Apply for funding
We provide funding for impactful research projects to address important questions in the field of blood cancer.
Funding schemes
To be notified when our calls open, please contact the Research Team.
Project grants
Our annual open response-mode project grant scheme is now open.
Remit:
- Project grants are awarded for up to £300,000, for up to three years.
- Project grants are designed to provide support for clearly defined research proposals that aim to address key questions in the field of blood cancers in line with our strategic aims.
- There are no prioritised research themes for this call, we welcome all applications for clearly defined research projects addressing novel questions that could help us move closer to reaching our goal of a world where nobody dies as a result of blood cancer or its treatments.
- Applications for biobank funding, bridging support between grants or research involving randomised trials of clinical treatments will not be considered through this grant scheme.
The deadline for applications is 3pm on Thursday 18 January 2024.
Awards will be made in June 2024.
Applications should be made through our online Grant Management System, Grant Tracker. We have created guidance on using Grant Tracker to help you. You can also download our project grant guidance below for more details.
Innovative Pilot Grants
We have launched a new Pilot Grant scheme to support researchers with innovative research ideas in areas related to blood cancer to develop the pilot data needed to secure further investment from our other grant schemes, other medical research funders or industry.
Remit:
- Pilot grants are awarded for up to £30,000 for a duration of up to 12 months.
- We invite applications for innovative research projects which aim to develop pilot data in novel areas of research with the potential to impact the understanding, prevention, diagnosis, treatment or management of blood cancer.
- Early career researchers in particular are encouraged to apply.
- Applicants should clearly outline the potential impact for people affected by blood cancer.
- Pilot grants are not for supplementing or making up shortfalls in funding for ongoing research and staff funded by other awards.
- Applications for applications for biobank funding, bridging support between grants or research involving randomised trials of clinical treatments will also not be considered.
The deadline for applications is 3pm on Thursday 11 January 2024.
Awards will be made in March 2024.
Applications should be made through our online Grant Management System, Grant Tracker. We have created guidance on using Grant Tracker to help you. You can also download our pilot grant guidance below for more details.
Early Career Researcher funding schemes
Our support for Early Career Researchers continues. We fund in partnership with the Medical Research Council and support both clinical and non-clinical Early Career Researchers.
Clinician Scientist Fellowship
The Medical Research Council (MRC) Clinician Scientist Fellowship aims to support the move to independent investigator in a medical research field.
The research can focus on any area of MRC’s remit to improve human health.
Applicants must:
- Be a registered healthcare professional.
- Have a PhD or equivalent.
- Show evidence of career progression.
- Show clear plans for developing as a leader in their specialist area of research.
The applicant's research plans must not overlap with those of their current group leader or proposed sponsor.
There is no limit on the amount of funding an applicant can apply for.
The next deadline is 11 January 2024.
Future deadlines: 3 April 2024.
Career Development Award
The Medical Research Council (MRC) Career Development Award aims to support the move to independent investigator in a medical research field.
The research can focus on any area of MRC’s remit to improve human health.
Applicants must:
- Have a PhD or equivalent.
- Show evidence of career progression.
- Show clear plans for developing as a leader in their specialist area of research.
The applicant's research plans must not overlap with those of their current group leader or proposed sponsor.
There’s no limit on the amount of funding you can apply for.
The next deadline is 17 April 2024.
Future deadlines: 11 September 2024.
Please note:
For both MRC application schemes, please complete a Joint Funding Fellowship Form and tick Blood Cancer as the Joint funder. This should be uploaded and submitted on Je-S with the rest of your application.
Criteria and assessment
Applicants should have some postdoctoral research experience, or equivalent, and be scientists, clinicians or healthcare professionals employed by a UK university, medical school, hospital or other recognised academic research organisation.
Main applicants should have a permanent or long-term rolling contract, with their salary paid by the host organisation for the duration of the award.
Senior postdoctoral researchers who are leading a project can be the Main Applicant and include a request for their salary support, but must also include a Co-applicant with tenure based at their host organisation or have a guarantee from their Head of Department that they will be provided with space and facilities for the duration of an award.
Blood Cancer UK is a signatory to the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), publicly committing that we will consider all research outputs and look at a broader range of qualitative measures of impact.
Our grant application forms will ask for information on research outputs, which may include (but are not limited to) peer-reviewed original research articles, preprints, datasets, software, research materials and inventions, patents and commercial activities, changes to policy and practice.
We will also ask our advisory committees to focus on the content and quality of publications when reviewing applications, rather than their number or the impact factors of the journals in which they were published.
Our Research Strategy sets out our research priorities.
Applications to the above schemes are considered by the relevant advisory panel and/or the Research Funding Committee.