A number of calls across the Medical Research Council’s responsive mode are now open, including in the following areas:
NEUROSCIENCES AND MENTAL HEALTH
- Research grants
- are suitable for focused short or long-term research projects (typically three to four years)
- can support method development
- can support development and continuation of research infrastructures and resources specifically relevant to the needs of our research communities, that cannot be supported through other routes
- may involve more than one research group or organisation
- New investigator awards
- intended to support a research project (typically three years in duration), combined with a range of other academic or clinical activities, during the transition to research independence
Research supported includes interactions between the nervous system and other parts of the body, the brain, mental health and physical health, as well as how episodes throughout life impact on lifelong mental and neurological health.
Funding will be awarded in areas including, but not limited to:
- neurodegeneration
- clinical neurology and neuroinflammation
- mental health
- addictions and substance misuse
- behavioural and learning disorders including autism
- cognitive and behavioural neuroscience and cognitive systems
- sensory neuroscience including vision and hearing
- neurobiology and neurophysiology
- underpinning support, such as neuroimaging technology, brain banking and neuroinformatics
Find out more about the neurosciences and mental health areas of investment.
POPULATION AND SYSTEMS MEDICINE
- Research grants
- are suitable for focused short or long-term research projects (typically three to four years)
- can support method development
- can support development and continuation of research infrastructures and resources specifically relevant to the needs of our research communities, that cannot be supported through other routes
- may involve more than one research group or organisation
- New investigator awards
- intended to support a research project (typically three years in duration), combined with a range of other academic or clinical activities, during the transition to research independence
The remit includes population health and the impact of environmental factors including the social environment on health outcomes.
Research supported includes that focused on the physiology and pathophysiology of all the major organs and systems, with the exception of the brain and the immune system, which are normally supported through other opportunities.
Funding will be awarded in areas including, but not limited to:
- cardiovascular
- respiratory
- musculoskeletal
- gastroenterology
- renal medicine and liver function
- endocrinology and reproductive health
- maternal health and the early origins of health and disease
- nutrition, metabolic regulation, diabetes and obesity
- trauma, acute medicine and surgery
- inflammation in relation to disease processes and the resolution of the inflammatory response
- medical sociology
- lifestyle, socio-economic and behavioural impacts on health
- health inequalities
- population and disease related cohorts
These opportunities close on 30 April 2025 (further rounds are expected to open in May and September 2025)
Full guidance for each of the above opportunities is included below. See the What we’re looking for sections for details on scope, value and duration.