Instruct allocates funds to support small pilot research and development projects in any area of structural biology up to a maximum of €15,000 per project. Projects should propose basic or applied research which is preliminary in nature with an expectation of collecting data that may be included in support of an application for more substantial funding through conventional routes. Projects that include technology and/or software development are encouraged. All proposals must include the use of technologies available at Instruct Centres or develop technologies that will benefit the aims of Instruct-ERIC.

Application Process

Only applications submitted online before the deadline of 3 March 2023 (23:00 GMT) will be considered.  Applicants must be registered Instruct users, for any questions contact us directly at support@instruct-eric.org. Applicants must be resident in one of the Instruct Member countries.

Pilot projects may be funded up to a maximum of €15,000.  The funds are expected to cover research expenses but not normally salaries. The intent of this support is to help researchers develop external funding for projects, i.e. the expectation is that a pilot study will lead to a grant submission or to develop new technologies that will benefit the aims of Instruct.

Proposals should have the approval of a Principal Researcher at the applicant’s Institution or Department.

At the conclusion of a pilot study and within one year of the project start, a researcher must submit a progress report to the Instruct Executive Committee. On the basis of this report a researcher may exceptionally seek to extend the pilot study. As before, the approval decision will rest with the Executive Committee.

The study should be of limited scope and have well defined objectives. Ordinarily, a pilot study should be completed within one year. A short proposal is required for the initiation of a pilot study.

Call Submission Guidelines

R&D applications – Evaluation criteria:

Proposals will be peer reviewed and funding decisions will be taken by the Instruct Executive Committee. Comments on the proposal will be available to the applicant.

 Assessment criteria:

The criteria that Instruct will use to determine successful applications are: (score 0-5 for each element: 0=low; 5=high)

1. Novelty: Is the proposed project innovative and/or novel either in subject area or approach? (score 0-5)
2. Feasibility: Is it likely that something useful will result from one year’s support? Note that high risk/high gain preliminary projects are welcome and will be scored high, while trivial but feasible projects will be scored low (score 0-5)
3. Impact: Is there likely to be a high impact on the specific field? (score 0-5)
4. Methodology development: Is there likely to be methodology development that fits the aims of Instruct? (score 0-5)
5. Strengthen European science: Will the research help to build worthwhile links within Instruct or with the European structural biology community and beyond? (score 0-5)
6. Applicant(s): Is the track record and expertise of the research grouping of high quality and relevant to delivering the project proposed? (score 0-5)
7. Resources: How likely is Instruct funding to make a difference (taking account of other funding or institutional support available to the applicant)? (score 0-5)

Overall Quality: Is the overall scientific and technological merit of the proposal sufficient for Instruct support. (Y/N)

Review and decision process:

 1 external reviewer and 1 internal reviewer will be allocated per application

1. A small working panel will be formed to short-list based on the returned reviewer scores. Where there is no clear consensus from the reviewers, the panel will select a third reviewer to aid a decision.
2. The panel will recommend awards up to €15,000 each.