Funding calls

This page is being updated with current funding calls that may be of interest. Click on the links to take you through to the funders website for more information.

NIHR – Current funding opportunities

For the list of all current NIHR funding calls visit https://www.nihr.ac.uk/researchers/funding-opportunities/

Medical Research Council: Developmental pathway funding scheme

Apply for funding to develop and test novel therapeutics, medical devices, diagnostics and other interventions. You can apply for academically-led translational projects that aim to either:

• improve prevention, diagnosis, prognosis or treatment of significant health needs
• develop research tools that increase the efficiency of developing interventions

All diseases and interventions are eligible for support. You can also address global health issues. For more information: https://www.ukri.org/opportunity/developmental-pathway-funding-scheme/

The Lewy Body Society: Dementia research grant

The application process is open for projects that will increase understanding of Lewy body dementia as well as improving care for people living with this condition and their families and carers. The Lewy Body Society will consider any application that is relevant to dementia with Lewy bodies in our grant round. For this call, the society has in the region of £500,000 to allocate and will aim to fund 3 – 5 projects. Grants will be awarded for a maximum duration of 3 years. For more information: https://www.lewybody.org/research/apply-for-a-grant/

NIHR Programme Grants for Applied Research

NIHR Programme Grants for Applied Research (PGfAR) Competition 44 is inviting Stage 1 applications for research proposals to develop individual programmes of applied health research. Research funded through a Programme Grant typically consists of an interrelated group of high quality projects focused on a coherent theme and hence require multidisciplinary approaches, including clinical, health economics, statistics, qualitative and behavioural sciences, to ensure that research objectives can be met. The amount awarded and the length of the funding period will depend on the nature of the proposed work, in particular whether or not the proposal includes a substantial powered trial. For more information: https://www.nihr.ac.uk/funding/programme-grants-for-applied-research-competition-44/35391

Wellcome Discovery Awards

This scheme provides funding for established researchers and teams from any discipline who want to pursue bold and creative research ideas to deliver significant shifts in understanding that could improve human life, health and wellbeing. For more information: https://wellcome.org/grant-funding/schemes/discovery-awards

Wellcome Early-Career Awards

This scheme provides funding for early-career researchers from any discipline who are ready to develop their research identity. Through innovative projects, they will deliver shifts in understanding that could improve human life, health and wellbeing. By the end of the award, they will be ready to lead their own independent research programme. For more information: https://wellcome.org/grant-funding/schemes/early-career-awards

NIHR: Medical devices in pregnancy and neonatal period

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Policy Research Programme (PRP) invites applications for a single research project to explore Equity in Medical Devices during the Pregnancy and Neonatal Period. For more information: https://www.nihr.ac.uk/funding/prp-38-01-04-medical-devices-in-pregnancy-and-neonatal-period/35128

NIHR: Preoperative rehabilitation and early mobilisation for shoulder replacement

The Health Technology Assessment Programme is accepting Stage 1 applications to their commissioned workstream for this primary research topic. For more information: https://www.nihr.ac.uk/funding/23157-preoperative-rehabilitation-and-early-mobilisation-for-shoulder-replacement/34983

Cancer Research UK: Early Detection and Diagnosis Project Award

Early Detection and Diagnosis Project Awards fund science to drive transformational change in how and when early cancers and pre-cancerous states are diagnosed. Early detection and diagnosis (ED&D) research seeks to detect and diagnose consequential precancerous changes and cancer at the earliest possible point at which an intervention might be made, reducing the burden of late-stage disease. Early Detection and Diagnosis Project Awards will support discovery and translational/clinical research which is mindful of the clinical and population context. For more information: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/funding-for-researchers/our-funding-schemes/early-detection-and-diagnosis-project-award

Cancer Research UK: Biology to Prevention Award

This scheme aims to harness biological and mechanistic insights to provide new targets and approaches for cancer prevention. The Biology to Prevention Awards aim to stimulate translational research that will build and use greater biological and mechanistic understanding of cancer aetiology, genesis and risk, in order to lead to precision prevention interventions. These awards are for researchers at all career stages across any research area, including those from non-traditional cancer prevention fields (such as other non-communicable disease areas with potential common upstream causal risk factors, or those working in the context of therapeutic target identification and innovation) to engage with cancer prevention research. For more information: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/funding-for-researchers/our-funding-schemes/biology-to-prevention-award

British Heart Foundation: Clinical Study Grants

Clinical Study Grants support funding for:

• Interventional clinical trials: trials of specific interventions or pathways of care for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease. Interventions include drugs, surgery, devices, psychological, physical and educational interventions.
• Observational studies of specific patient groups that are hypothesis led and address a defined clinical question(s) over a fixed timescale (up to 5 years). The population of interest should be a patient population, who will usually be recruited within the NHS. The study should have a predefined outcome(s) that will lead to changes in clinical management directly or will inform the development of a clinical trial to test an intervention.
• Clinical studies can include a mechanistic evaluation, either as a substudy within a clinical trial or as part of an observational study.

For more information: https://www.bhf.org.uk/for-professionals/information-for-researchers/what-we-fund/clinical-study