# Experimental Medicine

**Funder:** MRC (UKRI)
**Deadline:** 14 April 2027 (16:00 UK time)
**Duration:** No fixed limit; typically 3 years for new investigator awards
**Consortium:** Optional — project partners (UK or overseas, including EU) may contribute cash or in-kind support; international co-leads permitted as project co-lead (international)
**Application:** Single stage (stage one application; resubmission as invited stage two for NHS cost documentation)
**Eligible countries:** GB
**Official call:** https://www.ukri.org/opportunity/experimental-medicine/
**Last updated:** 18 Oct 2026

## Eligibility & scope

Funds academically-led experimental medicine projects in humans investigating disease mechanisms, with a clear path to clinical impact. Project lead must be based at an eligible UK research organisation (exceptions for MRC Unit The Gambia and MRC/UVRI Uganda). Funded at 80% full economic cost; includes a New Investigator Award route for early-career researchers transitioning to independence.

## Summary

The MRC Experimental Medicine programme funds human-centric mechanistic studies testing disease-mechanism hypotheses through direct interventions, compounds, biologics, vaccines, psychological, physiological or immune challenges. Applications must involve human participant recruitment and access to clinical infrastructure, open to UK-based researchers including a New Investigator Award track. The two-stage process runs in parallel rounds across 2026-2027.

## Who should apply

- Researchers based at UK academic, NHS, or healthcare institutions with clinical research access
- Investigators with a track record of human-participant mechanistic studies, or New Investigator Award-track applicants launching an independent experimental medicine line
- Projects testing causal hypotheses about disease mechanisms using direct interventions
- Teams with established clinical or patient-recruitment infrastructure

## Key dates

- Stage 2 round deadline 24 February 2027 (stage 1 invitations issued autumn 2026)
- Deferred round opens 15 April 2027, closing 1 September 2027
- Two-stage evaluation: stage one application → shortlisted to stage two full application

## Tips for applicants

- Clinical infrastructure and recruitment capacity are gating; demonstrate existing relationships with NHS trusts or patient cohorts.
- The hypothesis must be testable via direct intervention in humans, observational or computational-only work does not fit this remit.
- New Investigator Award track has different expectations; emphasise independence and originality of the mechanistic hypothesis separately from supervisor legacy.

## Frequently asked questions

### What types of interventions does the MRC Experimental Medicine programme fund?

The programme supports studies using compounds, biologics, vaccines, psychological interventions, physiological challenges, or immune challenges to test disease-mechanism hypotheses in human participants.

### Who is eligible for the MRC Experimental Medicine programme?

Researchers based at UK academic, NHS or other recognised UK research institutions with access to clinical infrastructure for human participant recruitment.

### What is the stage 2 deadline for the MRC Experimental Medicine programme in 2027?

Stage 2 closes 24 February 2027 for the main round; a deferred round opens 15 April 2027 and closes 1 September 2027.

### Is there a New Investigator Award track for the MRC Experimental Medicine programme?

Yes, a New Investigator Award track is available alongside the main stream, with differentiated eligibility and expectations for early-stage researchers launching independent experimental medicine research.

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Source: [The Great Grantsby](https://grantsby.eu/grants/mrc-experimental-medicine-2026) — EU grant monitoring for academic researchers. Always verify details on the funder's website before applying.

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