Apply for funding as a regional consortia of eligible research organisations, working in partnership, spanning medical schools, institutions and NHS trusts.
Regional accounts for clinical researchers (RACR), are intended to provide your regional consortia with the flexibility to identify and address gaps in support for clinical researchers, providing funding to address critical career pinch points to enable an individual’s longer-term success.
Your application can range from £800,000 to £1.4 million for 48 months and we will fund 100% of the justified costs.
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.
Historically strong:
machine learning/AI
multi-omics integration
advanced imaging & diagnostics
computational modeling
data-driven policy evaluation
prototype engineering
UKRI reviewers look for:
hypothesis clarity
logical progression through aims
replicability
risk mitigation
ethics & data governance
Vagueness is punished.
Observed repeatedly:
“too broad” work packages
excessive technical ambition
unclear end-user benefit
lack of policy/practice adoption pathway
weak data management plan
Unique predictors include:
Economic impact narrative
Public engagement strategy
Skills development for UK workforce
Alignment with national R&D investment priorities
Specific predictors:
clearly documented independence trajectory
international visibility
institutional commitment (lab space, time)
strategic leadership potential
Predictors include:
commercially viable pathway
IP positioning
Technology Readiness Levels (TRL)
freedom-to-operate awareness
tangible adoption milestones
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.
✘ insufficient preliminary evidence
✘ generic “impact” claims
✘ unrealistic recruitment timelines
✘ missing risk controls
✘ lack of stakeholder buy-in
✘ low novelty or duplication
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.
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
You can only apply for this funding opportunity if you have completed the mandatory expression of interest. See ‘How to apply’ for more information.
To apply, you must be based at an eligible organisation. Check if your organisation is eligible.
Applications must be led by a single applicant on behalf of a consortium of eligible UK ROs and NHS organisations (including NHS trusts, boards or equivalents: referred to as NHS trusts for ease throughout the rest of this text) working in partnership. There is no limit on the number of consortium partners in a RACR application, but any RO or NHS trust cannot be involved in multiple RACR applications.
Consortia should self-define appropriate partnerships with clear justification and strong rationale. They are encouraged to consider regional groupings and are expected to draw upon local synergies and development within the region to enable and or expand local opportunities.
Who is eligible to benefit from RACRs
RACR awards are intended to provide flexible support for those combining academic research with UK clinical training or clinical duties at the following critical career points:
RACR consortia will have the flexibility to identify and fund clinical researchers who are eligible to benefit from RACRs through conducting research within MRC remit.
Who is not eligible to benefit from RACRs
Individuals not eligible to benefit from RACR support are:
Eligible Countries:
Sponsor Institute/Organizations: UK Research & Innovation
Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit
Address: Polaris House, North Star Avenue, Swindon, SN2 1FL
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Dec 18, 2025
Dec 18, 2025
$6,000,000
5 awards available.
Affiliation: UK Research & Innovation
Address: Polaris House, North Star Avenue, Swindon, SN2 1FL
Website URL: https://www.ukri.org/opportunity/regional-accounts-for-clinical-researchers/
Disclaimer:It is mandatory that all applicants carry workplace liability insurance, e.g., https://www.protrip-world-liability.com (Erasmus students use this package and typically costs around 5 € per month - please check) in addition to health insurance when you join any of the onsite Trialect partnered fellowships.