Strand 1 – Theme 3: Low-cost custom Phenomics Funding Call
PhenomUK Research Infrastructure is a £2.4 M Scoping Activity supported by the UKRI Infrastructure Fund. Launched in February 2023, this two-year project aims to define and pilot a nationwide distributed research infrastructure, with regional sites, which will enable new ways of working and cultural shift in the UK’s approach to plant phenomics. You can find out more about PhenomUK and the scoping activity at phenomuk.org
The Access to Facilities pilot aims to identify challenges associated with accessing current infrastructure and expertise in a distributed network. The pilot will fund a number of activities that address these challenges.
Funding for access trials
In this round of funding, we invite applications that address the challenges of Low-cost custom phenomics. In this activity, we aim to support projects focusing on the development, application and/or replicability of low-cost, custom phenomics equipment. We are interested in supporting projects that take.
1. an existing piece of phenomics equipment developed at your institution and refine it to a point where it can be readily replicated by other research groups or institutions (i.e. instructions placed in an online repository with associated software)
or
2. an existing design published in a repository/manuscript by someone else and implement it your institution
For example, journals such as Plant Methods routinely publish articles on constructing low-cost equipment (e.g. doi: 10.1186/s13007-023-00981-8.). Other repositories exist that contain instructions for construction (e.g. https://www.3dplantphenomics.org/tools.html)
The goal is to enable researchers to conduct phenomics experiments at low cost at their own institutions and to enable the plant phenomics community to exploit these resources.
An application might include the development of custom sensors, imaging devices, or other phenomics tools. For instance, a group may have a proprietary phenomics kit and software tailored to their specific research needs. The objective is to transform this bespoke system into a more standardised and adaptable solution, allowing other researchers to implement it successfully in their respective environments. The proposed project should address technical challenges, such as standardisation of protocols, compatibility with different research settings, and user-friendly interfaces.
We want to find out what barriers exist to these sorts of activities. These may encompass technical considerations, software compatibility, accessibility of essential components, and the feasibility of implementation in diverse research settings. Additionally, logistical challenges such as ongoing support, equipment procurement, and cost implications will be important aspects to explore.
This is a community led project – if you have a good idea then please let us know!
Also, if the barriers to engaging are too high, again, please let us know. We might not be able to address them in the scoping trial, but we need to address challenges of a future large-scale infrastructure.