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Early Detection and Diagnosis Programme Award

Cancer Research UK

Overview

This award funds long-term, integrated and potentially renewable programmes of exceptional science to drive forward a transformational change in how early cancers and pre-cancerous states are detected.

Key information

Timelines

Applications are reviewed twice per year. Upcoming deadline: (full) 22 January 2026 / (outline) 26 March 2026

Funding period

Up to 5 years

Funding amount

Up to £2.5m 

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.

During the full duration of the award, you must be in a post that is fully funded by the relevant national Higher Education Funding Council, the National Health Service or equivalent.

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

You must ensure that your host institution will provide sufficient space and access to resources to undertake 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 our institutes. However, you should explain why you require extra support in addition to the funding you receive from the institute and contact us before you apply.

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 notify us and disclose this in your application under 'Other Funding'.

We may consider joint funding with other organisations. If you’re interested, please discuss this with us and the other potential funder before applying.

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. Note that this scheme operates a closed round to ensure only eligible applications are submitted.

You must 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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