Research Councils

• Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) – funds world-class, independent research across a wide-range of Arts and Humanities subjects.
• Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) – funds research in plants, microbes, animals (including humans), tools and technology underpinning biological research.
• Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) – funds research and training on social and economic issues. The ESRC supports independent, high quality research which has an impact on business, the public sector and civil society.
• Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) – funds research and training in engineering and the physical sciences investing more than £800 million a year in a broad range of subjects including.
• Medical Research Council (MRC) – supports research across the biomedical spectrum. It gives a high priority to research that is likely to make a real difference to clinical practice and the health of the population.

Developmental Clinical Studies can be considered as a subset of Experimental Medicine (EM). They are early stage clinical studies which are on the development pathway for a new therapeutic/ diagnostic/ device/ public health intervention (or a new indication for an existing intervention). Studies should be aimed at proof of concept. Interventions may include drug or cell‐based treatments, vaccines, devices and instruments, diagnostics, surgical, dietary, psychological interventions, and novel applications of existing therapeutics.

Further details: https://www.ukri.org/opportunity/

MRC Developmental Pathway Funding Scheme

The objective of the Developmental Pathway Funding Scheme is to support the translation of fundamental basic and clinical research findings towards the clinic. The Developmental Pathway Funding Scheme (DPFS) is a new, rigorously‐assessed, funding scheme set up by the MRC to help strengthen the translation of fundamental research towards patient benefit. It does not fund basic discoveries but will support the development of novel therapies, interventions and diagnostics, and the research tools used in the development of therapies, interventions or diagnostics.

Search for Development Pathway Funding using: https://www.ukri.org/opportunity/

• Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) – funds research, survey, training and knowledge transfer in the environmental sciences.
• Science and Technology Facilities Council (SFTC) – operates large scale science and engineering research facilities, and funds research mainly in astronomy, particle physics, space science and nuclear physics. There is a key focus on multi-disciplinary approaches to science.

International

• European Research Council
• Grants.gov – US federal grant opportunities website
• Science Europe – association of European Research Funding Organisations (RFO) and Research Performing Organisations (RPO), based in Brussels.
• UK Research Office (for Europe) – the European office of the UK Research Councils