Selected funding opportunities

This page provides information about selected funding opportunities. Click here for information about funding organisations in the UK with more comprehensive listings of opportunities.

Calls added in April/May

OrganisationDetailsDate
ESRC 

Pre announcement: ESRC React Awards (pilot)
Apply for responsive funding to generate time-critical research to support policymakers and practitioners delivering frontline services in the UK.

Opens: 8 October 2026
NIHR 

PHR Commissioned – NIHR NICE
The NIHR Public Health Research Programme is interested in receiving applications to meet recommendations in research identified in NICE guidance that has been published or updated in the last 5 years.

Closing date: 18 August 2026
AHRC, ESRC, MRC, UKRI

Gambling harms research grants
Apply for funding that deepens understanding or supports solutions for the prevention and treatment of gambling-related harms.

Deadline: 17 July 2026
NIHRPopulation Health Career Scientist Award (Round6)
The PHCSA is a UK-wide initiative to enable senior researchers to make the next step to reader/professor level in their host institutions.		Deadline: 9 July 2026


Calls added in February/March

OrganisationDetailsDate
NIHR

Women's health communication 
The NIHR Public Health Research Programme is looking to fund research into how effective public health messaging is in improving the health of, and reducing health inequalities experienced by women and girls. 

Deadline: August 2026
Engagement, Knowledge Exchange and Impact Team, University of Cambridge Public Voices in MRC Research Funding Call
University of Cambridge researchers planning an application to an MRC funding scheme can apply for up to £1,000 to reimburse public partners involved in pre-application PPIE activities.		Rolling call until 18 Dec 2026
NIHRHousing, place and the built environment for an ageing population
The NIHR Public Health Research Programme is looking to fund research into the health and health inequality effects of housing and the physical and social aspects of place, on older people’s health, including mental health.		Deadline: 8 December 2026
MRCUsing the 'Our Future Health' data resource for research
This is a pilot scheme through which the MRC will cover data access costs for eligible MRC funded researchers to discover and test more effective ways to predict, detect and treat major diseases using the Our Future Health dataset		Open: No closing date


Calls added in October/November: 

OrganisationDetailsDate
NIHRLoneliness in the community
The NIHR Public Health Research Programme is looking fund research that evaluates the health and health inequality impacts of community initiatives that aim to address loneliness at a population level. 		Deadline: 18 August 2026
CHAI (Causality in Healthcare AI) HubShort-Term secondment funding in AI for Healthcare
The CHAI hub are inviting researchers to apply for funding to collaborate, facilitate knowledge transfer and develop new skills, through a short-term secondment in the area of causal AI in healthcare. 		Deadline: Welcoming applications on an ongoing basis
NIHRShaping and supporting the health, public health and social care workforce of the future
The NIHR is looking to fund research that will optimise a public health, NHS, social care and wider health workforce that is effectively structured, trained, deployed and supported to deliver future effective and efficient models of healthcare which meet the needs of the UK’s ageing population. 		See website for various deadlines

Earlier calls

OrganisationDetailsDate
Parkinson's UKResearch Conference Awards
Funding is available for Cambridge based researchers to attend conferences that support their professional development into the causes and amelioration of Parkinson’s Disease.		Applications are currently open

Ongoing calls:

Organisation

Details

Date

NIHR

Themed call: Prevention revolution: Early action to prevent poor health outcomes
NIHR is announcing a targeted prevention funding opportunity, which is part of a coordinated response by NIHR to the DHSC areas of research interest 1 (ARI1): early action to prevent poor health outcomes.

Ongoing
CRUKPrevention and Population Programme Award
This award provides long-term support for broad, multidisciplinary programmes with transformative potential in primary prevention and population research. 		Applications reviewed twice a year
UKRIResearch England Development (RED) Fund
The RED Fund supports projects that aid the development and interaction of the UK’s higher education research and knowledge exchange (KE) activity in line with Government and UKRI priorities. The aim of the RED fund is to drive innovation in research and KE in higher education.		Deadline: none.
BBSRCBBSRC standard research grant
Funding can support a range of activities from research projects to technology development, new infrastructure and equipment, use of equipment and facilities, networks, and summer schools.		Open - no closing date

LifeArc Philanthropic Fund

The LifeArc Philanthropic Fund is a multi-million pound grant fund to support translational medical research projects to develop treatments and diagnostics for rare diseases. Projects should be underpinned with a strong, scientific rationale in addressing a rare disease medical need and must be target driven, with a credible delivery plan and led by an academic.

If you have a project focused on research into therapeutics, diagnostics or devices that could support people living with a rare disease, please get in touch by completing this form.
Further details can be found here. 

Ongoing

EPSRC

Standard research grants (EPSRC)
Standard research is for unsolicited research proposals submitted by anyone eligible to apply to EPSRC for funding. They can be submitted at any time and in any field of research relevant to EPSRC’s remit. 

We encourage research collaborations with business and the public sector, particularly where they can help research advances and the take up of results.

Ongoing

Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)

NERC urgency funding

Apply for funding to respond quickly to transient and unexpected scientific opportunities. You can only apply for urgency funding if there is an unexpected event you need urgent data on. These may be events affecting the environment created by the occurrence of sporadic natural events such as: earthquakes, droughts, floods, ephemeral events in ecosystems. The aim of this grant is to help you collect valuable data at the start of the event before other events and actions affect the data collection.

Ongoing

UKRIMRC partnership responsive mode
Apply for funding to support new partnerships between diverse groups of researchers within the remit of Medical Research Council (MRC). You must be a researcher employed by a research organisation eligible to apply for MRC funding. The grant will allow you to:
  • establish new, high-value collaborative activities or capabilities
  • add value to high-quality scientific programmes that are already supported by grants from MRC and other funders
There are three deadlines a year
MRC

MRC Career Development Award
Apply for support to become an independent researcher in a medical research field. Your research can focus on any area of Medical Research Council (MRC)’s remit to improve human health. You must:

  • have a PhD or equivalent
  • show evidence of career progression
  • show clear plans for developing as a leader in your area of research
Call closes every April and September.
EPSRC EPSRC network grant: Nov 2023: responsive mode
Engineering and Physical sciences Research Council (EPSRC) will support costs of building interdisciplinary research communities. Network grants aim to develop new interdisciplinary research communities and topics by supporting interaction between researchers and relevant science, technology and industrial groups.		Open - no closing date