Drug discovery grants

PPP call for projects strengthening Pb-212 production/supply chain or enabling technologies for clinical application of Pb-212-based radiopharmaceuticals. Proposals must involve public-private collaboration with 40–60% industry co-funding, be submitted through KWF GMS, and align with Lead4Life governance and national TRT network. Clinical trials and full therapeutic product development are out of scope.

PPP call for projects strengthening Pb-212 production/supply chain or enabling technologies for clinical application of Pb-212-based radiopharmaceuticals. Proposals must involve public-private collaboration and be submitted through KWF GMS; projects are embedded in a national TRT innovation network. Clinical trials and full therapeutic product development are out of scope.

Supports investigator-initiated clinical trials. Applicants must be based at Swiss research institutions. Clinical trial focus with patient-sample needs expected.

Late-phase (phase 2/3) international clinical trials on radiotherapy or surgery for rare cancers (incidence <6/100,000/yr) and/or hard-to-treat cancers (5-yr survival <25%). Consortium must include partners from ≥3 of 5 funding countries (BE, NL, ES, NO, SE). Five projects invited to full proposal phase; submission via Swedish Cancer Society's Grant Application System.

Open to researchers at Dutch institutions with an ongoing or recently finished KWF drug research project (start ≥6 months ago, end ≤1.5 years before 1 July 2026). Funds access to clinically relevant preclinical models, technologies and expertise (NAMs, PDOs, GEMMs, orthotopic models, CRO collaborations) to improve translational value. TRL ≥3 required; activities must relate to drug development/optimisation, not fundamental research alone.

Funds academic-led clinical trials (Phase I–III) for new investigational medicinal products in oncology addressing unmet medical needs. Lead institute must be a medical centre or research institute in the Netherlands; public participating parties must be in Europe. Patient involvement is mandatory. Phase I/I-II budget: €1–2.5M; Phase II/III: €1–5M. Proposals must be in English. Public-private partnerships allowed; repurposing of registered drugs is out of scope.

Add-on funding exclusively for ongoing or recently completed KWF projects to strengthen translational relevance of oncology drug development. Supports training, implementation, and validation of advanced preclinical models; outsourcing to academic service providers or CROs is allowed.

Supports larger investigator-initiated clinical trials in Denmark with no commercial purpose, aimed at improving patient treatment through new medicine and technology. Open to established and mid-career research leaders (Associate Professor / Professor level). Host institution must be based in Denmark.

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.

For mid-career researchers at UK universities, medical schools, hospitals or research institutions with a salaried independent position. Applicant must be funded by a Higher Education Funding Council, NHS or equivalent; award cannot fund applicant salary. Closed scheme — prior contact required. Supports cancer biology research; excludes clinical trials, drug discovery as sole function, early detection/prevention, and pure technology development.

Open to researchers with a tenured or tenure-track position at Dutch universities, UMCs, KNAW/NWO institutes, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Max Planck Institute Nijmegen, Naturalis, ARCNL, or Princess Máxima Center. Co-funding required (min. 25%) if total project costs exceed €700k. Not intended for clinical trials, contract research, or predominantly investment-focused proposals. User committee of ≥4 knowledge users required.

Open to researchers with an ongoing or recently finished KWF project (start ≥6 months ago; end ≤1.5 years before 1 July 2026). Funds additional clinically relevant preclinical drug research activities (advanced models, NAMs, in vivo systems, external CRO validation) not budgeted in the related KWF project. Host institution must be a Dutch knowledge institution registered in KWF GMS. TRL ≥3 required. Drug research scope only; basic research eligible only if directly tied to drug development.

Funds multidisciplinary research and infrastructure to identify, reach, and inform individuals with very high breast cancer risk (BRCA1/2 or PALB2 mutations) and to build a registry for high-risk families. Consortium of ≥4 partners required; patient/citizen participation plan mandatory; early HTA required. In-kind/matching contributions encouraged. Excludes exploratory risk-factor discovery, new screening technologies, and clinical trials.

For researchers ready to develop their research identity; requires PhD or equivalent plus no more than 3 years full-time postdoctoral experience. Open to applicants based in UK, Republic of Ireland, or OECD-defined low- and middle-income countries (excluding China and India). Covers salary and up to £400k in research costs. Not for large-scale clinical trials.

Supports high-risk, high-reward cancer research (basic, translational, technology, early-stage clinical trials) worldwide. PIs must be independent researchers at their institutions. Applications by invitation or focused RFP only. Indirect costs capped at 10% of direct costs. Revenue sharing terms apply. Clinical awards require institutional protocol approval before fund release.

Supports pioneering immunotherapy clinical trials designed and led by academic researchers. Requires clinical trial focus; applicants must be academic investigators. Protocol concept submission required as first stage.

Bilateral Franco-German research grants under the Lead Agency procedure (ANR leads). Applies only to Research Grants Programme (not Clinical Trials, Research Units, or Package Proposals). German applicants must be eligible under DFG Research Grants rules; commercial companies excluded. Proposals submitted via DFG elan portal under 'Frankreich-ANR-DFG (Year) NLE'. Both French and German project elements must be well-justified and interlinked.

Funds non-commercial, investigator-initiated cancer therapy trials (Sachbeihilfen). Applicants must contact therapiestudien@krebshilfe.de before applying. Requires patient recruitment plan and sponsor declaration. Clinical trial focus; proposals presumably in German.

Main applicant must be employed at a Nordic institution at assistant professor level or above (postdocs/PhD students ineligible). Co-applicant may be based anywhere globally but must be in a different country. Research must be use-inspired and address Theme 1 (novel AMR tools) or Theme 2 (pandemic influenza). Clinical trials, microbiome research, phage therapy, and for-profit product development are out of scope.

Accelerates conversion of promising scientific discoveries into cancer therapeutics. Translational/drug discovery focus. Open to investigators at academic institutions globally. No explicit eligibility restrictions stated.

Pilot grant addressing an emerging gap in support for new clinical trials in DIPG. Funds hiring of a clinical fellow to support clinical trial work (e.g., CAR-T cell trials). First-time award; check the grant application page for future availability.

For established researchers and teams pursuing bold, creative research questions across any discipline with a clear link to human health. Lead PI must have international standing. Open to applicants in UK, Republic of Ireland, or OECD low- and middle-income countries (excluding China and India). Covers all resources needed. Large-scale clinical trials not funded.

Individual grant (no co-applicants) for medical research relevant to patients and human health, including translational/clinical research, disease mechanisms, epidemiology, diagnostics, public health, clinical trials, and biomedicine. Master students, PhD students, and postdocs are ineligible. Up to two grants awarded. Applicants may only submit one application across all NNF Research Leader Programme 2025 calls.