Since our foundation in 1979, we have invested in thousands of research projects from top scientists in world-renowned institutions all over the world. Our philosophy is clear: if we believe a project can make a difference in the fight against cancer then we will award a grant to make it happen. But it’s not as simple as just saying yes. Every year we’re presented with hundreds of projects, all with merit and all in need of financial support. No matter how groundbreaking these projects might be, we can’t say yes to them all. We don’t have the funds. And without precious donations we can’t say yes to any. The one thing that’s certain is that research is the only thing that can make a difference in the fight against cancer.
Our goal is to support research that might in future help reduce the
incidence of cancer or improve cancer survival. We award grants to
support fundamental or translational research into the causes, mechanisms, diagnosis, treatment or prevention of cancer. This remit is usually interpreted conservatively.
We award project grants from 12 to 36 months in length to principal
investigators based at any not-for-profit research institute in the
world.
The principal investigator must be a suitably qualified researcher
(minimum of PhD followed by three years research experience, or
equivalent qualification or research experience).
Only one application from the same research group will be accepted in
any 12 month period (i.e. 12 months must have passed since the last
application), unless the Scientific Advisory Committee invites the
submission of a revised application in the next round.
Check that your institution will accept our grant terms and
conditions in the application handbook before submitting an
application. These are not variable or negotiable unless they conflict
with the law in your country.
We have two application rounds per year – in April and October. See here for the latest funding round dates. If a grant is awarded, it will normally start 9 months after the application was submitted.
The maximum budget allowed is £250,000, but it should be noted that
most of the three-year grants we award have a budget below £200,000.
The research described in the application should be a discrete,
hypothesis-driven project, achievable within the duration of the support
requested. Do not describe the work of your entire laboratory and ask
for funding for one member of a team or part of the consumable costs.
