UK Research Funding Directory
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Medical Research Council

MRC

Funds biomedical research from molecular mechanism through to clinical application, and supports its own institutes and units. Strong in experimental medicine, population health and translational schemes such as the Developmental Pathway Funding Scheme.

Funding opportunities ↗Main site ↗
Kind of funder
Research council
Where it funds
UK-wide
Indicative award size
£100k – £5m
Approx. annual research spend
£900m
Who can apply
Universities, Research institutes, NHS & healthcare providers
Career stages
PhD / doctoral, Postdoctoral, Early career, Established researcher

Research grants commonly £300k–£2m; unit and partnership funding is larger.

Research areas

Health & medicineBiosciencesNeuroscienceMental healthCancer

Named schemes (17)

17 schemes

  • Longitudinal population studies strategic prioritisation exercise ↗

    Submit information about your longitudinal population study (LPS) to help Medical Research Council (MRC) plan for future investments in LPS infrastructure. You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for MRC funding. Your LPS must have a primary focus on enabling biomedical research.

    Open17 Nov 2026pulled from UKRI 2026-09-17

  • Centres of Excellence for Regulatory Science and Innovation ↗

    Apply for funding to establish a Centre of Excellence for Regulatory Science and Innovation (CERSI) to address strategic regulatory science priorities through sustained programmes of research. You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for Medical Research Council (MRC) funding.

    Open12 Jan 2027£20m total fundpulled from UKRI 2026-09-22

  • Capacity building: clinical research training fellowship ↗

    Apply for funding to reacquire research skills. Your research can focus on any area of Medical Research Council (MRC) remit to improve human health. You must: be a registered healthcare professional be a PhD graduate working outside of research, usually five or more years ago show plans to pursue a clinical academic research career

    Open13 Jan 2027pulled from UKRI 2026-10-21

  • Early independence: clinician scientist fellowship ↗

    Apply for an early independence fellowship if your research focus is within Medical Research Council (MRC) remit. You must: be a registered healthcare professional have a PhD or equivalent show evidence of career consolidation and productivity show clear plans for establishing your own research niche

    Open13 Jan 2027pulled from UKRI 2026-10-21

  • Professional doctorate: clinical research training fellowship ↗

    Apply for funding to undertake a PhD. Your research can focus on any area of Medical Research Council (MRC)’s remit to improve human health. You must: be a registered healthcare professional be at an appropriate point in your training to undertake a PhD show plans to pursue a research career

    Open13 Jan 2027pulled from UKRI 2026-10-22

  • Invite only: Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) medical countermeasures R&D ↗

    Apply for funding for early-stage research into medical countermeasures, including vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics, for chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) threats. You must be employed at a research organisation eligible for MRC funding.

    Upcoming20 Jan 2027pulled from UKRI 2026-10-17

  • Small molecule high throughput screen using AstraZeneca facilities ↗

    Apply for funding to run a high throughput screen (HTS) using AstraZeneca’s compound library and screening robots. There are two funding opportunities per year that are open to all targets.

    Open28 Jan 2027up to £270k per award£1m total fundpulled from UKRI 2026-09-12

  • MRC Centre of Research Excellence: round five: outline application ↗

    Apply for MRC Centre of Research Excellence (MRC CoRE) funding to tackle complex and interdisciplinary health challenges. You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for MRC funding.

    Upcoming3 Feb 2027up to £26m per award£50m total fundpulled from UKRI 2026-09-12

  • Experimental medicine: invited stage two application ↗

    Apply for funding to investigate the causes, progression and treatment of human disease. Your application must include an intervention in humans. You must be based at a research organisation eligible for Medical Research Council (MRC) funding. You must be invited to apply for stage two of this funding opportunity.

    Open24 Feb 2027pulled from UKRI 2026-10-08

  • UKRI translation: MRC proof of concept: stage two ↗

    This funding opportunity was previously titled ‘Developmental pathway funding scheme’. Apply for funding to develop and test novel therapeutics, medical devices, diagnostics and other interventions. You must be employed at a research organisation eligible for MRC funding.

    Open3 Mar 2027£10m total fundpulled from UKRI 2026-11-05

  • Experimental medicine stage one ↗

    Apply for funding to investigate the causes, progression and treatment of human disease. Your application must include an intervention in humans. You must be based at a research organisation eligible for Medical Research Council (MRC) funding.

    Open14 Apr 2027pulled from UKRI 2026-10-08

  • Experimental medicine to define mechanisms of gambling disorder: stage one ↗

    Apply for funding for academically led experimental medicine studies in humans that deepen understanding of the causal biological and psychosocial mechanisms underlying the effects of gambling activities, products and interventions on gambling disorder.

    Open14 Apr 2027up to £3m per award£10m total fundpulled from UKRI 2026-10-08

  • Developmental Pathway Funding Scheme ↗

    Translational funding to move a therapeutic, device or diagnostic towards first-in-human testing. Milestone-driven, with a required development plan.

    Rolling / recurringCheck funder site for current round£300k – £4m per awardchecked 2026-05-01

  • MRC Research Grant ↗

    Core response-mode scheme for hypothesis-driven biomedical research, typically three to five years. Board deadlines recur through the year by research board.

    Rolling / recurringCheck funder site for current round£200k – £3m per awardchecked 2026-05-01

  • MRC: new investigator research grant: applicant-led ↗

    Apply for funding to take the next step towards becoming an independent researcher. Doing exciting and ambitious research within the remit of the Medical Research Council. You must have the: skills and experience to ‘transition to independence’ support of an eligible host research organisation

    OpenCheck funder site for current roundpulled from UKRI 2026-10-12

  • MRC: partnership grant: applicant-led ↗

    Apply for funding to support exciting and ambitious partnerships within the remit of the Medical Research Council. You must be employed by an eligible research organisation. Partnerships are novel collaborative activities between researchers to transform our understanding of human health and disease.

    OpenCheck funder site for current roundpulled from UKRI 2026-10-12

  • MRC: research grant: applicant-led ↗

    Apply for funding to support exciting and ambitious research within the remit of the Medical Research Council, to transform our understanding of human health and disease You must be employed by an eligible research organisation. You can involve more than one research group or organisation in the project.

    OpenCheck funder site for current roundpulled from UKRI 2026-10-12