Funding opportunities

In honour of the outstanding lifetime achievements of Else Kröner, the founder of the Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung, the foundation has established this major biennial research prize to be awarded in a specified field of biomedical science. The field chosen for 2027 is “Cell-based immunotherapies”.

The prize amounts to EUR 2.5 million, of which EUR 500,000 shall be awarded personally to the recipient and EUR 2.0 million dedicated to the award-winner’s future research. The candidates must be academic researchers in basic medical sciences or clinical sciences who have made outstanding scientific contributions to cell-based immunotherapies. Approaches pursuing ex vivo and in vivo engineering of immune cells for therapies addressing malignant and non-malignant diseases will be considered. The candidate’s work in the coming years is expected to yield further ground-breaking discoveries or advances. 

Nominations of younger and mid-career scientists are favoured.

Candidate nomination: Candidates can be of any nationality and work in any country. They can be nominated by heads of research institutes or professional organizations. Self nominations will not be accepted.

The deadline for nominations is August 27, 2026. A shortlist of nominees will be invited to submit a research proposal. The award ceremony will take place in Bad Homburg, Germany, on June 3, 2027

Parkinson's UK's senior research fellowships are for people who want to specialise in Parkinson's research by establishing their own independent research group. 

Applicants should have a strong track record of original and productive research in their area which shows impact across past appointments (typically at least one previous post-doctoral appointment). They should be able to demonstrate:

• the progress they have made in moving towards independence through diverse collaborations and partnerships independent of their sponsors and past supervisor
• receipt of small amounts of independent funding (such as a previous intermediate fellowship) and/or a track record of effective management of a small number of their own laboratory staff. 

Senior research fellowships are initially offered for up to £300,000 for 3 years.

Funding can cover:

• the cost of the applicant's salary
• appropriate start-up and running costs
• support for additional research assistance such as a technician or research assistant
• well justified costs for training opportunities such as attendance at relevant conferences or short courses

Senior research fellowship award holders can formally apply for a further 2 years of funding at least 6 months before the end of the award.

Fellowships awarded for more than 3 years may be dependent on the host research institution committing some funds towards the latter stages of the fellowship.

Breakthrough T1D UK Small Grant Awards offer competitive funding to support excellent proposals which meet the following:

• supports the development of early career researchers (basic scientists, clinicians or healthcare professionals including allied health professionals)
• supports new research or innovation with a clear impact pathway that has the potential to deliver significant contribution to the understanding or management of type 1 diabetes
• leads on to further research or clinical practice change
• gathers critical data and resources to make novel research ideas more competitive for larger follow-on funding in the field of type 1 diabetes
• takes into consideration the views and needs of individuals living with type 1 diabetes

The next call for applications will open on 5 January 2026

Funding: up to £20,000 for basic research and £30,000 for clinical research

Project length: up to 12 months

Supports short-term (up to 6 months) clinical immunology initiatives between Newcastle (UK) and Serbia. Awards of up to £3,000 are available to fund exchange visits, collaborative projects, and capacity-building activities. Limited equipment/reagent support in Serbia is available (up to £1,500).

Eligibility:

• Medical staff, clinical scientists, academics, researchers, technicians, nurses
• Serbian or UK nationals/residents working in Serbia or Newcastle
• Proposals must involve a host institution in the alternate location
• Preference for established candidates and for projects in primary immune deficiencies, but all areas of clinical immunology included
• No age restriction

Activities supported:

• Serbia to Newcastle: clinical observerships, diagnostic lab training, participation in research, attending Newcastle-based educational events, limited reagent/equipment support
• Newcastle to Serbia: organising workshops/training, supporting standardisation and accreditation of labs and services, contributing to Serbian-based research projects

Closing date: annually in the last week of May

EFIS and Immunology Letters (IL) award short-term fellowships for up to 3 months of support for purposes of transnational scientific collaboration. The EFIS-IL Short-term Fellowship allowance is € 1.925/month and is awarded directly to the fellowship holder. In addition, EFIS will reimburse travel costs up to € 500. 

Eligibility:

• Member of an EFIS-affiliated society (exceptions possible for countries without a national society)
• At least a Master’s degree; PhD holders with  less than 7 years postdoc experience (excluding career breaks) welcome
• Host institution must be in a different European country from current residence
• Not for attending courses, meetings, or conferences
• One applicant per host lab per year; award can be held only once and is not renewable
• Not retroactive and cannot be combined with other funding sources

Closing date: TBA 

Please note applications are reviewed every 3–4 months; decision within 3 weeks after submission deadline

Postdoctoral career development fellowships provide an opportunity for exceptional postdoctoral clinicians to consolidate their research experience.

Postdoctoral clinicians may apply for Crick funding to spend one year full-time or two years part-time working in a Crick research group, on a project agreed between the fellow and the Crick group leader.

This scheme aims to:

• Foster long-term clinical links and collaborations.
• Provide clinicians with a postdoctoral extension of their research experience, and with scientific networking, training and career development opportunities.
• Provide a platform from which fellows may apply for external funding, e.g. clinician scientist fellowships, to be held at the Crick or elsewhere.

Fellows at the Crick will be embedded in a vibrant multidisciplinary research community of more than 1000 scientists carrying out research to improve our understanding of health and disease. 

This opportunity would suit talented and motivated postdoctoral clinicians who are passionate about research and show outstanding potential for continuing a career in academic medicine and research. Applicants should have completed a medical degree, or equivalent clinical professional qualification, and hold, or be about to hold, a research PhD. 

The application submission window for Crick fully funded fellowships (route 1) is open from early March 2025 to end of April 2025. 

Applications from fellows with funding for their own salary support (route 2) are welcome all year round.