If you are an academic and have an idea for a pilot project, evidencing a solution to dementia inequalities, apply for EquaDem Pilot Funding. The Equalities in Dementia (EquaDem) Network Plus is offering up to £16,000 per project, and the deadline is 5pm on Friday 27 November 2026.
This is the third funding round from the EquaDem Network Plus. The call backs ideas that offer a solution, or a path towards one, to inequalities in dementia diagnosis and care. The guidance document refers to it as Project Funding.
About the fund
EquaDem expects to fund around five projects a year, each worth up to £16,000 and lasting between 12 and 18 months. Projects are funded at 80% of full economic cost (fEC), with the remaining 20% met by the lead applicant’s research organisation.
Who can apply
- Project leads must be eligible for UKRI funding, and projects must follow ESRC funding rules.
- Members of the EquaDem core team cannot lead a project, but can be co-applicants.
- Early and mid-career researchers are encouraged to lead projects, with senior support where needed.
What they are looking for
Applications are judged on whether they:
- focus on a solution, or pathway to a solution, to inequalities in dementia diagnosis and care
- involve people affected by dementia and health and social care professionals in both shaping and running the project
- identify follow-on external grant applications
- plan dissemination to academic and non-academic audiences
What can be funded
- Researcher salary
- Research costs such as transcription, surveys or travel
- Public involvement and engagement
- Dissemination
Successful teams provide brief quarterly updates, share their findings at the EquaDem annual conference, and write a blog about their project for the EquaDem webpage.
Key dates
- Submission deadline: 5pm, 27 November 2026
- Peer review: December 2026 to January 2027, by two reviewers from core team organisations who sit outside the core team
- Funding committee: late January 2027, with decisions after the meeting
- Project start: 1 April 2027
How to apply
Read the funding guidance, then complete the application form. Questions go to Equademnetworkplus@liverpool.ac.uk.
Working in health or social care, the charity sector or a local authority rather than academia? Take a look at the EquaDem Research Internships, which close on the same day.
Visit funding web page
(https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Equadem-Project-funding-guidance-Nov26.pdf)
