Challenge-Led Funding Opportunities
A range of research funding opportunities from UK, EU and International funders. Always open calls are listed towards the end of each section.
UKRI cross research council responsive mode pilot scheme: round 2The University is limited to 20 submissions to the Outline stage of this call. Please see the ERO SharePoint page for full details of the internal selection process. Click here for the Expression of Interest form. Internal deadline 10 September 2024 Apply for up to £1.2, for two years for breakthrough or disruptive interdisciplinary ideas that transcend, combine or significantly span disciplines that are not routinely funded through existing UKRI responsive mode schemes. Awards will be potentially transformative for the participating disciplines or lead to the creation of new disciplines. Co-creation, integration and reciprocity between disciplines must be evident.
Up to £1.2m over 2 years is available for projects demonstrating breakthrough interdisciplinary ideas that would not routinely be funded through existing UKRI responsive mode schemes. Awards will be potentially transformative for the participating disciplines or lead to the creation of new disciplines. Deadline (outline) 19 November 2024 |
Sustainable Industrial FuturesApply for up to £21m to establish a virtual centre of excellence in sustainable industrial futures to advance the UK’s transition to net zero. Opening 13 June 2024. Facilitated workshop 18 September 2024. If interested, please complete the internal Expression of Interest form Deadline 07 August 2024 (EoI); 19 November 2024 (full proposal) |
Ocean Community Empowerment and Nature (OCEAN)Defra are currently in the process of mobilising Ocean Community Empowerment and Nature (OCEAN) a new competitive grants programme under the UK’s £500 million Blue Planet Fund. OCEAN aims to attract proposals from local organisations working closely with coastal communities most affected by declining ocean health across all Official Development Assistance (ODA) eligible countries. Defra will be launching the first call for grant proposals in 2024. Find out more at OCEAN Expert Committee recruitment pack. |
Leverhulme Trust Research Project GrantsFor innovative and original research projects in any area except for areas that have substantial or alternative funding from other sources. Project funds up to £500l for five years. Rolling deadline for outline stage. |
BHF New Horizon GrantsThese encourage scientists from outside traditional cardiovascular biology to engage in cardiovascular research and bring novel expertise to the field to develop new technologies, models or methodologies and explore novel concepts. Grants are worth up to £300,000 each for up to three years No closing date |
MRC Researching motor neurone disease: highlight noticeApply for funding to research motor neurone disease (MND) through any grants from MRC research boards or panels or MRC fellowships. No deadline |
NERC Undertake activities related to scientific ocean drillingApply for funding to undertake small-scale activities related to scientific ocean drilling. Activities could include workshops or events, training, outreach. Award: £2,000 and £10,000. No closing date |
MRC Experimental medicine grantsThese support experimental research investigating the causes, progression and treatment of human disease. There are no pre-set limits to the amount of funding or the length of the project. Projects are funded at 80 per cent of the full project costs. Closing date: Recurring (typically September and April) |
NERC: Urgency GrantsProjects may last for up to one year and are expected to focus on the urgent data collection and essential initial analysis only. Funding does not cover studentships or equipment. Up to £65k available. Proposals must fall within NERC’s scientific remit and they will need to be sensitive to social distancing and other restrictions being brought in as a result of the current situation. Deadline: Open, no closing date |
British Ecological SocietyFunding may be provided for new and innovative ecological research, pump priming projects or to help early-career ecologists establish an independent research career in ecology. Projects must have a clear ecological science focus and other aspects such as sociology or economics must be clearly integrated into the ecology and scientific goals of the project. Small research grants, worth up to £5,000 for up to one year; and large research grants worth between £5,000 and £20,000 over up to two years. Deadline: Currently closed but recurring (typically Sept) |
Plant science small grants programmeGatsby Charitable Foundation, GB This supports research projects that are unlikely to attract funding from research councils or other agencies and that require pump priming, bridging funds, equipment or funds for developing community resources. Grants are worth up to £35,000. All independent researchers are eligible, but ECRs are particularly welcomed. **Please discuss your idea with Prof Steven Spoel- IMPS before submission** Deadline: None, decisions typically made 4 times a year |
Tropical Agriculture Association Standard AwardThis enables young British nationals or long-term residents of the UK to gain experience and understanding of international rural development. Awards are worth up to £2,000 each. No deadline |
Scotland EuropaYou can benefit from UoE’s Scotland Europa membership through their updates and analysis of EU policy, EU funding and project support, and access to EU contacts and networks. This includes the European Regions Research & Innovation Network (ERRIN) and its project development tool for building collaborations. |
Partnering with New ZealandNew Zealand has recently joined the Horizon Europe framework programme and is eligible alongside the UK as an associate country for pillar 2 collaborative grants. The International Engagement Team in ERO recently met representatives from University of Auckland, University of Otago at Christchurch and Auckland Institute of Technology and can provide connection for developing collaborative grants. Of particular interest: development issues related to agriculture studies where the different season can be useful for research. |
Masts engagement in European research (MEER)MEER funds may be used for a wide range of engagement with the Horizon Europe framework process. You can apply for up to £5k and applications can be submitted at any time whilst funds remain available. You must be a member of a MASTS partner institution to apply. |
IHI Draft call 8 Drafts publishedThe topics are on tackling heart disease in cities, osteoarthritis and big data, regulatory sandboxes for breakthrough innovation, and clinical study endpoints from digital health technologies. Two-stage calls which will be launched in the coming months. |
ERC StartingThese support researchers who are starting their own independent research team or programme. Deadline Currently closed |
ERC SynergyThese grants enable groups of two to four principal investigators and their teams to bring together complementary skills, knowledge, and resources in new ways, in order to jointly address research problems. Deadline Currently closed |
ERC-2023-PoC proof-of-concept grantsThese aim to maximise the value of ERC-funded research by funding further work to verify the innovation potential of ideas arising from ERC-funded projects. Deadline Currently closed |
ERC Consolidator GrantThe ERC Consolidator Grants are designed to support excellent Principal Investigators at the career stage at which they may still be consolidating their own independent research team or programme. Principal Investigators must demonstrate the ground-breaking nature, ambition and feasibility of their scientific proposal. Deadline Currently closed |
ERC Advanced Grant 2024Provide support for established, leading principal investigators who want long-term funding to pursue a ground-breaking, ambitious project. The budget is €555 million to fund approximately 223 grants. Each grant is worth up to €2.5m over five years and an additional €1m may be requested. The UK National Contact Point is holding two webinars in June for participants to the call:
Deadline Currently closed |
MSCA postdoctoral fellowships 2024These aim to enhance the creative and innovative potential of researchers holding a PhD and who wish to acquire new skills through advanced training, international, interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral mobility. Deadline Currently closed |
MSCA Doctoral NetworksThe objective of Doctoral Networks is to implement doctoral programmes by partnerships of organisations from different sectors across Europe and beyond to train highly skilled doctoral candidates, stimulate their creativity, enhance their innovation capacities and boost their employability in the long-term. Deadline Opens 29 May 2024, deadline 27 November 2024 |
European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST)A COST Action is an interdisciplinary research network that brings researchers and innovators together to investigate a topic of their choice for 4 years. Deadline 23 October 2024 |
MJFF Parkinson's Disease Therapeutics Pipeline ProgramIndustry-Academia partnerships can apply to advance therapeutic development through pre-clinical and/or clinical testing of approaches addressing unmet needs of people with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Pre-proposals can be submitted at any time. |
NIH- Notice of special interest – genetic underpinnings of endosomal trafficking as a pathological hub in Alzheimer's disease and Alzheimer's disease-related dementiasThis supports basic and translational research focused on the molecular, cellular, and physiological processes associated with the endosomal compartment in AD and ADRD. This notice applies to due dates on or after March 11, 2022 and subsequent receipt dates through November 13, 2024. Deadline: 13 November 2024 |
NIH Notice of special interest – climate change and healthThis supports research and training that reduces health threats from climate change across the life span and builds health resilience in individuals, communities, and nations around the world, especially among those at highest risk. Applications follow parent opportunity due dates between 8 July 2022 and 5pm local of time of applicant organisation, 8 May 2025. Deadline 08 May 2025 |
NSF: Enabling discovery through genomic tools.The National Science Foundation invites applications for its enabling discovery through genomic tools funding opportunity. This supports genomic research that addresses the mechanistic basis of complex traits in diverse organisms within the context in which they function. Foreign organisations may apply provided they do so in consortium with US organisations. The proposer must explain why local support is not feasible and why the foreign organisation can carry out the activity more effectively. The total budget is USD 10 million in fiscal year 2020 to fund between 10 and 15 grants, each worth up to 2m for up to four years. Deadline: Apply anytime |
Work with US-based researchers on environmental science: NERC-NSF lead agencyThis funding opportunity allows UK and US-based researchers to submit a collaborative application to either NSF or NERC under existing funding programmes. Applications will go through a single review process. Collaborative work must adhere to the remits of both NERC and NSF GEO or BIO-DEB schemes. No closing date. |
FAPESP Pump-Priming Awards (FAPPA)To pump-prime collaborations between the UK and Sao Paulo, promote the exchange of scientists and access to facilities and materials in areas of enhanced food security and bioenergy and industrial biotechnology Budget: £35,000 over two years Deadline: Apply anytime |
NIH: National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, Notice of special interest – synthetic biology for biomedical applicationsThis supports research projects relevant to synthetic biology. A wide range of applications are included. UK is eligible but they recommend having an early conversation with the funding manager to discuss. Deadline: rolling calls |
NSF Plant Genome Research ProgramProposals can be accepted at any time. Two funding tracks are available:
No deadline |
NSF BiosensingThis supports fundamental research on the monitoring, identification and quantification of biological phenomena, with the potential to advance both engineering and the life sciences. Note US collaborators are essential. No deadline |
NSF Environmental sustainabilityThis supports engineering research that balances ecological protection and stable economic conditions under five research areas: industrial ecology, green engineering, ecological engineering, Earth systems engineering, and circular bioeconomy engineering. Note US collaborators are essential. No deadline |