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Funding opportunities

This page contains a list of current funding opportunities offered by other societies, associations and organisations.  If you would like to advertise a funding opportunity on this page, please contact our Education & Careers Officer, Eolan Healy.

Funding opportunities are removed once the application deadline has passed.

You may also find it useful to have a look at our jobs board. In addition to the specific opportunities below, the following websites contain information on sources of funding.

For information relating to funding postgraduate courses and research in the UK:

For information on research funding and fellowship opportunities at all levels in the UK and internationally:

Funding Opportunities

Biomedical Catalyst 2020: round 1, early and late stage awards

UK registered SMEs can apply for a share of up to £30 million to develop a product or process that is an innovative solution to a health and care challenge.

These can include, for example:
  • disease prevention and proactive management of health and chronic conditions
  • earlier and better detection and diagnosis of disease, leading to better patient outcome
  • tailored treatments that either change the underlying disease or offer potential cures
This competition combines the early and late stage strands of the Biomedical Catalyst.
This funding is from Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation.
 
Any UK registered organisation claiming grant funding must be eligible to receive state aid at the time we confirm you will be awarded funding. It is not possible to award grant funding to organisations meeting the condition known as undertakings in difficulty. If you are unsure, please take legal advice. For further information see our general guidance on state aid.
 
Your project must:
  • have total eligible costs between £250,000 and £4 million
  • start on 1 March 2021
  • end by 29 February 2024
  • last between 12 months and 36 months

 

Closing Date:
Source:
Innovate UK - UKRI
External link:
Further information
Neuroimmunology Data Generation Award for Early Career Researchers

The Medical Research Council have a new funding call designed to help early career researchers generate pilot data in the neuroimmunology field, and aims to bring together researchers in immunology and neurosciences/mental health.

Summary:
Applicants must be early career researchers
Applications must demonstrate this is a multidisciplinary team including at least one researcher with expertise in neuroscience/mental health and one researcher with expertise in immunology and justify the complementarity offered by the proposed collaboration.
These awards support projects up to a maximum duration of 24 months.
We encourage high-risk projects aimed at generating data to provide a strong evidence base and clear rationale for larger programmes of research.
80% of the full economic cost of the project can be requested up to £200k.

What they're looking for:

Examination of the cross-talk between the nervous and immune systems in pathophysiological conditions will result in valuable and unique insights into mechanisms of disease. In time this will allow for the development of targeted therapeutic interventions for neurological disorders and mental illness where the immune system plays a significant role.
This call aims to provide funds to support pilot data generation, hypothesis-driven, mechanistic studies which examine the role played by inflammatory and immune processes in neurological conditions and mental illness.
Epidemiological and genome-wide association studies (GWAS) will be excluded from the call. Additionally, studies focussing solely on multiple sclerosis are excluded due to significant existing MRC-funded activity in this area.
The awards are for up to £200,000 to support projects up to a maximum duration of 24 months. These may be used to generate data that would provide a strong evidence base and clear rationale for larger programmes of research at a later date. Support can include:

  • The salary of the principal investigator and co-investigators
  • Support for additional posts - research, technical or other consumables
  • Equipment
  • Travel costs
  • Data preservation, data sharing and dissemination costs.
Closing Date:
Source:
Medical Reserach Council
External link:
Further information
GUTS UK: Grants & Awards

GUTS UK are pleased to announce some new and varied research funding opportunities: 

  • GUTS UK/BSG trainee reserach awards
  • GUTS UK development grants
  • GUTS UK nutrition development grants
  • GUTS UK/FORCROHNS development grants
  • The GUTS UK Derek Butler Fellowship
  • GUTS UK Amelie Waring Fellowship
  • GUTS UK/BSPGHAN grants
  • Olympus/GUTS UK Fellowship
  • Parabola/ GUTS UK colorectal cancer research grant
  • GUTS UK/ DR FALK awards
Closing Date:
Varied
Source:
GUTS UK
External link:
Further Information
BMA Foundation for Medical Research – grant categories 2019

All the BMA Foundation for Medical Research grants have National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) partnership status.

Closing Date:
Varied
Source:
British Medical Association
External link:
Further informaiton
Medical Research Council (MRC) - variety of fellowships, career development awards and research grants

A variety of fellowships, career development awards and research grants opportunities offered by the Medical Research Council.

Closing Date:
Varied
Source:
Medical Research Council
External link:
Further information
BactiVac Catalyst Training Awards

An open call for BactiVac Network catalyst funding training awards is now OPEN.  Funding is available to support training opportunities and exchanges, prioritising those involving LMIC members and academic/industrial partners, for the transfer of knowledge and skills in bacterial vaccinology. Up to £6,000 per award is available and each training visit is expected to be up to three months in duration. The aim of this funding scheme is to support members to train in vaccine research & development (R&D), targeting the main preclinical to clinical area of focus for BactiVac.

This catalyst funding scheme will be run up to August 2021. Successful applications could include ones that:

  • Offer opportunities for both UK and LMIC members to undertake a bilateral exchange, to foster reciprocal relationships between BactiVac members
  • Address key skills gaps within an LMIC, academic or industrial partners’ institution.
Closing Date:
Ongoing
Source:
BactiVac Network
External link:
Further information
Healthy ageing

The healthy ageing challenge will support UK government’s Ageing Society Grand Challenge to ensure people can enjoy at least 5 extra healthy, independent years of life by 2035, while narrowing the gap between the experiences of the richest and poorest.
The aim of this challenge is to enable businesses, including social enterprises, to develop and deliver products, services and business models that will be adopted at scale which support people as they age. This will allow people to remain active, productive, independent and socially connected across generations for as long as possible. Through the challenge, government will bring together UK businesses and researchers to support people to stay in their homes for longer, tackle loneliness, and increase independence and wellbeing.

Up to £98 million will be invested in research and innovation that supports people as they age, while also helping those that care for them.

Over the coming years there will be a series of opportunities for UK-based businesses and researchers. The opportunities range from Trailblazers which will focus on supporting the development of near to market propositions with potential to be adopted at scale; Investment Accelerator and early stage support for businesses looking to develop early-stage innovations; and research to further our understanding of healthy ageing.

The Centre for Ageing Better charity has developed a Healthy Ageing Challenge Framework, to stimulate thinking about the ISCF Healthy Ageing Challenge. It focuses on seven themes to stimulate innovation in pursuit of longer, healthier lives for all

Sustaining physical activity
Maintaining health at work
Design for age-friendly homes
Creating healthy, active places
Supporting social connections
Living well with cognitive impairment
Managing common complaints of ageing.
All funded projects will need to show how they tackle one or more of these challenges of older life


UKRI will provide financial support to academic researchers and small, medium, enterprises working together to develop new products and services. This is early stage innovation activity and it will attract match funding from existing funding streams that focus on digital healthcare and older adults.

Closing Date:
Ongoing
Source:
UKRI
External link:
Further Information
The Advanced Leadership Program

The Advanced Leadership Program is a high-impact and challenging developmental experience for elite female leaders. Over a career-defining, twelve-month journey, participants engage in a deep exploration of their own strengths and weaknesses as they relate to building and leading highly effective organisational communities. Purpose designed to stretch experienced leaders beyond their comfort zone, the ALP challenges participants to develop their critical thinking abilities and begin to unlock their full leadership potential. 


The program employs a multifaceted learning approach based on expert guidance, peer collaboration, self-analysis, experiential exercises and practical application. Theoretical exploration is continually overlaid with real-world experience to ensure that participants develop the adaptive skills needed to confidently overcome future challenges. This process is further enhanced through a combination of executive coaching and peer group mentoring, enabling participants to cultivate valuable peer level networks, build their self-confidence and hone the skills to lead at the highest levels.


Segmented into eleven key themes, the Advanced Leadership Program engages participants in a comprehensive exploration of the responsibilities and opportunities of senior leadership. Through exploring previous experiences, participants gain a deeper understanding of their innate drivers and derailers and develop the skills to take a more adaptive approach to current and future challenges.

Encompassing a sophisticated blend of synchronous and asynchronous learning, the ALP immerses participants in a multilayered development journey designed to ensure maximum individual impact. Coordinated via our state of the art learning management system, the program provides powerful and accessible learning.

All applicants enrolling into the Advanced Leadership Program must satisfy WLI’s admissions criteria and adhere to standard admissions policies and procedures. Enrolments are at the discretion of the WLI Admissions Department. Enrolment details may be obtained by contacting the WLI Admissions Department.

£2,500 Scholarships are available for this program

Closing Date:
Ongoing
Source:
Women and Leadership International
External link:
Further Information
Research and PhD Funding opportunities for ME/CFS research

Calling all researchers
ME Research UK is pleased to announce an open call for applications from researchers wishing to investigate the causes, consequences and treatment of ME/CFS. Funding is available to support scientifically robust biomedical studies at appropriate host institutions worldwide.

 
They are happy to consider projects in all areas related to the biology or treatment of ME/CFS, but they are especially keen to receive applications in the following areas:
 
  • Muscle fatigue – underlying mechanisms and potential therapies
  • Brain and nervous system – structural and functional changes
  • Immune system – autoimmunity and the role of specific autoantibodies
  • Metabolomics and the search for diagnostic biomarkers
  • The symptomatic impact of ME on other organ systems


Would you like to host a PhD studentship?

ME Research UK is now able to fund biomedical research PhD studentships looking at the causes, consequences and treatment of ME/CFS.
In order to help encourage new researchers to embark on a career in the field, funding is available to support full or part-time PhD places at appropriate host institutions worldwide.
They are happy to consider projects in all areas related to the biology or treatment of ME/CFS, but they are especially
  • Muscle fatigue – underlying mechanisms and potential therapies
  • Brain and nervous system – structural and functional changes
  • Immune system – autoimmunity and the role of specific autoantibodies
  • Metabolomics and the search for diagnostic biomarkers
  • The symptomatic impact of ME on other organ systems
 
Closing Date:
Ongoing
Source:
ME Research UK
External link:
Further information
Antibodies.com Travel Grants Programme

Each quarter, Antibodies.com offers a travel grant up to £500 to help cover the cost of attending a conference.

These travel grants are open to PhD candidates, lab managers, and post-docs from academic research institutions in the US or Europe. The grant is intended to help cover the costs of registration, accommodation, and travel to a conference of choice.

Closing Date:
Ongoing
Source:
Antibodies.com
External link:
Further information

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