Funding for research (oncology)

Securing funding is critical for conducting effective research. The table below contains links to the main funding opportunities organised by career stage. These pages include only the larger national funding bodies and are not exhaustive; much research that is conducted is funded by local institutions and charities. If you think there are organisations missing from this list please let us know at [email protected] 

*CRUK also fund a number of clinical PhD programmes through individual centres.  Contact the centres directly for information. The Cancer Research UK Centres are: Birmingham, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester, Newcastle Centre, Oxford Centre, Southampton and in London: Barts, King’s College, Imperial College, UCL and the Institute of Cancer Research

NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowships

Career stage: CT1 and ST3

These are fellowships funded through the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) and primarily aimed at clinicians without a research degree, although candidates with a prior research degree taken before oncology training may also apply.

These fellowships offer 6-9 months of funding for your salary with an annual bursary of £1000 to put towards training or meeting attendance.  Unusually for research funding there are no constraints placed on either research area or output.  As such they are incredibly flexible; you can pursue any avenue that interests you.  The fellowships are meant to allow protected time for potential academics to gain skills in a particular area, gather preliminary data and put together grant applications to obtain further funding.

Most ACFs are offered at ST3, although a few run-through posts from CT1 are available.  The funding is allocated locally, by deanery, meaning there is no central list and timetable for the release of ACF posts and candidates do not go through the national recruitment process. For full information about ACFs and how to apply see the NIHR website. Check the deanery websites for specific posts and contact them directly for information on availability of posts.

Any queries directly relating to ACF posts should be directed to NIHR.

Send any other queries to [email protected]

MD

Career stage: ST3+

MDs usually involve a 2 year ‘clinical fellowship’, with protected research time combined with some clinical duties oriented around the research.  MDs often involve the set up and management of clinical studies.  To successfully complete a MD a candidate is required to submit a thesis involving original research.  They are funded in a wide variety of ways, such as programme grants to institutions or charity funding.  Positions are usually allocated locally, with applications made to individual centres.  Because of their significant clinical component, MDs are usually taken during specialist training.

PhD

Career stage: Any

PhDs take 3-4 years and like MDs involve formal research training.  PhDs are usually more focused on scientific questions than the clinical management of studies although there is a highly variable spectrum.  For those considering a career as a clinician scientist, a MD or PhD is considered mandatory.  PhDs are most often undertaken as OOPE during specialist training, but can be taken at any time during medical training.

There are well-established national schemes that fund clinicians to undertake PhDs, secured through a competitive grant application process.  For these you will have to have identified a project and a supervisor well in advance, to allow adequate time for the application.  Similarly there are a number of national charitable schemes.  Often there will be local opportunities available funded through hospitals, academic institutions and charities.

Any queries should be emailed to [email protected]

Career stage: Near completion of training / recently completed training

Although it is possible to apply for Clinician Scientist awards directly following completion of a PhD, many clinical researchers find they need more time to complete outstanding projects or to gain more pilot data to support an application.  There are a number fellowships available for post-doctoral research that fit in prior to Clinician Scientist, but a fairly limited number with support for salary.  There can also be limitations depending on how many years left of training you have.

NIHR Academic Clinical Lectureships (ACL) are schemes which provide salary support for academic work during completion of training although research costs are not funded.  A number of funding bodies offer smaller grants to cover research costs.  ACLs are awarded locally and candidates need the support of their host institution to meet half of the salary costs. The Wellcome Trust offers an intermediate clinical fellowship that supports both salary and research costs. For further information about NIHR ACLs search the NIHR website.

RCR research fellowships 

We don't currently offer independent Clinical Research Fellowships, however clinical radiologists are advised to see details of the:

• MRC/RCR Joint Research Training Fellowships;
• Cancer Research UK/RCR Joint Research Training Fellowships

Cancer Research UK 

Several different types of funding schemes covering a range of research areas in cancer are available:

• Our funding schemes | Cancer Research UK

Medical Research Council

• Clinician Training Fellowships 
• Clinician Scientist Fellowships 

These Fellowships are for outstanding post-doctorates to consolidate the research skills, and they are available for five years. Calls for proposals are regularly posted on the MRC website in a variety of disciplines:

• Developmental Clinical Study is a subset of experimental medicine where new diagnostics or devices can tested and include phase I/II trials.
• This leads onto the Developmental Pathway Scheme which helps the translation of fundamental research towards patient benefit (for example, taking a biomarker or imaging device into clinical practice).

National Institute for Health Research 

Provides a range of well resourced funding streams grouped into programs, each with its own remit and application criteria.
Examples of the programs are given below but a comprehensive list is available.

• NIHR Health Technology Assessment Programme

This programme funds studies on cost-effectiveness in imaging technologies. There are commissioned calls which are advertised four times a year and open calls for investigator-led proposals for evaluation studies and clinical trials. There are four deadlines each year.

• NIHR Research for Patient Benefit (RfPB)

This programme funds regionally derived applied research projects to improve healthcare delivery to patients. Funds projects developed by health service staff in partnership with health service users which will impact on day to day practice. Up to £250,000 is available over three years.

Wellcome Trust

Research training fellowships are available for 2-3 years to those who have passed their FRCR exam and have little or no research experience. The fellowship includes a salary and reasonable research expenses. Applications are considered three times per annum. Research grants are focused on the following topics:

• Maximising the health benefits of genetics and genomics
• Understanding the brain
• Combating infectious disease
• Investigating development, ageing and chronic disease
• Connecting environment, nutrition and health. 

Contact: Wellcome Trust; 183 Euston Road, London, NW1 2BE.

Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation (EME) programme

This is funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC) and managed by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The EME programme is broadly aimed at supporting 'science driven' studies with an expectation of substantial health gain. The clinical studies are likely to be mostly randomised, controlled trials but other forms of evaluation appropriate for the intervention under study will also be supported. Both the EME and HTA will fund technology evaluation.
Website: http://www.eme.ac.uk/

Leverhulme Trust

Research Fellowships of up to £45,000 for between 3-24 months is available to release experienced researchers from routine duties to undertake original research; awards are not limited to those in university appointments but excluded are those registered for degrees.
Contact: The Secretary, Research Awards Advisory Committee, The Leverhulme Trust, 1 Pemberton Row, London EC4A 3BG.
Website: http://www.leverhulme.ac.uk/

The Lister Institute of Preventive Medicine

Research Prizes of £200,000 over a five-year period are awarded to young clinical and non-clinical scientists to help them to pursue their personal research interests in biomedical science or related scientific areas. The money can be spent on equipment, travel, consumables, salaries for a replacement lecturer, visiting scientists, post-doctorate or PhD students but not personal salary. Any scientist with a minimum of three and less than ten years' post-doctoral experience who is holder of university appointment or other equivalent research position, or of long-term fellowship is eligible.
Website: www.lister-institute.org.uk/

NIAW Medical & Healthcare Educational Funding Programme 

The NIAW would like to establish a community of educators, mentors and tutors committed to promoting improvements in education that we teach future healthcare professionals within NHS Wales. The Academy will support enthusiastic professionals along their personal educational journey, be it PgC or PhD level, with the aim of providing a support framework to support the learner during their study but also provide a platform on which they can practice their new skills in a supported environment. 

Applications should demonstrate personal and professional development in order to increase effectiveness in current or future job roles that contribute to diagnostic imaging and its workforce.

Website: National Imaging Academy Wales | Imaging Academy Wales

Peel Medical Research Trust

Fellowships are available for research, advanced study or acquisition of a new clinical skill not available in the UK. Up to £30,000 is available to enable the applicant to spend up to one year abroad at a centre of international excellence.

Research Grants are available in research specifically aimed at benefitting older people, to include Alzheimer's disease, Macular Disease, Prostate Cancer, and Parkinson's Disease. Preference is given to applications from Lancashire (especially Lancaster and District), Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Cheshire and Merseyside areas.
Contact: Peel Medical Research Trust, Sceptre Court, 40 Tower Hill, London EC3N 4DX.
Website: http://www.peeltrust.com/

British Society of Interventional Radiology: Research Grant

This grant funds interventional radiology research and is awarded in open competition. Full details on the BSIR website.

Sir Richard Stapley Educational Trust

Postgraduate awards available for those studying higher degrees or degrees in medicine, dentistry or veterinary science at a university in the UK.
Contact: The Sir Richard Stapley Educational Trust, North Street Farmhouse, Sheldwich, Nr. Faversham, Kent ME13 OLN.
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.stapleytrust.org/

Wingate Scholarships

Awards of up to £10,000 per year for up to three years.
Contact: Administrator, Wingate Scholarships, Queen Anne Business Centre, 28 Broadway, London SW1H 9JX.
Website: http://www.wingatescholarships.org.uk/

Radiological Research Trust

Charity dedicated to radiological research. Awards smaller grants to research projects in the field of radiology.
Website: http://www.radiologicalresearchtrust.org/

Specific charities

There are many charities dedicated to specific diseases which vary in resource and offer small to large research grant support. Examples include:

• British Heart Foundation
• National Association of Crohn’s and Colitis
• Alzheimer’s Society
• The Prostate Cancer Charity
• Versus Arthritis
• Breast Cancer Now
• Kidney Research UK
• The Stroke Association

Previous recipients

Other useful links

• UK Clinical Research Collaboration (UKCRC) partners’ goal is to establish the UK as a world leader in clinical research.  The UKCRC provides a forum that enables all Partners to work together to transform the clinical research environment in the UK.  The forum promotes a strategic approach to the identification of opportunities and obstacles to clinical research and their resolution. In so doing the UKCRC aims to benefit the public and patients by improving national health and increasing national wealth.
• The NIHR Imaging Workforce Group advertises and facilitates imaging research nationally. Their website provide researchers and healthcare professionals with information, guidance and support in delivering imaging research.
• The Department of Health
• The Association of Medical Research Charities
• Alzheimer's Research Trust
• The Royal Society

European Commission: 7th Framework Programme

This 'Gateway to European research and development' lies on the CORDIS website. At the community level, the Union possesses three key support instruments: Cohesion policy which is funded under the Structural Funds and Cohesion Fund; the Research Framework Programme; and the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme.
Website: http://cordis.europa.eu/home_en.html

Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Non-US citizens have to undertake their research at a US institution.
Website: http://www.hhmi.org/

United States: National Institutes for Health (NIH)

The NIH provides financial support in the form of grants, co-operative agreements and contracts. This assistance supports the advancement of the NIH mission of enhancing health, extending healthy life, and reducing the burdens of illness and disability. While NIH awards many grants specifically for research, they also provide grant opportunities that support research-related activities, including: fellowship and training, career development, scientific conferences, resource and construction. 

Collaborative NIH projects with US partners may be more open to allocating elements of research funding outside the United States. 

CORE offers various awards for research into digestive diseases, such as cancer of the GI tract. They offer three year fellowships to cover salary and costs.

Grants are normally awarded to UK based investigators for projects of two to three years. 

Project grants for up to three years for research into any area of neuro-oncology. They also partner with the Medical Research Council (MRC) to offer Clinical Research Training Fellowships which are applied for via the MRC.    

Offers various awards for research into risk and prevention, early detection and diagnosis, treatment and secondary breast cancer.

Grants for a period of up to three years, providing up to £120,000 for clinical, laboratory and epidemiological research. Trevor Clay Memorial Grants (up to £15,000) are available to support practical research.

Pilot grants for up to £25,000 over a year, project grants up to two years at £75,000 a year.    

A variety of awards in basic and/or clinical research from post-doctoral funding to larger project grants.    

The KKLF Fellowship Programme offers junior and intermediate fellowships for work in haematological malignancy, with opportunities for clinical research training fellowships    

Applications are invited for project grants in haemato-oncology. Please contact the charity directly prior to applying.