brain research uk project grant

Brain Research UK – Project grant call now open!

Our 2023 project grant call is now open!

Brain Research UK are pleased to invite preliminary project grant applications under the following three themes:

Headache and facial pain: research that aims to improve the management and treatment of headache or facial pain disorders. Within this remit, we will fund research that addresses the fundamental causes, mechanisms, diagnosis or treatment of headache and facial pain.

Neuro-oncology: research that aims to improve clinical outcomes for patients with primary tumours of the brain or spinal cord. Within this remit, we will fund research that addresses the fundamental causes, mechanisms, diagnosis or treatment of primary tumours of the brain or spinal cord, and associated neurological complications.

Acquired brain and spinal cord injury: research that aims to protect or restore function in patients following acute brain or spinal cord injury. Within this remit, we will fund research that addresses the mechanisms of the injury, the mechanisms of the recovery process, and determinants of outcome.

In addition, applications are invited for the development of models that enhance these three themes and facilitate translation.

Preliminary applications must be submitted via the online portal by the deadline of midday on Thursday 20th April 2023 .

Full details of the call and access to the portal are available via the following link: https://bit.ly/2023-project-grant-call

Posted on 06/02/2023

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Research Connect

Brain Research UK Project Grants For Neurological Research

Project grants up to £300,000 are available to researchers in the UK for clinical or non-clinical research projects that address unmet needs in the fields of headache and facial pain, neuro-oncology and acquired brain and spinal cord injury.

Brain Research UK funds neurological research to achieve the greatest impact and improve quality of life for people affected by neurological conditions, focusing on priority areas where there exists a particularly high, unmet level of patient need.

Applications are invited for the Brain Research UK Project Grants, which can award up to £300,000 over a maximum of three years for hypothesis-driven, pre-clinical or clinical research that addresses areas of large unmet need and demonstrates a clear pathway to clinical impact. Funding will support directly incurred research costs, including funds for the employment of suitably qualified research staff, the purchase of essential equipment (up to £20,000) and consumables.

Applications are accepted from PIs based at UK academic institutions, including universities, hospitals and research institutes. Applications from early career researchers and collaborative projects are encouraged, including international collaborations led by a UK team.

Projects must fit with one of the three Brain Research UK priority areas:

• Headache and facial pain – research addressing the fundamental causes, mechanisms, diagnosis or treatment of headache and facial pain.
• Neuro-oncology – research addressing the fundamental causes, mechanisms, diagnosis or treatment of primary tumours of the brain or spinal cord, and associated neurological complications.
• Acquired brain and spinal cord injury – research that aims to protect or restore function in patients following acute brain or spinal cord injury, including research that addresses the mechanisms of the injury, the mechanisms of the recovery process, and determinants of outcome.

Projects must have a mechanistic hypothesis and a clear pathway to translation. Applications for pilot studies will be considered, as will the development of models (in vivo or other 3D models) that enhance these three themes and support the future testing of a mechanistic hypothesis.

Preliminary applications for the 2024 application round must be submitted by the deadline on 10 January 2024.

(This report was the subject of a RESEARCHconnect Newsflash.)

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External Funding Opportunities

Wellcome Trust Mental Health Award: Applying Neuroscience to Understand Symptoms in Anxiety, Depression and Psychosis

This award will fund innovative projects that combine computational and experimental neuroscience approaches to improve understanding of symptoms of anxiety, depression and psychosis. This call invites researchers to be especially collaborative, so to facilitate finding new collaborators, Wellcome have partnered with the Neuromatch service , which specialises in connecting researchers through networking and matchmaking activities.

• Neuromatch have networking activities on the 25th and 30th of April
• Information webinar on Tuesday 14th May  
• Scope check deadline on  Tuesday 9th July 2024
• Full application deadline Tuesday 23rd July 2024
• Edinburgh Mental Health and Edinburgh Neuroscience are also working together to facilitate connections between local collaborators, so if you are interested in this call, please do not hesitate to get in touch at [email protected] or at [email protected].

MND Association funding scheme

The Biomedical Project Grant scheme has been open since September and will close on 1st November 2024 .

BBSRC Fellowships

Fellowships aimed at postdocs/similar to carry out independent research within a host lab, and gain leadership skills.

You must provide strong evidence of working towards this goal, demonstrating an upward trajectory to pursuing independent work within a host organisation. You must show high potential to become future research leaders.

• Not eligible to apply if you hold/have held a position at lecturer level.
• No limit on the value of the grant. BBSRC will fund 80% of the full economic cost.
• Fellowship will last for three years if full time (pro-rata if part-time)
• Deadline 2nd May 2024, 4 pm

Medical Research Foundation: Launchpad Grants in Mental Health

The Medical Research Foundation is inviting mid-career researchers in the field of mental health to apply for funding to support their research. Funded research should increase understanding of mental health, and improve diagnosis, treatment and recovery. It will also act as a launchpad for further research suitable for larger funding opportunities.

• Applications within a broad field of mental health research are welcomed. However, applications from neglected areas of mental health, including suicide and self-harm, trauma-related mental health, borderline personality disorder and OCD, are particularly encouraged.
• Neurodevelopmental disorders are considered within the scope of this competition, and applications from researchers working in ADHD and Tourette’s are particularly encouraged.
• Up to £100,000 over 2 years available
• Deadline  Wednesday 8th May 2024, midday

College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine (CMVM) Impact Funding

This small-scale funding scheme as part of the University’s strategic investment into impact is to accelerate the impact of CMVM research. Stand-alone research-based proposals are not within the scope of this fund. There are two impact routes to apply for: Plant/Seed or Grow/Deliver, depending on the stage of your engagement and impact project. 

• Applications can be made for amounts from £500 to £2,500.
• Deadline  Monday 13th May 2024, 5pm
• If you have any problems accessing the documents, please email the CMVM Research Impact Manager Dr Lena Lorenz .

MRC New Investigator grants: Neurosciences and mental health

This scheme supports neuroscience and mental health researchers to take the next step towards becoming an independent researcher. Applicants must have the skills and experience to ‘transition to independence’the support of a host research organisation.

• There is no limit to the funding you can apply for, but the typical full economic cost of a project is under £1 million. 
• Deadline  15th May 2024, 4pm

MRC Partnership Awards

This opportunity provides funding to support new partnerships between diverse groups of researchers within MRC's remit. The grant will allow you to establish new, high-value collaborative activities or capabilities and add value to high-quality scientific programmes that are already supported by grants from MRC and other funders.

• Funding is available for between 1 and 5 years. There is no limit to the amount of funding you can apply for, however resource requests will vary between partnerships so you are strongly advised to discuss this with the relevant programme manager before applying.
• Deadline  Wednesday 15th May 2024, 4pm

MRC, NIHR and Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases: Management of multiple long-term conditions

Proposals should aim to improve the availability of effective, equitable, efficient, integrated, patient-centred, safe, and timely care for people living with MLTCs (including at least one non-communicable disease), in low- and middle-income countries or among disadvantaged populations in high-income countries.

• Funding available: total fund up to £5,000,000 (subject to quality)
• Duration: 3-5 years
• Deadlines: 15th May 2024 (first stage), 3rd October 2024 ( second stage)

My Name’5 Doddie Foundation: New opportunities following £6 million investment

My Name’5 Doddie Foundation was established with one clear goal: to expedite the development of new treatments for motor neuron disease (MND) and ultimately, a cure. Last week, they announced a new £6 million investment into research in 2024, beginning with the launch of the Discovery Network and the reopening of their flagship Advancing Treatments Award. 

1) Discovery Network

The Discovery Network is a new funding opportunity for multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional teams to apply for £1 million over 3 years. Teams will take on bold ideas and innovative approaches to better understand the biology of MND, with a focused goal of identifying new therapeutic targets. The Network will be underpinned by a culture of collaboration and open science.

• Deadline for Expressions of Interest:  Friday 17th May 2024, midday

2) The Advancing Treatments Award

The 2024 Advancing Treatments Award will support the early-stage development of new treatments to slow, stop or reverse MND disease progression, or to better manage the symptoms of MND, where they could transform the lives of people living with the condition. Applications are accepted across two strategic priorities: 1) Validate therapeutic target and 2) Accelerate new treatments (not including identifying novel targets).

3) Catalyst Award

This scheme will open in the autumn and will offer up to £100,000 for up to 1 year to support projects that aim to gather proof-of-principle data for innovative new approaches. 

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 related to human life, health and wellbeing. By the end of the award, they will be ready to lead their own independent research programme.

• Funding available: Your salary and up to £400,000 for research expense
• Three rounds a year: next deadline Tuesday 21st May , then Tuesday 1st October 2024

BBSRC Strategic Longer and Larger (sLoLa) Grants

The sLoLa grants are a key part of BBSRC's investment in Frontier Bioscience and provides large-scale funding to catalyse and convene the critical mass of research effort needed to address significant fundamental questions in bioscience. Funded projects will:

• Have the potential to lead to major breakthroughs in our fundamental understanding of living systems
• Clearly demonstrate the need for longer and larger scale funding
• Demonstrate a fully integrated team science approach
• Deadline-  21st May 2024 

NIHR Challenge - Maternity Inequalities research consortium  (internal demand management in place)

The first ever NIHR Challenge funding call, backed by £50 million, will task researchers and policymakers with finding new ways to tackle maternity disparities.

• Funding duration: 5 years
• Eligibility: applications to be led by a university, with ~1-3 other organisations e.g. industry, third sector, practice, etc.
• Internal selection process: Please fill out an Expression of interest form by 8th April 2024
• NIHR Stage 1: deadline 22nd May 2024 ; to select the organisations to be part of the consortium

Wellcome Trust targeted funding for researchers of Black, Bangladeshi and Pakistani heritage in the UK

Wellcome is launching £20 million in new funding to support researchers to stay in research and advance their careers.

Researchers at a UK higher education institution can apply at any stage of their career from postdoctorate onwards, up to but not including professorship. The awards cover any discipline, but the research area must align with Wellcome’s Discovery Research remit – encompassing research into life, health and well-being – or in their Climate and Health, Mental Health, or Infectious Disease research programmes.

• Award cycle: once per year, for an initial four years, with an allocation of ~£4.5 million per year
• Award amount: up to £200,000 per researcher in up to two years
• The funding will open in spring 2024.
• Sign up to the newsletter by CMVM Research Office to stay informed.

Mental Health Research UK - PhD Scholarship Competition 2025

Mental Health Research UK (incorporating the Schizophrenia Research Fund) has announced a competition for two PhD Scholarships, beginning September 2025. They will fund two scholarships.

• The John Grace QC scholarship should focus on psychotic disorders, including puerperal psychosis​
• Topics such as post-natal depression, developing post-natal family mental health interventions, factors influencing maternal mental health.
• Deadline:  27th May 2024

MRC Better Methods, Better Research

This scheme  funds the development or improvement of generalisable methods underpinning biomedical and health research.

Applicability of methods must extend, without significant modification, beyond a single case study or research question. Methodology research should be developed with end-user engagement. Applications must also include a dissemination plan that outlines the activities to support uptake, implementation and best use of methods by others beyond the project team.

• Project costs can be up to £625,000
• The start application link will be available to select from 10th April 2024, at 9am UK time.
• Deadline  Wednesday 12th June 2024, 4pm

Understanding public involvement in non-clinical research

Funding is available to improve the understanding, design and practice of public involvement in non-clinical health and biomedical research. Applications should address gaps in public involvement, build on existing good practice and deliver generalisable learning to be used by others. Multidisciplinary approaches are welcomed.

• You can read more about the thinking behind this scheme on this blog post
• Applicant teams must include public contributors. The lead applicant must be a researcher employed by an eligible research organisation.
• Your project can be up to £625,000
• Deadline Wednesday 12th June 2024

MS Society Catalyst Awards

Catalyst Awards provide support for short-term, small-scale pilot or proof-of-concept research projects. These may be “high risk, high reward” type projects and must be hypothesis-driven. Two Catalyst rounds are run each year. Researchers from within and outside the MS field can use these Awards to explore innovative ideas in MS research.

• Both junior and established researchers are eligible to apply
• Projects can last up to 12 months.
• Deadlines in 2024: 23rd January and 18th June , both 12 noon

The Nature Awards Microbiome Accelerator: Translating science from lab to impact.

The Accelerator will identify microbiome research with the potential to transform human health outcomes. Designed to maintain scientific rigour and integrity throughout the translation process, the program provides you with the tools, training/mentorship, and connections to translate your groundbreaking research for maximum impact.

• Application deadline: 24th June 2024
• Residential training programme: 11th–15th November 2024
• Four winners will each receive: $10,000 grant to support the commercialization of research and an immersive residential training programme at Springer Nature Headquarters in central London

Enhancing equality, diversity and inclusion in BBSRC-funded networks

Funds are available to provide peer support, networking and related activities for your members who identify as being part of a group currently under-represented within your network.

• Total fund: £400,000
• Collaboration and partnership between networks, communities and other organisations, such as the learned societies, is encouraged.
• Deadline-  25th June 2024

Chief Scientist Office (CSO) Response Mode schemes

All applications to the this scheme are assessed by one of two research advisory committees:

Translational Clinical Studies Research Committee

The Committee considers applications for research aimed at improving treatments and / or diagnostic approaches for conditions of clinical importance to the population of Scotland.

Health Improvement, Protection and Services Research Committee

The Committee considers applications for research aimed at improving or protecting population health or improving the quality, safety and/or effectiveness of healthcare in Scotland.

Deadline:  28th June 2024

Una Europa Seed Funding Call 2024

Una Europa Seed Funding aims to kick-start collaboration between alliance partner universities and 'plant a seed' that can eventually attract external funding. Open to all disciplines, the 2024 Call emphasises the empowerment of early-career researchers. 

• Seed Funding project teams must involve academics from at least four Una Europa universities.
• The value of funding available varies according to how many universities are involved; a team of 4 partners can apply for up to 18,000 euros.
• Deadline:  28th June 2024 , 5pm (Central European summer time)

IBRO meeting support

The IBRO Meetings Support program supports funding requests from symposia, short courses, workshops, and meeting organizers on important topics in neuroscience.

• Application dates: 1st July – 31st August, 2024
• For eligibility and application requirements, please visit the website.

Medical Research Scotland Early Career Researchers Awards

These grants are available to help recently appointed Early Career Researchers further develop their own independent programme of research. They can be used for new research projects, critical pilot studies, critical replications, proof-of-concept work or to supplement other research programmes, whether funded by other grants or not.

• Eligibility: Early Career Researchers who have started a recently-awarded independent research position and have received other funding, as principal investigator, to start their own independent research programme. Please review further eligibility details on the website.
• The maximum value of each award is 20,000
• Deadline:  4th July 2024, 12 noon

Rosetrees Trust Seedcorn Award

Seedcorn awards help researchers to generate high-quality preliminary data to advance innovative and novel ideas with the potential to transform the prevention, diagnosis and/or treatment of human diseases. Rosetrees are looking for impactful, ‘out-of-the-box' ideas. Applicants should have a novel and innovative hypothesis and some preliminary data that can be developed further. The funder prioritises exciting ideas with the greatest potential to secure further funding and grants.

• Both both pre-clinical and clinical research studies will be considered.
• Seedcorn awards provide £20K funding over 12 months; for clinical studies requiring patient recruitment between 12-18 months funding will be provided pro rata.
• Funding is flexible and can be used to fund researcher salaries, research consumables and other related research costs.
• Call opens on 1st July, deadline Monday 9th September 2024

Brain Research UK Fellowship schemes

Applications are invited for Post-doctoral fellowships and Clinical PhD fellowships from candidates seeking to conduct their own independent research, focused on on one of Brain Research UK's three research themes: headache and facial pain, neuro-oncology, and acquired brain and spinal cord injury.

• Research proposals must be based on either: 1) Pre-clinical or clinical research driven by a mechanistic hypothesis and demonstrating a clear pathway to translation; or 2) The development of a biological model of disease that enhances one of the three research themes and facilitates translation. 
• Post-doctoral fellowships will be for three-years, or part-time equivalent, with a maximum value of £300,000, including salary and research costs.
• Clinical PhD fellowships will be for a minimum of two and maximum of four years, with a maximum value of £300,000, including salary, fees and research costs.  
• Deadline:  Tuesday 10th September 2024

MRC Career Development Awards

This scheme supports talented researchers to become an independent researcher in a medical research field. To be eligible, applicants must have a PhD or equivalent, show evidence of career progression, and show clear plans for developing as a leader in your area of research

• MRC will fund the lead applicant's salary and project costs for up to five years.  
• Next round will open in July 2024 and close on 11th September 2024
• Please ensure you have discussed your plans with the the Head of the host department (Centre or School) as early as possible.

Pre-announcement: Faraday Discovery Fellowships, Royal Society

These Fellowships, supported through a £250m fund from the Department of Science Innovation and Technology (DSIT), are large, investigator-led grants awarded to a single Principal Investigator to enable them to establish an outstanding team of researchers to address challenging research questions. Applicants can apply for up to a maximum of £8 million over ten years, with the aim of providing long-term, stable funding to give the most talented “mid-career researchers” the time and freedom to tackle “difficult and intractable research problems”.   

The Faraday Discovery Fellowships does not operate thematic priorities, and will consider applications from all areas of the Royal Society remit .

• The scheme is scheduled to open on 14th August and the outline application deadline will be 2nd October 2024.
• Given the scale and length of this support, and the relatively small number to be awarded across the UK, it is likely this will be highly competitive. 
• There will be an internal selection process prior to the two-stage application to the Royal Society. Please look out for information about this if you are interested in applying.

For further funding opportunities, please explore the ERO Funding Calendar . ERO have also put together a new SharePoint page on major funding bids and a toolkit for targeting these.

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Research opportunities in brain cancers

Brain tumour survival remains low, and has changed little in over a generation. That's why we've made brain tumours a strategic priority as one of our four "cancers of unmet need".

We're boosting our investment into brain tumours, and we expect to spend around £25 million over the next five years on ring-fenced, targeted initiatives. We aim to expand our research portfolio across the research pipeline, and in all types of brain tumours, whether paediatric or adult.

Our strategy and priorities

We want to support the research that will make a real difference to people with brain tumours.

To achieve our ambitions, we’re building a dynamic, multidisciplinary research community through training, recruitment and by helping people shift their focus to brain tumour research. We’re also developing infrastructure to support hubs of expertise and innovation.

We’ve identified six big themes in brain tumour research which, if addressed, could significantly accelerate progress for patients. If you have ideas for tackling these challenges, we’d love to talk to you about making them a reality.

Funding opportunities

We have a broad portfolio of funding schemes to cater for research across the pipeline and researchers at all career levels. Brain tumours are a priority for all our funding committees, and our Research Funding Managers can help you identify funding that meets your needs and guide you through your application.

View all funding opportunities

Our infrastructure

Our extensive network of infrastructure provides state-of-the-art facilities, resources and platforms to support your research.

Brain Tumour Centres of Excellence

We've established two new Brain Tumour Centres of Excellence to build capacity and create hubs of expertise that can drive progress in this hard-to-treat area.

The CRUK Children's Brain Tumour Centre of Excellence  will create a hub of expertise and drive progress in paediatric brain cancers. Led by Professor Richard Gilbertson at the University of Cambridge and Professor Paul Workman at The Institute of Cancer Research in London, the centre is uniting teams across the research pipeline at the two locations. It has a particular focus on drug discovery for paediatric tumours, drawing on the strengths of the CRUK Cancer Therapeutics Unit at the ICR.

A second Brain Tumour Centre of Excellence has now been confirmed, bringing together researchers from the University of Edinburgh and University College London, led by Professors Margaret Frame and Tariq Enver respectively. The new centre will tackle both childhood and adult brain tumours.

Discovery research institutes

Our four research institutes provide an exceptional environment for discovery research. They include London's Francis Crick Institute, where cancer researchers collaborate with basic scientists in a variety of fields, including neuroscience and developmental biology.

Translational research centres

Our centres drive translational research collaborations at 14 locations. Our centres in Cambridge, Edinburgh, The Institute of Cancer Research and University College London have particular strengths in brain tumour research.

Clinical research

Our Experimental Cancer Medicines Centres provide a unique service supporting drug development and early-phase clinical research.

Our Clinical Trials Units are experts in designing and managing innovative and complex studies across all treatment modalities and trial phases.

We also embrace the opportunities created by working closely with the UK's National Health Service, including access to cutting-edge clinical facilities such as proton beam.

Our portfolio

We fund the best research from the best researchers, across the translational pipeline and the breadth of brain tumour types. The case studies below provide a taste of the kinds of projects and programmes that we currently support.

Building a career in brain tumour research: Dr Noor Gammoh

Noor talked to us about moving to the UK, developing her research on brain tumours, and building her research group with a CRUK Career Development Fellowship.

Building new models to study glioblastoma: Prof Steven Pollard

Steve tells us how his interest in stem cells led him into cancer research, and how a CRUK Senior Cancer Research Fellowship and the environment created by the CRUK Edinburgh Centre are helping him realise his research ambitions.

Finding the genes that drive childhood brain tumours: Prof Chris Jones

Chris tells us why he's passionate that paediatric brain tumour research is ripe with new opportunities, and the progress that his group at The Institute of Cancer Research is making with CRUK Programme funding.

Richard Gilbertson: Coming home to the UK

In 2015, Richard Gilbertson returned to the UK to lead the CRUK Major Centre at Cambridge after 15 years at St Jude Children's Hospital in Memphis.

Simona Parrinello: making a career in brain tumour research

Simona talked to us about how her Programme Foundation Award is helping her realise her ambitions for brain tumour research.

Improving radiotherapy for brain cancers

A Q&A with Dr Ross Carruthers on DNA damage response mechanisms in glioblastoma, and why these cancers are particularly resistant to radiotherapy.

Revealing brain tumours’ secret ally

Dr Dirk Sieger's team at the University of Edinburgh use a zebrafish live imaging model to reveal how glioblastoma cells interact with their environment.

Creating the molecular catalogue of glioma

Dr Steven Pollard's team at the CRUK Edinburgh Centre is using funding from our Accelerator Award to catalogue patient samples and reveal the genetic and molecular diversity of glioma.

Using gene editing to study brain tumour development

Dr Steven Pollard's team at the University of Edinburgh is using CRISPR to reveal how glioblastomas grow, and look for potential targets for new therapies.

Our Research Funding teams are here to advise on how we can help you advance your research, whether you're looking for grant funding, an expert collaborator, commercialisation opportunities or other support.

The Centres and Institutes Team

[email protected]

UCL Grand Challenges

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Mental Health & Wellbeing Pump-Priming 2024/25 Funding Call

Funding of up to £25,000 is now available to support research that crosses disciplinary boundaries and accelerates intervention discovery and development.

26 April 2024

UCL Grand Challenge of Mental Health & Wellbeing Pump-Priming Funding Call

Deadline for applications: Monday 3 June 2024, 17.00 (GMT).

UCL’s Grand Challenge of Mental Health & Wellbeing (GC MHW) welcomes applications for “pump-priming” funding of up to £25,000 per project to support research that crosses disciplinary boundaries and accelerates intervention discovery and development.  

The projects funded should represent impactful preliminary work that can lead to the development of a larger, externally funded project. Applications should be aligned with the key focus of GC MHW, which is accelerating intervention discovery or implementation. GC MHW defines intervention as any systematic effort to improve the mental health and/or wellbeing by focusing on individuals, groups of individuals, institutional/organisational structures, or societal/systemic issues. 

Conceptual, basic and applied work from different research traditions and disciplines are all critical for supporting more effective ways to promote wellbeing and mental health and are all within the remit of this call. UCL Grand Challenges uses ‘cross-disciplinarity’ to mean collaboration between experts in different fields that cuts across traditional subject areas. We see cross-disciplinary research as the effort to solve problems in an innovative way through the integration of skills and/or approaches from different disciplines. 

Applications should involve at least one early career researcher (PhD student, post-doctoral researcher, or faculty member/fellowship holder within eight years of PhD graduation or six years of their first academic appointment*). We strongly encourage applications from teams working across different UCL Faculties, and particularly welcome applications that focus on groups that are at increased risk of poor mental health. 

*These periods exclude any career break, for example, due to:

• family care
• health reasons
• reasons related to COVID-19, such as home schooling or increased teaching load.

Some possible focus areas below, as examples, but any topic within the remit of the GC MHW theme is welcome:

• Social changes and their mechanisms

This includes the study of mechanisms that operate when an individual’s or group’s behaviour changes for the better as a result of changes in social factors. For example, how do we get people to exercise more, what is the mechanism through which we achieve this, and what is the impact on mental health and wellbeing? Social changes, e.g., reducing inequality-related problems and their mechanisms, are also highly relevant here, as is research focusing on social/behavioural change as leverage for biological studies.

• Development of models of mental illness (and wellbeing)

These can be animal models or other instantiations (e.g. organoids, in silico models, models of social influence) that can be used to accelerate interventions and that offer mechanistic insights. Examples could include the genetic screening of druggable targets or the creation of credible animal models of specific symptoms, dysfunctional cognitions, or social and biological processes relevant to mental health (broadly construed). We encourage applicants to consider ethical, philosophical, and legal implications in relation to biological, neuroscientific, and cognitive approaches and to involve colleagues from relevant disciplines in the applications.

• Spaces that support mental health

Projects in this area could address how the built and natural environment and buildings support or hinder mental health or how digital spaces impact on mental wellbeing. Examples could include the impact of time spent in nature, the effects of different types of home or office space, digital engagement, or external urban environments. It will be important to consider design, architectural, geographical, or digital considerations, as well as data from e.g. psychological or neurosciences to understand the interplay between the environment and the individual.

Applications for projects/activities costing between £10,000 - £25,000 will be considered under this call. In total, up to 15 projects will be awarded. Funding must be spent by 31 July 2025 – any unspent funds will be returned to UCL Finance at the end of the grant. 

Salary costs for research assistant staff are eligible, but contributions towards salary costs for contracted UCL staff members are not. A brief report of all expenditures must be submitted, alongside as an impact report.

• Eligibility
• First applicants must be UCL staff – either researchers in academic Faculties or Professional Services. 
• Secondary Applicants can be UCL staff/PhD students and / or external partners. There is no limit to the number of secondary applicants, and we therefore strongly encourage involvement of more than one UCL department/faculty , as well as consideration of external partners were appropriate. Applications that only involve one UCL department/faculty are extremely unlikely to receive funding and must justify how they meet cross-disciplinary remit of the call.
• The team must comprise at least one early career researcher (PhD student, post-doctoral researcher, or faculty member/fellowship holder within eight years of PhD graduation or within six years of their first academic appointment). 

Full guidance and eligibility criteria can be downloaded here. 

• How to Apply

Read the full guidance and eligibility criteria for the call. In order to be eligible for funding, please complete a short application form and then submit your proposal using the online portal.

Mental Health and Wellbeing Pump-Priming Call Application Form

• Upload your completed form

Download and complete the application form.

Rename the application form using the format: "First Applicant Family Name and Second Applicant Family Name".

Download the Form

Register your project using the submission form.

Upload your completed application form (please convert to pdf , if possible).

Submit Proposal

 Please Note:  Applications must be made using the online system. We will not accept emailed applications.

The deadline for applications is Monday 3 June, 17.00 (GMT).

If you have any questions, or require the form in an alternative format, please email Siobhan Morris ( [email protected] ). 

Alzheimer’s disease and dementia

Motor neurone disease, cluster headache, brain and spinal cord injury, brain tumours.

Apply to run the 2025 London Marathon!

Post-doc and Clinical PhD Fellowships

Funding vital neurological research

Latest news, 2024 london marathon completed, defying the odds to run the london marathon, “i would do exactly the same again to save my children”.

Funding opportunity: DCMS Create Growth Programme competition three

See the  full opportunity details on the Innovation Funding Service .

UK registered micro, small and medium enterprises in the creative sector can apply for funding of between £10,000 and £30,000 for innovation projects to grow their business.

This funding is from DCMS.

Eligibility summary

To lead a project your organisation must be:

• a UK registered  micro, small or medium-sized enterprise
• from the creative industries and focused on one or more of the creative industries sub-sectors
• registered in one of the  DCMS Create Growth Programme appointed regions
• not currently in receipt of public funding for business growth
• able to demonstrate ambition for growth

Creative industries are those industries which have their origin in individual creativity, skill and talent and which have a potential for wealth and job creation through the generation and exploitation of intellectual property.

This is the website for UKRI: our seven research councils, Research England and Innovate UK. Let us know if you have feedback or would like to help improve our online products and services .

A researcher from Zimbabwe awarded ERC Advanced Grant 2023

The European Research Council (ERC) announced winners of the latest Advanced Grants competition, 2023

EURAXESS Africa would like to congratulate  a researcher from Zimbabwe who has been awarded the European Research Council  ( ERC) Advanced Grant.

The ERC has announced the names of 255 outstanding research leaders in Europe set to be awarded ERC Advanced Grants. The funding is amongst the EU’s most prestigious and competitive, providing leading senior researchers with the opportunity to pursue ambitious, curiosity-driven projects that could lead to major scientific breakthroughs. The new grants, worth in total nearly €652 million, are part of the EU’s Horizon Europe programme.

Iliana Ivanova , Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, said:

"To all the new ERC grantees, my heartfelt congratulations! These grants will not only support leading researchers in pushing the boundaries of knowledge, but also create some  2 500 jobs for postdoctoral fellows, PhD students and other research staff across Europe. This investment nurtures the next generation of brilliant minds. I look forward to seeing the resulting breakthroughs and fresh advancements in the years ahead.”  

President of the European Research Council  Prof. Maria Leptin  said:

“Congratulations to the 255 researchers who will receive grants to follow their scientific instinct in this new funding round. I am particularly happy to see more mid-career scientists amongst the Advanced Grant winners this time. I hope that it will encourage more researchers at this career stage to apply for these grants.” 

Projects selected for funding 

The new grants will support cutting-edge research in a wide range of fields, from life sciences and physical sciences to social sciences and humanities. How to get rid of harmful chemicals in our bodies? Can the protective layer around our heart help fix heart problems? Why do infants learn languages so fast? These are only some of the questions that will be addressed by the new grantees. 

See more  research examples

Facts & figures 

The successful candidates proposed to host their projects at universities and research centres in 19 EU Member States and associated countries, notably in Germany (50 grants), France (37) and the Netherlands (23). Among the winners there are Germans (50 researchers), French (31), Britons (28), Italians (22) and citizens of 28 other nations.   

This competition attracted 1 829 proposals, which were reviewed by panels of internationally renowned researchers. Nearly fourteen percent of proposals were selected for funding. Estimates show that the grants will create 2 480 jobs in teams of new grantees.   

The ERC Advanced Grants target established, leading researchers with a proven track-record of significant achievements. In recent years, there has been a steady rise in mid-career researchers (12-17 years post-PhD), who have been successful in the Advanced Grants competitions, with 18% securing grants in this latest round.

Applicants based in the UK 

The statistics and list of successful candidates are provisional. The European Commission and the UK Government have reached an agreement on the association of the UK to Horizon Europe. However, the association applies only for calls for proposals implementing the 2024 budget and onwards. For the Advanced Grants and other calls from the 2023 ERC Work Programme, the UK-based applicants who were eligible to apply under the transitional arrangement may receive EU funding only if they transfer their proposed project to an eligible host institution. 

Examples of proposed projects  

Statistics  

List of all selected researchers  

Lists of selected researchers by domain: 

Physical Sciences and Engineering  

Life Sciences  

Social Sciences and Humanities  

About the ERC 

The ERC, set up by the European Union in 2007, is the premier European funding organisation for excellent frontier research. It funds creative researchers of any nationality and age, to run projects based across Europe. The ERC offers four core grant schemes:  Starting Grants ,  Consolidator Grants ,  Advanced Grants  and  Synergy Grants . With its additional  Proof of Concept  Grant scheme, the ERC helps grantees to bridge the gap between their pioneering research and early phases of its commercialisation. The ERC is led by an independent governing body, the  Scientific Council . Since November 2021, Maria Leptin is the President of the ERC. The overall ERC budget from 2021 to 2027 is more than €16 billion, as part of the  Horizon Europe  programme, under the responsibility of European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth,  Iliana Ivanova .