External Funding Opportunities
The list below is a brief overview of calls run by other funders, you can find out more by visiting their websites for detailed information.
Need some help putting a team together?
If you need some help with building a research team and would like support in coordinating discussions with other researchers, please don't hesitate to contact us at [email protected] and we can help to facilitate these communications.
Current Calls
Call: Clinical Research Training Fellowships
Funder: Medical Research Council (MRC)
Open now
Submission deadline: 3 September 2025
The Medical Research Council have several fellowship opportunities currently open to registered healthcare professionals who are looking to undertake a PhD or reacquire research skills. For full details and to apply, please click the following links:
For predoctoral clinical research training fellowships you must be at an appropriate point in your training to undertake a PhD and demonstrate how you’ll pursue your future research career. Funding for your salary is covered by the award and 100% of the justified project costs for up to 3 years.
Predoctoral clinical research training fellowship – UKRI
Postdoctoral clinical research training fellowships are available if you are looking to reacquire your research skills. You will hold a PhD and have been working outside of research for five or more years. Funding available: your salary and three-year project costs at 80% full economic cost (FEC) will be funded by the award.
Postdoctoral clinical research training fellowship – UKRI
Call: Impact of Cancer and Cancer Care on Human Biology and Health
Funder: Medical Research Foundation
Open now
Submission deadline: 10 September 2025
The Medical Research Foundation is inviting applications from researchers to support people impacted by cancer, helping them to live well with and beyond treatment. Applications are expected to be between £300,000 and £500,000 over a maximum of a 3 to 5-year period and the call is open to all UK-based researchers, clinical academics and allied health professionals at eligible institutions. For full details and to apply, please visit the website. Applications will be considered from researchers at all levels of seniority.
Call: SU2C-CRUK Prevention, Early Stage Detection, and Interception of Recurrence Challenge Funder: Stand Up to Cancer and Cancer Research UK
Open now
Letter of Intent deadline: 1 October 2025. Applicants invited to submit Full Applications will be notified the week of 4 November 2025.
Stand Up To Cancer grants and awards fund cancer research projects that address critical problems in patient care and deliver near-term patient benefits through individual and collaborative teams of expert investigators.
This funding initiative offering awards from $1M to $4M for projects from 1-4 years in duration, will support collaborative, multidisciplinary, multi-institutional teams that combine complementary expertise, resources and infrastructure from the United States and UK research institutions.
Research should be translationally focused, at the pre-clinical stage or later, have a clear path to evaluation of an interception/preventive intervention, and a patient-centric approach, with the ultimate aim to develop new and impactful clinical interventions. For full details and to apply, please visit the website.
Career Development
Call: Daphne Jackson Fellowship
Funder: Medical Research Council and The Daphne Jackson Trust
Rolling call
*Non-clinical researchers only*
These fellowships are for those looking to return to a research career after a break of two or more years for family, health or caring reasons. The aim is to give participants the confidence and skills they need to make a successful return to research.
Call: PCF Young Investigator Awards
Funder: Prostate Cancer Foundation
Call closed
*International Funding Call*
Funding to advance the career of early career prostate cancer. Encouraging young investigators working on prostate cancer health disparities to apply.
Funding Organisations
UK Organisations
Biomedical and health research funder offering support to those interested in pursuing a medical research career.
Grants of interest: Starter Grants for Clinical Lecturers and Clinician Scientist Fellowships.
Funding for researchers working on a wide range of cancer types. Provides funding for small scale studies to larger projects involving several research teams. Also support career development with opportunities for those at the different career levels.
Grants of interest: Cancer Grand Challenges, Career Development Fellowship, Advanced Clinician Scientist Fellowship, Biomarker Project Awards, Clinical Trial Award, Discovery Programme Awards.
The NIHR provides funding for early translational research, clinical research and applied health and social care research through different grant funding calls. Funding for health researchers from a range professions, backgrounds and research fields. See the NIHR Academy for support with training, career development and research capacity development opportunities.
Grants of interest: HTA, PGfAR, RfPB, i4i, NIHR Fellowship Programme.
Funds prostate cancer studies to help those whose lives have been affected by prostate cancer.
Invests in research aimed at bringing patient benefit and finding healthcare solutions.
Grants of interest: seedcorn grants, project grants, interdisciplinary awards, early career fellowships.
Science funder with schemes to encourage research in a variety of scientific fields. Offer support for biological research.
Grants of interest: seed corn research grants and Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship.
Encourages research into the diagnosis and treatment of urological diseases and funding for urology professionals.
Grants of interest: Innovation and Research Fund, Education and Training Programmes.
Made up of research councils each centered on funding research within specific sectors. The Medical Research Council funds human health related research and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council focuses on bioscience. Innovate UK provides funding for innovative services and products.
Grants of interest: Clinician scientist fellowship, Clinical research training fellowship, partnership awards, new investigator awards, programme awards.
Funders of research around the world, across a broad range of fields and disciplines, to understand life, health and wellbeing and to deliver equitable health solutions.
Grants of interest: Early-Career Awards, Career Development Awards and Discovery Awards
Research-led’ charity focused on groundbreaking research and supporting services that have the biggest impact on cancer for people in Yorkshire.
International Organisations
Horizon Europe is an initiative implemented by the European Commission to fund research and innovation.
Competitive funding for researchers to encourage high-quality research in Europe.
Grants of interest: Starting grants, advanced grants and proof of concept grants.
Dedicated to funding prostate cancer research and helping to develop the careers of researchers.
Grants of interest: Young Investigator Awards and Challenge Award
Aim is to fund research for all cancer types and discover ways to to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer.
