Drug discovery grants

Finances strategic advice from consulting professionals to prepare and conduct orientation and scientific advice meetings with regulatory authorities for planning and approval of clinical trials ('pre-IND meetings'). Focused on translation of medical/clinical projects.

Funds strategic advice from consulting professionals to prepare and conduct orientation and scientific advice meetings with regulatory authorities (e.g. pre-IND meetings) for planning and approval of clinical trials in medical translational research.

Horizon Europe RIA (lump sum) for academic investigator-initiated pragmatic clinical trials on immunotherapeutic interventions for refractory cancer patients. Proposals must include a clinical studies annex, disaggregate data by sex/gender/age, and engage patients in endpoint definition. Applicants must include diverse stakeholders and plan to join the EU Cancer Mission 'Diagnosis and Treatment' cluster. ~3 grants expected.

Funds development of an EIT Label-certified Biotech pathway within the Certified Innovation Path portfolio, designing personalised learning courses covering EU Biotech Act, Clinical Trials Regulation and MDR/IVDR translation and scale-up. Requires consortium of HEIs (one authorised to award ECTS credits) plus active industry/non-academic partner involvement in curriculum and assessment.

Funds cancer target identification or validation of novel cancer targets for adult cancers, run collaboratively with Cancer Research Horizons drug discovery scientists. Open to academic researchers with own lab at any university/institute worldwide.

Open to academic researchers worldwide with an independent lab, targeting early drug discovery for adult cancers using antibody-based or small molecule approaches. Two award types: Target Award (up to £250k, 12–18 months) for target identification/validation; Early Therapy Award (up to £350k, 18–24 months) for hit identification and druggability assessment. Fundamental biology, drug repurposing, and clinical-trial-enabling studies are excluded.

For mid-career scientists, clinicians or healthcare workers based at a UK university, medical school, hospital or research institution, funding a broad programme addressing fundamental cancer biology questions. Requires informal discussion with CRUK before applying; excludes clinical trials, drug discovery-only, and early detection/prevention research.

Development Call funds translation of research findings into practice for Creation of Modality, Preclinical, Clinical or Implementation research phases; application types include Research Project, Unique High-Risk and Consortia. Multicenter GI cancer trials with ≥4 centers require a support letter from the relevant national research group at full-proposal stage.

For early-career oncology researchers within 5 years of PhD (extensions possible for clinical training or parental leave) who must lead an independent research line and be employed ≥0.5 FTE/year on the project. Covers basic, credentialing, preclinical, clinical, and implementation research phases; Dutch summary required for Patient Advisory Committee review.

ERDERA Clinical Trial Call 2026 (pre-announcement) — joint transnational call by the ERDERA European Partnership, listed on the ERA-LEARN joint-call calendar. Funded by national/regional agencies in participating countries; requires a transnational consortium. See the call page for participating fun

Supports randomised controlled clinical trials (RCTs) of high scientific quality addressing unmet medical/societal needs, not in industry focus. Applicants must be natural persons meeting SNSF eligibility requirements, affiliated with Swiss institutions, forming a research group. Excludes pilot, proof-of-concept, observational, and preclinical studies. Patient and public involvement (PPI) is required. A PPI preparatory grant of up to CHF 5,000 is available alongside the letter of intent.

Academically led translational single-step projects generating critical preliminary data for new medicines, devices, diagnostics or other medical interventions. UK research organisations eligible as lead; international researchers may join as project co-leads. Businesses and non-approved charities cannot lead. No clinical trials or fundamental research. Proposals must be submitted in English via UKRI Funding Service.

Seed funding for early-stage, pre-development technology concepts in cancer immunotherapy; applicants must hold a tenure-track position at a not-for-profit research center or institution. Does not fund clinical trials or refinement of existing technologies.

Supports pioneering immunotherapy clinical trials designed and led by academic researchers. Requires a clinical trial focus; applicants must be academic investigators leading immunotherapy trials.

Supports team-based translational cancer immunology research bridging lab discovery and clinical application, focused on immune prevention/interception of primary cancer and recurrence. Candidates must hold tenure-track assistant professor or higher; not for-profit institutions excluded; clinical trials not funded.

Funds investigator-initiated phase I/II or II immunotherapy clinical trials emphasizing novel approaches, mechanistic investigation of clinical response, and predictive biomarker discovery/validation. PI must lead the study; research may be conducted at non-profit medical schools or research centers in the US or abroad (no support for for-profit institutions). Includes a co-funded chordoma-focused track with Chordoma Foundation.

Modular scheme (Clinical Trial, Experimental Medicine, Sample Collection modules) supporting clinical trials, translational research and sample/data collection. Applicant must be based at a UK university, medical school, hospital, UKCRC registered clinical trials unit or research institution; proposal must be investigator-led; industry-sponsored trials not eligible.

Funds academic-led clinical trials (Phase I–III) for new investigational medicinal products (chemical, biological, ATMP) addressing unmet cancer needs. Lead institute must be a medical centre or research institute in the Netherlands. Proposals must be in English. Repurposing of registered drugs and purely preclinical research are out of scope. Patient involvement in trial setup is mandatory.

Supports free and independent technology research with societal/scientific impact; no disciplinary boundaries. Applicants must hold a tenured or tenure-track position at a Dutch university, UMC, KNAW/NWO institute, or select other Dutch research organisations. Not intended for proposals predominantly focused on investments, contract research, or clinical trials. Proposals submitted in Dutch or English.

MRC CoRE funding supports bold, long-term (up to 14-year) interdisciplinary health research centres led by UK research organisations; international researchers can join as co-leads but international organisations cannot lead. Excludes clinical trials, longitudinal population studies, and generic equipment/computing costs.

Open to researchers at HRB-approved Host Institutions in Republic of Ireland (Northern Ireland excluded). Transnational consortia required. Focuses on diagnosing rare genetic and non-genetic diseases via multi-omics, AI, and systems biology. Excludes interventional clinical trials, basic biomedical research, pre-clinical therapy development, and PhD funding. Tobacco/alcohol industry-linked applicants ineligible.

Open to NHS Trusts in England meeting strict eligibility thresholds: ≥50% of commercial studies achieving the 150-day setup standard (Sept 2025–Sept 2026), ≥40 commercial studies open per year (2023/24–2025/26), and ≥80% recruitment performance in 2025/26. Funds innovative operational models to increase patient recruitment into commercial interventional clinical trials; cannot fund capital costs or non-commercial research. Mandatory CEO and R&D Director letter of support required.

Supports basic bioscience and biomedicine (molecular biology, cell biology, bioinformatics, genetics, pharmacology, etc.). Research must be conducted at a university, hospital, or non-profit research institution in Denmark. DKK 12M earmarked for the strategic theme 'Microbiota-host interactions: from molecular mechanisms to their role in physiology'.

Funds health technology assessments of NHS/social care technologies evaluated using a PICO framework. Applicants must be UK-based with a multidisciplinary team including clinical, health economics, and statistics expertise. Clinical trials must engage an accredited UKCRC CTU. Systematic reviews must be registered in PROSPERO.

HTA Programme researcher-led call co-commissioned with NICE; evaluates health technologies (effectiveness and cost-effectiveness) for NHS or social care patient populations using PICO framework. Applicants must be UK-based and lead a multidisciplinary team. Clinical trials must engage an accredited UKCRC Clinical Trials Unit. Proposals must include a flow diagram and references.

Funds clinical trials and mechanistic studies evaluating efficacy of promising health interventions. Requires proof of concept in humans, patient/public involvement, and hypothesis-driven design. Clinical trials must engage an accredited UKCRC CTU and comply with UK MHRA regulations. Lead applicant's employing institution must act as sponsor. UK-based host institutions.

Co-funding for oncology drug candidates in late-stage preclinical development through to early clinical trials (Phase I/IIa), delivered via KWF's partnership with the Cancer Research UK Centre for Drug Development. Open to Dutch academic groups and (spin-off) companies only; non-Dutch initiators are excluded, and applicants must hold or secure full IP rights and freedom to operate.

Funds early drug discovery/translational research for novel therapeutics in childhood and young people's cancers, run collaboratively with Cancer Research Horizons' Therapeutic Innovation team. Open to academic researchers worldwide with their own lab; excludes basic/discovery research and full hit-finding/clinical development activities.

Commissioned HTA Programme call for research on speech and language therapist-led interventions for school-aged children with developmental language disorder. Applicants must be UK-based with a multidisciplinary team; clinical trials must engage with a UKCRC-accredited CTU. Research must address NHS or social care populations using PICO methodology and demonstrate cost-effectiveness.

Fellowship for clinicians conducting clinical trial research. CRUK funds 50% of salary; host institution or funding partner must provide matched 50% funding confirmed at application. Mentor required (senior academic, not line manager). Clinical/patient-sample research focus; NHS pay scales apply for salary costing.

NIHR HTA Programme commissioned call for target trial emulation research using routine data to address NHS/social care health questions. Research questions must be framed in PICO terms. Applicants must be UK-based; multidisciplinary teams required. CTU involvement advised for clinical trials. Currently at outline application stage (5-page research plan).

Postdoctoral award for researchers leading a clinical trial within EME or HTA Programme remit. Lead applicant must hold (or have submitted) a PhD/MD at time of application and must not already hold a Chair. UK institutions only (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales). Stand-alone mechanistic studies are out of remit for this specific opportunity.

NIHR HTA Programme commissioned call for research on interventions improving outcomes in adults with faecal incontinence. NHS or social care patient population; cost-effectiveness component expected. Applicants must be UK-based; multidisciplinary team required; clinical trials must involve an accredited CTU.

NIHR HTA Programme commissioned call evaluating early surgical intervention vs standard care for neonates with NEC symptoms. UK-based applicants required; multidisciplinary team (including health economist and statistician) expected. Clinical trial applications must engage a UKCRC-accredited CTU. Full economic evaluation and inclusive research design required.

NIHR HTA Programme commissioned call on neonatal central line-associated bloodstream infections. UK-based applicants only; NHS/social care setting required. Multidisciplinary team including health economist and statistician expected. HRA ethics approval required; CTU involvement advised for clinical trials. Proposals must use PICO framework.

Researcher-led call funding efficacy and mechanism evaluation studies requiring proof of concept in humans. Must be hypothesis-driven; hypothesis-generating studies are ineligible. Requires patient/public involvement in study co-design. Clinical trials must comply with UK MHRA regulations and engage an accredited UKCRC Clinical Trials Unit. Host institution must be a UK organisation ('domestic' applications).

UK-based applicants only; multidisciplinary team required including clinical, health economics, and statistical expertise. Research must address NHS or social care patient populations framed in PICO terms. Intervention must be ready for HTA evaluation, evidenced by systematic review or equivalent synthesis. CTU involvement required for clinical trials.

Supports preclinical development through early phase (Phase 1/early Phase 2) clinical trials of novel cancer agents; not external grant funding but scientific, clinical and trial management resources provided by CRUK's Centre for Drug Development. Open to academic institutions and pharma/biotech companies (UK or international); requires prior confidential discussion and eligibility check.

Clinical research funding for pancreatic, liver, oesophageal and gastric cancer, covering clinical trials, sample collection and experimental medicine awards, submitted via the clinical research funding scheme and reviewed by the CRC.