet the needs). The results of the funded project are expected to lead to a mid-term use by the facility users. The applicant will briefly detail the various project phases (from beginning of the project to the expected date of disposal of the developments to end-users of the facility). Completion of an ongoing project also apply.

The associated application form should be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. before October 8^th, 2021.

Proposals must comply with all eligibility criteria in order to progress to competitive review. Projects will be analysed on a merit basis, using the criteria listed in the application form. It should be emphasized that neither the relevance of the scientific question of the applicant, its importance or the scientific track of the applicant are criteria for the application evaluation.  

The program is intended to be as flexible and reactive as possible. Hence, any co-funding is expected to be granted. Whenever required co-funding is pending, project will post-poned and the award potentially lost. If necessary, Applicants who qualify, together with their CF partners, will be invited to an interview with a local interdisciplinary panel of experts on October 8^th.

The selection committee is made up of the management committee of the BioCampus Montpellier service unit. If relevant, representatives of the MUSE Pôles and KIM (Key Initiatives) may help the committee. The selection committee will provide the unsuccessful applicants with an overall assessment of the quality of their proposal.

Modifications are possible, as long as the main goal of the project is kept unchanged. However, modifications are subjected to justification and approval by the head of the BioCampus Montpellier service unit. The funding will end by the end of 2022. Any unused moneys will be reattributed.

Any publications arising from the project financed by BioCampus Montpellier R&D program should acknowledge the program financial support.

Finally, at the end of the project, the head of the partner platform and/or the applicant will briefly present the results obtained at the unit's next biennial general meeting.