IOI Grand Challenge and Synergy Grants

Funds are provided for innovative, high-quality projects and proof-of-concept work.

Areas which we are particularly interested in funding include: 

• Applications that address the economic and societal impact of AMR, and public acceptability of antibiotics. 
• Research supporting the appropriate use of antibiotics through stewardship and evidence-based treatment guidelines, as well as infection prevention control to prevent illness and reduce demand for antibiotics. 
• Alternative approaches to protecting domesticated livestock from common bacterial veterinary pathogens, which do not involve antibiotics, such as phage therapy, biologics or vaccines.
• Simple, cost-effective, rapid diagnostic tests capable of detecting AMR. Reliable, culture-independent, diagnostic tests for all AMR mechanisms are sought as are alternative means of prevention or protection against ESKAPE-mediated disease such as neutralising mAbs, vaccines or other biologics.
• Approaches that could lead to discovery of new drugs and drug targets in a range of ESKAPE pathogens, as well as new treatment regimens. These might include new ways to optimise antibiotic transport to bacteria in vivo, to overcome efflux pump-mediated resistance or to maintain effective intra-pathogen drug concentrations. Optimising the use of structural and cell biology for antibiotic development is encouraged. 
• The use of big data and computational methods including AI to underpin AMR research and interventions.

Projects with translational potential or real-world impact will be prioritised. All applications must have a clear line of sight to how the research could have an impact on AMR. 

Part of our mission is to ensure that there is a breadth of researchers working in AMR. Applicants from early and mid-career researchers (between 3 and 12 years after completion of a DPhil, PhD or MD), are particularly welcomed. For very early-stage researchers, it is recommended that the application is made in collaboration with your PI or mentor. 

Research that crosses thematic and disciplinary boundaries has greater potential for impact. Collaborations between Oxford researchers from different divisions, or departments, which utilise more than one discipline, are particularly encouraged.

Grand Challenge applications from researchers in just one Division will not be supported.

• IOI Grand Challenge should include at least 8 Oxford research groups.
• IOI Synergy Grants should include at least 3 Oxford research groups.

We will not be able to fund research outside of Oxford University, they can be part of your collaboration but we will not be able to fund that work. 

External groups will not count towards the minimum number of Oxford research groups for the grant application.

No, please think about 1 or 2 core areas for your project. There us no need to cover all areas.

We will support Postdoctoral Research Associate and Research Assistant salaries. We would not support an academic 'professorial' PI salary or fund a PhD project.

There are no restrictions on the number of grants you can be named on.

We are unable to support activities other than from those affiliated with the University of Oxford. External researchers can be part of an application but will not be funded by the grant, i.e. would need to find other funding/ resources to undertake the research.  

You can suggest an industry collaborator but we are unable to fund that work. The industry partner would need to find other funding for that research or undertake the work ‘in kind’.

We hope to make people aware if they are though to the next stage in the second week of June. The deadline for full applications will likely be amended to slightly later in July, to be confirmed. 

We expect projects to start by the end of 2024.