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Early Detection and Diagnosis Primer Award

Cancer Research UK

Overview

This award supports new and pioneering research ideas and pilot studies of high scientific risk to stimulate and develop the early detection field.

Key information

Timelines

Applications are reviewed twice per year. Upcoming application deadline: 26 March 2026

Funding period

Up to one year

Funding amount

Up to £100k

The applicant

You can apply to this award if you’re a scientist, clinician or healthcare worker based in a UK university, medical school, hospital or research institution.

You can hold this award if you’ve had funding from us before.

To achieve our goal of developing the early detection and diagnosis field, we encourage applications from a broad range of fields, such as:

biomedicine

engineering

physics

statistics

mathematics

chemistry

informatics

computer and data sciences

You don’t have to have previous experience within cancer research, but a clear link between the proposed project, early detection or diagnosis of cancer and a vision towards future clinical implementation is required.

Career stage

We welcome researchers from all career stages to apply. In cases where an early career researcher is lead or joint lead applicant, we would strongly recommend including at least one established researcher as co-applicant for mentorship.

We outline how we define career stages in our competency framework.

Read the framework

Collaborations

We encourage applications from research teams, which can be located across different institutions in the UK. Supporting roles from international and commercial organisations may also be included as co-investigators and collaborators.

The host institution

Your host institution must approve your application before the submission deadline, so please ensure you are in contact with your institution’s administrative staff in advance. Host institutions must ensure they can provide sufficient space and resources for the proposed research.

If you receive core funding from one of our institutes (including the Francis Crick Institute), you may apply as a joint lead applicant with a researcher based outside the institute. However, you should explain why you require extra support in addition to the funding you receive from the institute.

You will need to distinguish your core funded research from the research in your proposal and demonstrate your ability to manage both programmes of work. If this applies to you, you must contact us before submitting your application.

Applications to other funding bodies

You can submit applications for the same project to different funding bodies, including us. However, if successful, you may only accept one award. If applicable, please inform us and disclose this under the 'Other Funding' section of your application.

Flexible working arrangements

Career breaks (due to personal circumstances), part-time working and changes in discipline will be taken into consideration by our panels and committees to make appropriate adjustments when assessing your record of outputs, research achievements and career progression.

You can apply on a part-time or flexible working basis if this fits with the needs of your host institution and they approve your request.

If you’d like to apply on a part-time basis, please contact us before starting your application to discuss your proposed parameters for the award and how to include the part-time request in your application.

AI Based Application Success Predictor

Successful CRUK applications tend to have the following strengths:

✔ 1. Clear Scientific Merit & Innovation

Applications must articulate a compelling research question with robust methodology and novelty. Innovative approaches that could lead to substantial advances in cancer biology, therapy, imaging, prevention, or data science are favoured.

✔ 2. Relevance to Cancer and Translational Potential

Projects should clearly relate to understanding, preventing or treating cancer. Translational impact — e.g., potential to improve diagnosis, treatment or patient outcomes — is particularly valued in clinical and translational schemes.

✔ 3. Strong Applicant Track Record & Environment

Reviewers assess the investigator’s prior achievements, training, and evidence of independence (especially for fellowships), as well as institutional support and access to resources necessary to complete the project successfully.

✔ 4. Feasibility & Deliverables

CRUK reviewers look for realistic timelines, achievable milestones and a clear plan for measuring outcomes within the funding period. Strong proposals use preliminary data effectively to support feasibility.

✔ 5. Collaboration & Multidisciplinarity (when appropriate)

Collaborative or multidisciplinary plans — especially those integrating physical sciences, engineering, computational/data science or clinical networks — are often competitive in relevant schemes like Multidisciplinary Project Awards.

✔ 6. Engagement with Funding Mechanisms

Understanding the specific aims and review priorities of each scheme (e.g., translational emphasis for clinical schemes) and carefully aligning the application narrative with these priorities improves chances of success.

🛠 Practical Application Tips

✔ Register in Flexi-Grant early and ensure host institution endorsement before submission. Cancer Research UK Flexigrant
✔ Align with CRUK’s mission — link research goals to cancer outcomes and patient benefit. Cancer Research UK
✔ Budget judiciously — justify requested resources relative to deliverables.
✔ Provide robust preliminary data where possible to strengthen feasibility arguments.
✔ Demonstrate institutional support and mentorship for fellowships.

📌 Summary: Cancer Research UK Funding at a Glance

Category	Examples of Schemes	Focus
Fellowships	Career Development; Clinical Future Leaders	Research independence, leadership
Clinical/Translational	Clinical Research Funding Scheme	Patient-oriented and translational studies
Collaborative/Project Grants	Multidisciplinary Project Award	Collaborative cancer research
International Fellowships	AACR–CRUK Transatlantic	Postdoc international collaborations
Training Fellowships	CRTF (centre-specific)	PhD training for clinicians

Specialties

Cancer

Eligibility Requirements

Our core eligibility criteria are outlined below.

We recommend that you contact us for an informal and confidential discussion of your proposal prior to submitting your application. We’ll advise on your eligibility and provide guidance on submitting your application.

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: Cancer Research UK

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: 2 Redman Place, London, E20 1JQ.

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