Challenge

Wellcome Leap’s Foundations of a Resilient Microbiome (FORM) program is a US$50 million international research initiative investigating the relationship between the maternal and developing infant gut microbiome and healthy neurodevelopment. The program brings together research teams globally to test potential causal relationships, develop scalable screening and diagnostic approaches, and explore strategies to protect and restore microbiome function.

A multidisciplinary team led by Professor Peter Vuillermin at Deakin University identified an opportunity to leverage the Barwon Infant Study, a globally significant longitudinal birth cohort, to address the ambitious objectives of the FORM program.

Following a successful initial expression of interest, the Deakin team faced an intensive full application process, with just one month to develop and submit a comprehensive 25-page proposal spanning the scientific approach, milestones, success metrics, personnel, resources, translation strategy and detailed project budget.

Approach

CIS worked closely with the Deakin investigators, Research Office and Deakin Advancement teams to rapidly translate a complex research concept into a competitive full proposal for an international funding scheme within a compressed timeframe.

Our support included:

• Project managing the application process, coordinating responsibilities, inputs, deadlines and regular meetings across the multidisciplinary team.

• Working with investigators to refine and clearly articulate the project objectives, methodology, outcomes and impact, aligned with Wellcome Leap’s program goals and assessment requirements.

• Drafting, reviewing and refining key components of the proposal.

• Supporting development of the project’s translation and partner strategy.

• Working with the research team and professional staff to develop the detailed activity schedule and project budget.

• Coordinating review and incorporation of feedback to deliver a cohesive final application ready for submission.

The process drew on CIS’ combined expertise in competitive grant development and health and medical research, enabling us to work closely with the scientific team while maintaining momentum through a particularly intensive application period.

Outcome

The application was successful, with Deakin University awarded several million dollars in competitive research funding through the Wellcome Leap FORM program. The funded project was the only Australian one in the round, joining an international group of researchers and organisations tackling different aspects of the program challenge.

The funded project will contribute to an ambitious global research effort seeking to better understand the role of the early-life gut microbiome in neurodevelopment and ultimately develop new approaches to measure and support microbiome health.