Abstract
We consider a brane world scenario in which the bulk action is assumed to have the form of a generic function of the Ricci scalar and derive the resulting Einstein field equations on the brane. In a constant curvature bulk a conserved geometric quantity appears in the field equations which can be associated with matter. We present cosmological and spherically symmetric solutions by assuming specific forms for and show that the former can explain an accelerated expanding universe while the latter may account for galaxy rotation curves.