Funding Opportunities

Bringing together the latest opportunities from the main UK research funders

We try to collate all dementia research funding opportunities that open to UK researchers. To find funding that is right for you, use the filters to the side of this page. The listings include summary information, and links to the source page. If you are searching for a PhD or Fellowship post, our jobs section may also be of interest.
If you are based elsewhere in the world you will find more grant calls on the Alz Forum.

If you are a dementia research funder, you can add your call directly to our listings via our advertise page (note you will need to register an account to do this).


  • Innovator Awards in Cognitive Aging and Memory Loss

    Apply for $750k MBRF / AFAR awards supporting innovative cognitive aging research. Open to early Associate or advanced Assistant Professors. Deadline: 12 Aug

    12/08/2025   |   American Federation for Aging ResearchMcKnight Brain Research Foundation
  • Public Health Research (PHR) Programme – Researcher-led

    Apply now: NIHR Public Health Research Programme seeks outline applications on research-led topics. Two-stage process. Deadline: 15 August 2025.

    15/08/2025   |   National Institute for Health and Care Research
  • Public Health Research (PHR) Programme

    Apply now: NIHR Public Health Research Programme seeks outline applications on priority topics. Two-stage process. Deadline: 15 August 2025.

    15/08/2025   |   National Institute for Health and Care Research
  • NIHR Mentoring Programme: Mentor

    Support the next generation of researchers! Be a mentor on the NIHR Mentoring Programme—12 months of guidance, development, and interdisciplinary exchange.

    17/06/2025   |   National Institute for Health and Care Research
  • NIHR Mentoring Programme: Mentee

    NIHR Mentoring Programme offers 12 months of career support for early and mid-career researchers. Build skills, grow networks, and access development events.

    17/06/2025   |   National Institute for Health and Care Research
  • NIHR Development and Skills Enhancement award

    NIHR DSE Award funds postdoc researchers to build skills for future NIHR bids. Up to 2 years’ support for training, conferences & mentoring. Apply by 2 July.

    02/07/2025   |   National Institute for Health and Care Research
  • NIHR Health Technology Assessment – Researcher-led – primary research

    The NIHR HTA Programme is seeking outline applications for primary research into underrepresented health issues (feasibility studies not eligible)

    03/09/2025   |   National Institute for Health and Care Research
  • NIHR Health Technology Assessment – Researcher-led – evidence synthesis

    The NIHR HTA Programme invites evidence synthesis proposals on under-researched health issues. This two-stage call seeks rigorous, method-driven applications.

    03/09/2025   |   National Institute for Health and Care Research
  • Wellcome Accelerator Awards

    Wellcome scheme to support researchers of Black, Bangladeshi and Pakistani heritage in the UK to undertake activities that put them in a stronger position to reach their next career stage within academia.

    15/07/2025   |   Wellcome Trust
  • NIHR Clinician Researcher Credentials Framework

    Boost your clinical research leadership skills with NIHR masters-level courses designed for healthcare professionals. Flexible online and practical study.

    25/08/2025   |   National Institute for Health and Care Research
  • Future Focused Leadership Programme

    NIHR Future-Focused Leadership Programme is a free 12-month programme which supports health and social care research leaders to enhance their leadership skills.

    03/06/2025   |   National Institute for Health and Care Research
  • Researcher Development Programme for Social Care Nurses

    Two new and exciting NIHR opportunities for nurses who work in social care to improve their research skills and help create a research-friendly culture at work.

    27/06/2025   |   National Institute for Health and Care Research
  • Supporting public engagement at pre-application stage

    Apply for Medical Research Council funding to support research projects focused on molecular and cellular medicine – deadline 4th September

    26/06/2025   |   Medical Research Council
  • Molecular and cellular medicine

    Apply for Medical Research Council funding to support research projects focused on molecular and cellular medicine – deadline 4th September

    04/09/2025   |   Medical Research Council
  • Vascular Contributions to Cognitive Impairment and Dementia

    Alzheimer’s Association funding opportunity for collaborative research into vascular contributions to Alzheimer’s & dementia. Up to $300K over 3 years.

    30/05/2025   |   Alzheimer's Association (US)
  • NIHR Climate Change and Health

    New NIHR funding call to tackle climate change in health & care. Explore how this could support dementia services during extreme weather. Apply now.

    17/06/2025   |   National Institute for Health and Care Research
  • UKRI policy fellowships 2025

    Spend 18 months as a UKRI policy fellow tackling national & global challenges. Help shape policy, build networks, & drive change across research and government

    15/07/2025   |   UK Research and Innovation
  • Collaborate with researchers in Norway

    Norway-based researchers can join UK-led UKRI bids as project co-leads under the Money Follows Cooperation agreement, with up to 30% of costs funded.

    31/12/2025   |   UK Department for Education
  • MRC Career development award

    🚨 MRC Career Development Awards now open! Secure funding for up to 5 years to become an independent researcher. No funding cap. Deadline: 14 May.

    10/09/2025   |   Medical Research Council
  • NIHR Principal Investigator Pipeline Programme

    NIHR Principal Investigator Pipeline Programme offers research delivery nurses, midwives and allied health professionals the opportunity to develop as Principal Investigators

    30/05/2025   |   National Institute for Health and Care Research
  • Wellcome Discovery Awards

    Wellcome Discovery Awards support researchers or teams to pursue bold, creative ideas with potential to transform understanding of life, health, and wellbeing

    29/07/2025   |   Wellcome Trust
  • Wellcome Career Development Awards

    Wellcome Career Development Awards fund mid-career researchers to lead bold research and become global leaders in health, life, and wellbeing-related fields.

    24/07/2025   |   Wellcome Trust
  • NIHR Population Health Career Scientist Award

    NIHR Population Health Career Scientist Award supports senior researchers to progress to Reader/Professor level, focusing on impactful public health research.

    10/07/2025   |   National Institute for Health and Care Research
  • NIHR Product Development Awards (PDA)

    NIHR i4i Product Development Awards fund the development of innovative health technologies. Open to outline applications now. Includes commercialisation support

    28/05/2025   |   National Institute for Health and Care Research
  • NIHR HTA Postdoctoral Award

    New NIHR HTA-Postdoctoral Award helps future leaders fund clinical studies alongside a Postdoc Career Development Award. Includes training & mentorship.

    30/07/2025   |   National Institute for Health and Care Research
  • NIHR EME Programme Researcher-led

    NIHR Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation Programme funding studies evaluating interventions that promote health, treatment of disease, rehab or long-term care.

    05/08/2025   |   National Institute for Health and Care Research
  • NIHR EME Postdoctoral Award

    The MRC-NIHR Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation (EME) Programme and the NIHR Postdoctoral Career Development Awards scheme

    30/07/2025   |   National Institute for Health and Care Research
  • NIHR Doctoral Award

    NIHR Doctoral Award designed to support the career development of all health and social care professionals through PhD research.

    10/06/2025   |   National Institute for Health and Care Research
  • Better Methods Better Research

    Funding to ensure that optimal research methods are used to advance biomedical, health and care research, policy and delivery.

    01/07/2025   |   National Institute for Health and Care Research
  • NIA Academic Leadership Career Award

    Support for established investigators who have the expertise and leadership skills to enhance aging and/or Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and AD-Related Dementias (ADRD) research capacity within their academic institution.

    12/06/2025   |   National Institutes of Health (NIH) USA
  • NIHR Postdoctoral Award

    The UK NIHR Postdoctoral Award is aimed at anyone with a PhD or a submitted PhD thesis under assessment who hasn’t yet been appointed to a professorial post.

    03/07/2025   |   National Institute for Health and Care Research
  • NIHR Programme Development Grants

    NIHR Programme Development Grants invite researchers to apply for preparatory work or enhance ongoing research—up to £250k available

    21/05/2025   |   National Institute for Health and Care Research
  • Compensatory interventions to facilitate swallowing in adults with dysphagia to fluids

    The NIHR Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Programme is looking to fund research into compensatory interventions to facilitate swallowing in adults with dysphagia to fluids.

    30/07/2025   |   National Institute for Health and Care Research
  • MND Discovery Network Awards

    Join interdisciplinary teams tackling MND biology with innovative research. Apply for £1M funding over 3 years from My Name’5 Doddie Foundation by 21 May 2025.

    21/05/2025   |   My Name’5 Doddie Foundation
  • HSDR Programme researcher-led

    NIHR HSDR Programme is looking to fund high quality, well designed research which will be carried out by effective and efficient research teams, providing findings which meet the needs of NHS and social care managers and leaders

    29/07/2025   |   National Institute for Health and Care Research
  • Midlife interventions

    NIHR Public Health Research Programme funding research to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions for people in midlife that promote healthy & active ageing

    15/08/2025   |   National Institute for Health and Care Research
  • Leverhulme Research Leadership Awards

    Leverhulme Research Leadership Awards for talented scholars who are embarking on a university career who need to build a research team of sufficient scale to tackle a distinctive research problem

    30/05/2025   |   Leverhulme Trust
  • Research for Patient Benefit

    The NIHR RfPB Programme is inviting applications for research concerned with day-to-day practice of health service staff, and with potential to impact health or wellbeing of patients

    09/07/2025   |   National Institute for Health and Care Research
  • Neuroscience Training Grants

    The Neuroscience Training Grants are designed to support these essential opportunities, covering costs such as training course fees, travel and accommodation.

    31/05/2025   |   International Brain Research Organization
  • NIHR Global Health Research

    The NIHR Global Health Research – Health Policy and Systems (GHR-HPS) programmes are inviting applications to this new annual funding opportunity.

    04/06/2025   |   National Institute for Health and Care Research
  • NIHR Research Programme for Social Care

    The NIHR Research Programme for Social Care (RPSC) is accepting Outline Applications for their latest researcher-led RPSC funding opportunity.

    25/06/2025   |   National Institute for Health and Care Research
  • Parkinson’s UK Senior Research Fellowships

    Parkinson’s UK Senior Fellowships to support outstanding scientists who will be future leaders in Parkinson’s research.

    02/07/2025   |   Parkinson's UK
  • UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships

    UKRI Fellowship Funding to support ambitious research and innovation across UKRI’s remit and looking to establish or transition to independence and developing their own original research

    18/06/2025   |   UK Research and Innovation
  • Swiss-UK investigator-led randomised controlled clinical trials

    The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and the UK National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) are looking to fund investigator-led randomised controlled clinical trials in areas of unmet clinical need.

    09/09/2025   |   National Institute for Health and Care Research
  • Stroke Association / BHF Clinical Study Grants

    BHF and Stroke Association Clinical Study Grants supports funding for over £350,000 for Intervention Trials, Observational Studies and Clinical Studies

    23/10/2025   |   British Heart FoundationStroke Association
  • Australia-UK Platform studies in areas of unmet clinical need

    Inviting applications for platform studies in areas of unmet medical need – must be internationally collaborative, with leads in Australia and the UK

    23/07/2025   |   National Institute for Health and Care Research
  • University Research Fellowship (URF) Programme

    Royal Society Fellowship funding to support the next generation of research leaders to undertake cutting-edge research. Closes 10th September 2024.

    10/09/2024   |   The Royal Society

Dementia Research Funders Forum

The Dementia Research Funders Forum (DRFF) is a meeting of UK charity and public sector funders of dementia research. The purpose of the DRFF is to exchange information and coordinate activity in order to help shape the dementia funding environment at the national level. From time to time the DRFF provides reports to  the Department of Health Programme Board on Dementia, which is responsible for delivering the Government’s Challenge on Dementia to 2020.

Membership of the DRFF comprises representatives from: Alzheimer’s Research UK (Chair), Alzheimer’s Society, AHRC, Department of Health, EPSRC, ESRC, MND Association, MRC, NIHR, Parkinson’s UK, STFC, Stroke Association,  Wellcome Trust.

For further information or for funders who wish to join the group please contact research@alzheimersresearchuk.org

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