Experimental medicine: stage one
Medical Research Council (MRC) · United Kingdom
This grant supports research to investigate the causes, progression, and treatment of human disease through experimental studies involving human participants and mechanistic hypotheses.
Summary
Deadline
21 Dec 2025
Complexity
Medium
Time to apply
20-60 hours
Updated
9 Jun 2026
This grant supports research to investigate the causes, progression, and treatment of human disease through experimental studies involving human participants and mechanistic hypotheses.
Eligibility
Applicant types
Not specified
Business size
SME
Industries
Sector agnostic
Match funding
Needs verification
Requirements
Researchers based at organisations eligible for MRC funding, including new investigators progressing towards independence UK NHS trust, university or research organisation eligible for NIHR funding; stage one experimental medicine application per NIHR guidance. Mechanistic studies of human disease involving experimental interventions or challenges in humans
Eligible applicants
Researchers based at organisations eligible for MRC funding, including new investigators progressing towards independence
Funding and scope
Benefit amount
£500,000 to £5 million
Total fund available
Not specified
Funding intensity
Not specified
Payment type
Grant (typically 80% FEC in arrears)
Eligible scope
Mechanistic studies of human disease involving experimental interventions or challenges in humans
Eligible expenses
- Staff salaries (project lead and team)
- research consumables
- equipment
- travel
- data preservation
Ineligible costs
- Costs not eligible under NIHR experimental medicine stage one funding rules.
Application and risks
Application platform
UKRI Funding Service
Competitiveness
Competitive Selection
Decision timeline
Not specified
Assessment process
Expert peer review and panel assessment
Application sections
Not specified
Application components
- Online application
- project proposal including vision, methodology, milestones, statistical design, and team capability
Required documents
Not specified
Appendices
Not specified
Assessment criteria
- Vision
- approach and methodology
- applicant and team capability
- reproducibility and statistical design
Timeline and partners
Opening date
30 Apr 2026
Project duration
Not specified
Project start
Not specified
Project end
Not specified
Co-funders
Not specified
Collaboration rules
- NIHR-accredited experimental medicine partnership arrangements apply.
Consortium requirements
- Typically NHS–academic partnership; multi-site collaborations as per NIHR experimental medicine stage one requirements.
Additional guidance
[{"label":"Funding Structure","value":"No funding limit; 80% of full economic cost funded (100% for permitted exceptions)"},{"label":"important notes","value":"Projects must include clearly defined milestones with Go/No-Go criteria; experimental intervention in humans is required; no limit on project duration but typically around three years"}]
Quick facts
- Status
- Open
- Deadline
- 21 Dec 2025
- Funding amount
- £500,000 to £5 million
- Funding band
- Mid (£500k-£5M)
- Funding type
- Research grant
- Payment type
- Grant (typically 80% FEC in arrears)
- Audience
- Mixed
- Industry
- Sector agnostic
- Last updated
- 9 Jun 2026
- Published
- Not specified