Experimental Medicine Stage One Grant

Document research last revised 2026-08-24.

Future Application Rounds

This is an ongoing funding opportunity. Application rounds close every April and October. The next future Stage One round is scheduled to open 8 October 2026 and close 14 April 2027. A further round is scheduled for 15 April 2027 to 6 October 2027. (UK Research and Innovation)

New Investigator Applicants

Early-career researchers transitioning towards independence may apply as new investigators if they meet the specific eligibility requirements. They must have research organisation support, demonstrate skills and experience appropriate to the transition-to-independence stage, use the grant to support their long-term career goals, and be the sole intellectual leader of the application and proposed work. (Find a Grant)

International Researchers

International researchers cannot lead the project, except for the specified MRC Unit The Gambia and MRC/UVRI Uganda Research Unit at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. International researchers may participate as project co-leads (international) where they make a major intellectual contribution. (Find a Grant)

Required Intervention

Projects must include an experimental intervention or challenge in humans with an established safety profile, designed to validate a mechanistic hypothesis. Challenges may be pharmacological, immunological, physiological, psychological or infectious. (Find a Grant)

Eligible Activities

Eligible work can include novel readouts or technologies for early evaluation of clinical efficacy or pathogenic mechanisms, and use of drugs or other interventions with established safety profiles in new settings or conditions, including drug repurposing as tool compounds. (Find a Grant)

International Project Costs

Eligible costs for international project co-leads can be funded at 100%. Costs for international applicants from high-income countries, India and China must not exceed 30% of total resources requested. There is no cap for international applicants from countries on the OECD DAC list. (UK Research and Innovation)

Application Process

The project lead completes the application through the UKRI Funding Service. The application is then sent to the applicant's research office for checking before the research office submits it to UKRI. (UK Research and Innovation)

Milestones

Experimental medicine projects must include at least two progression milestones with specific success criteria. Milestones should be SMART and include robust Go/No-Go criteria where appropriate. (UK Research and Innovation)

Statistical Design

Applicants must provide sufficient information to justify sample and effect sizes and the planned statistical analysis. UKRI expects applicants to seek professional statistical or relevant advice when preparing the statistical analysis plan. (UK Research and Innovation)

Stage One Panel Meeting

The current Stage One panel meeting is scheduled for 2 to 3 December 2026. Applicants should receive the Stage One decision within 10 working days of the panel decision meeting. (UK Research and Innovation)

Stage Two

Successful Stage One applicants are invited to Stage Two. The next Stage Two round is scheduled for 8 October 2026 to 24 February 2027. Applicants may defer to the following planned round from 15 April 2027 to 1 September 2027. (UK Research and Innovation)

Objectives

To generate new mechanistic insights into human disease, including identifying opportunities to modify disease pathways and enabling future development of novel therapeutic or diagnostic approaches. Applications are welcomed across all disease areas and interventions. (Find a Grant)

Ethics and Regulatory Approval

Ethics permissions and regulatory approvals do not need to be in place when the application is submitted. However, applicants must demonstrate that ethical and regulatory matters have been adequately considered. The host organisation is responsible for obtaining the required approvals before relevant research begins. (UK Research and Innovation)

Research Governance

Applicants are strongly encouraged to engage with their organisation's Research Governance Office. MRC also directs applicants working with human participants, tissues or data to its Regulatory Support Centre and the Health Research Authority resources. (UK Research and Innovation)

Project Partners

UK and overseas organisations can act as project partners, including industry, academia, third sector and government organisations. Partners may contribute cash or in-kind resources such as staff time, equipment, facilities, data, software, materials, participant recruitment or human tissue. (UK Research and Innovation)

Important Notes

The project must involve an experimental intervention or challenge in humans. At least two progression milestones are expected. There is no funding or project-duration limit, but applicants must justify the requested resources and timescale. (Find a Grant)

Contact

experimental.medicine@mrc.ukri.org for questions relating specifically to the opportunity. General MRC funding queries can be sent to rfpd@mrc.ukri.org. (UK Research and Innovation)

Application deadline in source document

7 October 2026, 4:00pm UK time. (UK Research and Innovation)

Official source

Read the funding authority guidance