Research Funding Opportunities

We can help researchers determine the best funding options for their projects, help collate costs and advise on supporting documents for funding applications.

Funding opportunities vary from small sums of funding to attend conferences, fund research specific equipment, and to incorporate patient & public involvement into the research, to larger sources of funding for research career development opportunities as well as research project and programme grants throughout the year. 

National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) 

The NIHR offers funding for a variety of researcher-led, commissioned, and themed-call research in health, social care and public health, and global health; career development is greatly supported through the NIHR as personal awards and practitioner academic training. The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) infrastructure provides a plethora of support, including research expertise and support services such as the Research Design Service.

Research funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), medical research charities, the life sciences industry (biopharmaceuticals, MedTech, genomics, diagnostics, and digital health), and other relevant industries all benefit from the network of services and support that the NIHR provide.

The NIHR Fellowship Programme supports individuals at different career points, helping them to become leading researchers. The Fellowship Programme supports those at the stage of pre-doctoral training through to senior post-doctoral research. 

  • Pre-Doctoral Fellowship launch date: Late January/February annually  
  • Development and Skills Enhancement Award launch dates: January, May, September annually  
  • Doctoral Fellowship launch dates: April, October annually  
  • Advanced Fellowship launch dates: April, October annually 

The NIHR also manages a Health Education England (HEE) funded programme to support health and care professionals (excluding doctors and dentists) to develop careers combing research with continued clinical practice and professional development. The HEE-NIHR Integrated Clinical and Practitioner Academic (ICA) Programme comprises four schemes, developed to support individuals at different stages of their career. 

  • HEE Internship Scheme  
  • HEE/NIHR Pre-doctoral Clinical and Practitioner Academic Fellowship (PCAF) Scheme  
  • HEE/NIHR Doctoral Clinical and Practitioner Academic Fellowship (DCAF) Scheme  
  • HEE/NIHR Advanced Clinical and Practitioner Academic Fellowship (ACAF) Scheme  

In addition to the fellowship programmes, there are a multitude of other funding programmes available. 

 

A translational funding scheme aimed at de-risking early-to-late stage medical devices, in vitro diagnostics and high-impact patient-focused digital health technologies for ultimate NHS use. 

Usually, preparatory work to develop future programme of research.  

Can also be used to enhance existing/ongoing Programme Grant for Applied Research (PGfAR) award. 

Research concerned with day-to-day practice.  

Clear trajectory towards benefiting the health/wellbeing of patients and users of the NHS and social care services. 

 

Identifies, evaluates, combines, and summarises information from a range of sources to provide decision makers with the best possible information about the effects of tests, treatments and other interventions. 

Funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC) and the NIHR, this translational award attracts studies with novel methodological designs. Clinical trials and other robustly designed studies that test efficacy of interventions, that should have the potential to improve patient care or benefit the public. 

Research where some evidence already exists to show that a technology can be effective and needs comparing to current standard intervention.  Supports research that is immediately useful to patients, clinical practice, and policy/decision makers.  Establish cost-effectiveness and investigate uncertainty around a technology’s place in the existing care pathway.  

Collaborative, multidisciplinary programmes for applied research to solve health and social care challenges.  Research findings that will lead to clear and identifiable patient, service user or carer benefits, typically through promotion of health and wellbeing, prevention of ill health, and optimal disease management.  

Visit the NIHR Funding Opportunities webpage to search for current and future calls.  

UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) 

UKRI can provide investments into research grants, education funding, skills & training, infrastructure, institutes, centres, facilities & catapults and public engagement to name a few. 

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) provides a dynamic portfolio of investments on behalf of the UK taxpayer, delivering a creative and agile research and innovation system, providing opportunities for all and creating economic, social, environmental and cultural benefits. Working collaboratively across councils and communities, UKRI can recommend investments to support long-term, high-level priorities for an excellent research and innovation system in the UK. 

There are seven funding councils that offer a range of funding, from personal awards to programme grants. 

Relevant funding councils for health and social care research include:

 

The MRC offer specific career development fellowships: 

Undertake a PhD, focusing on any area of MRC’s remit to improve human health.

Post-doctoral support for the transition to independent investigator in a medical research field, focusing on any area of MRC’s remit to improve human health.

Senior post-doctoral support for the development into an internationally recognised research leader in your medical research field, focusing on any area of MRC’s remit to improve human health. 

Post-doctoral support for the transition to independent investigator in a medical research field, focusing on any area of MRC’s remit to improve human health. 

In addition to the fellowship schemes, the MRC also provide funding for a range of research grants:

Develop and test novel therapeutics, medical devices, diagnostics and other interventions.

Investigate the causes, progression, and treatment of human disease. 

Including an experimental intervention or challenge in humans focusing on a mechanistic hypothesis which is academically led. 

Early-stage development of an intervention that seeks to address a UK or global public health challenge. 

Improve the methods used by others in biomedical and health research, focusing on an area within MRC’s or NIHR’s science remit. 

Develop your research interests through a collaborative partnership. 

Focusing on any area of MRC’s or NIHR’s remit. 

For opening and closing dates of MRC funding calls please visit the Application Timelines webpage. In addition to the MRC, the other councils also offer funding for fellowships and research grants. The easiest way to search for the appropriate schemes is to use the UKRI Funding Finder.

Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC) 

The Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC) is dedicated to saving and improving lives through research and innovation, uniting the sector and improving the research and health landscape by bringing together and supporting health and medical charities to ensure research being performed is of the highest quality. 

The Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC) is a membership organisation, bringing together and supporting health and medical charities to ensure research being performed is of the highest quality. The AMRC are dedicated to saving and improving lives through research and innovation, uniting the sector and improving the research and health landscape. 

AMRC registered charities can benefit from a range of support including: 

  • An open publishing platform, e-newsletters, job circulation mailing 
  • Indirect costs of university research can be covered by the Charity Research Support Fund 
  • Direct costs of clinical research within the NHS can be covered by NIHR Clinical Research Networks (CRNs) under the Attributing the costs of health and social care Research and Development (AcoRD) agreement. 

There are many charities which are members of the AMRC, and the member directory can be accessed on their website. 

Funding discovery research across physical, social, data, life sciences, the humanities and clinical research, The Wellcome Trust has schemes designed for all career stages. 

Supporting researchers to transition into independence with a trajectory in discovery research. 

Mid-career researchers, ready to lead a substantial and innovative programme of research, with the goal to achieve international recognition. 

Established multi-disciplinary researchers and their teams. 

There are also more specific funding opportunities available for work in mental health, infectious disease and climate and health. To search for funding opportunities, visit the Wellcome Trust Find a Scheme webpage. 

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) supports a wide variety of research including heart and circulatory conditions, risk factor research and clinical trials. The BHF work hard to help improve and save the lives of many people with heart and circulatory diseases. 

Providing support for clinical and non-clinical researchers at all career stages, and offering grants for short and long term research projects, essential infrastructure and strategic awards. 

The BHF offer a range of grants and fellowships, including but not limited to: 

Basic science and clinical research projects 

Clinical trials and observational studies of specific patient groups

Support pre-clinical development of new cardiovascular medicines and technologies 

Allows medical students to complete a PhD before the end of their medical degree. 

Provide training in research after Foundation Year 2, before consultant status. 

Established researchers aiming to become leaders in academic medical research.

Allow NHS consultants with a recent research record to carry out research.

Funding provided for outstanding individuals with a track record of internationally competitive research. 

For more research funding opportunities from the BHF, visit their What We Fund webpage. 

Cancer Research UK (CRUK) offer many schemes for funding research, through fellowship and grants. 

These include but are not limited to: 

Short-term funding for early career researchers. 

Aims to develop the next generation of Black leaders in cancer research. 

Supports excellent individuals to develop a clinical academic research career through post-doctoral training Advanced: Supporting excellent clinician scientists to develop independence and leadership in their field of academic research. 

Supports new group leaders to develop and establish their own independent research group. 

Biomarker Project Awards 

Funding for biomarker assay development, validation, and qualification where there is a clear line of sight to clinical implementation. 

Develop new cancer treatments from preclinical development through to early phase clinical trials. 

Transform how and when early cancers and pre-cancerous states are diagnosed. 

For more funding opportunities, visit CRUK’s Our Funding Schemes webpage. 

Diabetes UK offer a wide range of funding opportunities to support all career stages. 

Opportunities include: 

To support diabetes research projects. 

Enabling early-career researchers to undertake small research or pilot studies. 

Provide graduates currently working in the NHS the opportunity to study for a PhD or MD in diabetes research. 

Supporting outstanding clinically qualified professionals to establish themselves as independent researchers. 

Supports individuals to undertake a PhD in an area of diabetes related research.  For more funding opportunities, please visit the Diabetes UK Apply For a Grant webpage

Focusing on ground-breaking research and supporting services, to reduce risk of cancer reoccurrence in communities across Yorkshire and improve diagnosis and treat for people living with cancer in the region. 

For further information on upcoming funding calls, please visit the Yorkshire Cancer Research Funding for Research and Cancer Services webpage. 

Heart Research UK awards grants for research into the prevention, treatment, and cure of heart disease. There grants cover a wide range of themes and career levels. 

To search for suitable funding opportunities, visit the Heart Research UK Apply for a Medical Research Grant webpage. 

Only a handful of charities have been highlighted on this page, however there are many more to choose from. Not all charities are AMRC members, therefore it is important to do the background research to ensure you find the right charity for your research. 

Leeds Hospitals Charity

Leeds Hospitals Charity works in partnership with Leeds Teaching Hospitals and partners to fund high quality research and innovation. 

Leeds Hospitals Charity (previously Leeds Cares) provides support for eight areas: 

  • Leeds General Infirmary 
  • Leeds Children’s Hospital 
  • Leeds Cancer Centre 
  • St James’s University Hospital 
  • Chapel Allerton Hospital 
  • Seacroft Hospital 
  • Wharfedale Hospital 
  • Leeds Dental Institute. 

The charity supports NHS staff to deliver the best care for patients and their families each year. Collaborating with local communities, schools, and businesses across the city and beyond, annually they provide £5 million in additional funding for Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. 

Generous donations have funded lifesaving equipment, research fellowships and improvements to the patient environment. 

The following links take you the Leeds Hospitals Charity website to provide more information on the priority areas of the charity: 

The charity is always open to applications. If your application is under £10,000, this will be subject to a one stage application process. Applications over £10,000, this is subject to a two-stage process, where an expression of interest is required for review. If the expression of interest is accepted, applicants will receive an invitation for a full application to be submitted. 

Themed funding calls are often advertised so please keep checking for updates.

Visit the Leeds Hospitals Charity website for the Funding Application & Policy Process. 

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