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Experimental medicine stage one

UK Research & Innovation

Opportunity status:

Open

Funders:

Medical Research Council (MRC)

Funding type:

Grant

Total fund:

£10,000,000

Publication date:

2 October 2025

Opening date:

2 October 2025 9:00am UK time

Closing date:

15 April 2026 4:00pm UK time

Apply for funding to investigate the causes, progression and treatment of human disease.

Your project must:

focus on a mechanistic hypothesis
include an experimental intervention or challenge in humans

You must be a researcher based at a research organisation eligible to apply for MRC funding. If you are taking the next step towards becoming an independent researcher, you may be eligible to apply as a ‘new investigator.

There is no limit to the amount of funding you can apply for or the length of your project. We will fund 80% of your project’s full economic cost.

This is an ongoing funding opportunity. Application rounds close every April and October.

AI Based Application Success Predictor

1. Strong alignment with UKRI priority themes

High correlation with funded applications:

Health & life sciences

Data, AI, trust & security

Climate, sustainability, net-zero

Digital transformation

Manufacturing & advanced materials

Aging & care systems

Social and economic resilience

Applications that explicitly show alignment outperform generic science.

2. Clear articulation of real-world impact

Strong predictors:

End-user benefit pathways

Societal or policy relevance

Economic productivity gains

Clinical or industrial translation

UKRI sees “impact blindness” as a failure mode.

3. Demonstrated feasibility

Includes:

preliminary data

pilot cohorts

prototype demonstrations

technology readiness pathway

Feasibility is often weighted higher than sheer innovation.

4. Interdisciplinary collaboration

UKRI favors:

multi-disciplinary partnerships

academic–industry consortia

integration of technical + social science

Single-discipline work = weaker.

5. External stakeholder engagement

Patterns show increased success when applicants involve:

NHS partners

Local authorities

Charities

SMEs

Policymakers

Patient/public involvement (PPI)

6. Strong project management

Funded proposals consistently provide:

Gantt charts

Milestone-deliverable tables

Contingency plans

Risk registers

UKRI is sensitive to deliverability.

7. Value for money

Panels scrutinize:

salary distribution

equipment justification

subcontracting

consumable efficiency

Budget clarity is a predictor.

8. Applicant track record and trajectory

For early-career applicants:

coherent publication theme

progression toward independence

previous small grants/awards

leadership indicators

Trajectory > citation counts.

9. Institutional support

Winning applications often include:

protected research time

access to core facilities

data management help

administrative support

Letters committing resources are influential.

🔬 Methodologies Scoring Well

Historically strong:

machine learning/AI

multi-omics integration

advanced imaging & diagnostics

computational modeling

data-driven policy evaluation

prototype engineering

🧠 Reviewer Behavior Patterns

UKRI reviewers look for:

hypothesis clarity

logical progression through aims

replicability

risk mitigation

ethics & data governance

Vagueness is punished.

💥 Common Causes of Failure

Observed repeatedly:

“too broad” work packages

excessive technical ambition

unclear end-user benefit

lack of policy/practice adoption pathway

weak data management plan

📍 UK-Specific Evaluative Dimensions

Unique predictors include:

Economic impact narrative

Public engagement strategy

Skills development for UK workforce

Alignment with national R&D investment priorities

🧵 For Future Leaders Fellowships

Specific predictors:

clearly documented independence trajectory

international visibility

institutional commitment (lab space, time)

strategic leadership potential

🏭 For Innovate UK (Industry-aligned)

Predictors include:

commercially viable pathway

IP positioning

Technology Readiness Levels (TRL)

freedom-to-operate awareness

tangible adoption milestones

🌍 Cross-Cutting Strengths

Across UKRI, successful proposals often:

promote interdisciplinary culture

contribute to skills pipelines

consider equality, diversity & inclusion (EDI)

commit to open research practices

plan FAIR data handling

Neglecting these is penalized.

📉 Red Flags

✘ insufficient preliminary evidence
✘ generic “impact” claims
✘ unrealistic recruitment timelines
✘ missing risk controls
✘ lack of stakeholder buy-in
✘ low novelty or duplication

🧭 Meta-Pattern of Funded Proposals

UKRI favors projects that are:

✅ Significant to society/economy
✅ Scientifically rigorous & feasible
✅ Innovative AND translatable
✅ Well-managed with defined milestones
✅ Supported by strong institutional infrastructure

If you are missing even one, margins shrink.

✅ Summary

You’re more competitive if your application:

Addresses UK strategic priorities

Demonstrates feasibility with preliminary data

Uses interdisciplinary methodology

Has end-user utility and adoption pathway

Shows clear milestones and risk mitigation

Includes EDI, open research, data governance plans

Articulates economic, societal, or policy impact

Specialties

General Medicine

Eligibility Requirements

To lead a project, you must be based at an eligible organisation. Check if your organisation is eligible.

Who is eligible to apply

To be eligible to apply for this funding opportunity you must:

show that you will direct the project and be actively engaged in the work
be looking to investigate the causes, progression and treatment of human disease

For applicants who do not have a contract of employment for the duration of the proposed project, by submitting an application the research organisation is confirming that, if it is successful:

contracts will be extended beyond the end date of the project
all necessary support for the project and the applicants will be provided, including mentorship and career development for early career researchers

New investigator applicants

We welcome applications from early career researchers. The new investigator grant is aimed at researchers who are capable of becoming independent researchers and who are now ready to take the next step towards that goal.

If you are applying as a ‘new investigator’, you must also:

have research organisation support
be able to demonstrate that your skills and experience at the time of your application match those of the ‘transition to independence’ career stage, as set out in the MRC skills and experience table
use this grant to support your long-term career goals and chosen career route
be able to demonstrate you are the sole intellectual leader of the application and the proposed work

If you meet the eligibility criteria, you can also apply as a new investigator, if you:

are employed as a postdoctoral research assistant, although this grant cannot start until your current work finishes
hold a lecturer appointment, a junior fellowship or another research staff position
hold, or have held, an early career training fellowship such as a Medical Research Council (MRC) skills development fellowship
are not currently based at the eligible research organisation that has agreed to host your new investigator award
are either a non-clinical or clinically active researcher
have any number of years of experience

Who is not eligible to apply as a new investigator

You are not eligible to apply if you have already achieved independence. New investigator grants support individuals who have not previously led a research team or been awarded a substantial grant as fellow or project lead (formally known as principal investigator).

A substantial grant is typically defined as for three or more years and including salary support for one or more additional team members.

You are also not eligible to apply if you:

already hold or have held an award that facilitates the transition to independence
have applied for an MRC new investigator grant twice before
have an application for any UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) fellowship currently under consideration, including a career development award, clinician scientist fellowship or future leaders fellowship

If you are unsure whether you meet the eligibility criteria as a ‘new investigator’ or have any questions about your eligibility, you should contact experimental.medicine@mrc.ukri.org to find out whether you can apply.

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: UK Research & Innovation

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: Polaris House, North Star Avenue, Swindon, SN2 1FL

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