People living with MND urgently need effective treatments. To catalyse the search for these treatments, the Discovery Network was first launched in 2024.
The Discovery Network is a new funding opportunity for interdisciplinary, multi-institutional teams to apply for £1 million over 3 years. Teams will take on bold ideas and innovative approaches to better understand the biology of MND, with a focused goal of identifying new therapeutic targets. The Network will be underpinned by a culture of collaboration and open science. My Name’5 Doddie Foundation will facilitate activities of the network and create opportunities for rapid translation of promising findings.
Aligned to the UK MND Research Institute, the Discovery Network will be joined up within the UK MND research ecosystem, enabling access to expertise and creating a national translational pipeline.
Scope
Each team will focus on a specific area of MND biology and build on existing expertise, knowledge and tools already developed and accessible within the team. Examples of areas of MND biology may include: autophagy, ageing, the immune system, lysosomal function, mitochondrial function, protein homeostasis, RNA metabolism and vesicle transport, although this is not an exhaustive list. The Foundation welcomes proposals in new or emerging areas of MND research if supported by robust scientific evidence. Successful applications will provide preliminary data linking the focus of their project to MND development or progression and outlining the potential to reveal new therapeutic targets.
Due to the previously successful teams’ focus on TDP-43 and ribonucleoprotein biology, other areas may be prioritised by the Advisory Board to diversify the projects within the Discovery Network.
Teams will employ a range of innovative techniques, methodologies and expertise to gain new disease insights. This may include new approaches in omics technologies, functional genomics, imaging, complex cell models, artificial intelligence and data-driven research. We encourage the use of a range of models including human iPSCs, animal models (where absolutely needed) and human tissue samples. Use of high quality patient datasets are also encouraged.
Eligibility and funding
- Teams must be interdisciplinary and multi-institutional (minimum 2 separate research institutions)
- The lead applicant must be based within a UK academic institution, but collaborators can be based elsewhere in the world
- We encourage early career researchers (ECRs), such as senior postdoctoral researchers working towards independence, to apply as lead and/or co-applicants; they must provide a letter of support from their research institution and head of laboratory for their application. Depending on the experience of the ECR applicant, the Advisory Board may request that the head of laboratory/mentor and ECR be co-lead investigators on the project to ensure adequate support and mentorship for the ECR lead.
- Commercial companies (such as pharmaceutical and biotech companies) can be named as co-applicants but will not receive grant funding and must adhere to our policies including our open science policy
Each team will receive up to £1 million. The total fund available in 2025 is £2 million.
Application process and timeline
All applications are to be made using our online grant management system, Flexi-Grant. Key dates are tentatively outlined below:
- RFA Released – 24th March 2025
- Expressions of Interest due – Midday 21st May 2025
- Full application invitations – End of June 2025
- Full applications due – Midday 9th September 2025
- Reviewer comments shared with applicants – w/c 10th October 2025
- Response letter due – 24th October 2025
- Decisions communicated – December 2025
- Research begins – March/April January 2026
Assessment Criteria
Applications will be assessed by our independent Advisory Board according to the following criteria:
- Scientific merit of the study including ambition of the aims and objectives, proposed methodology, resources and equipment and level of scientific innovation
- Technical feasibility of the project plan and likelihood of study aims and objectives being reached
- Potential impact of the project, based on its ability to reveal promising new targets for future MND treatments
- Suitability of the team to carry out the research, including access to relevant expertise and capabilities
- Ability of the team to bring valuable tools, capabilities or resources to the Discovery Network
- Likelihood of a successful collaboration across the team
- Commitment of the team to open science and collaboration
- A cost-effective and realistic budget
Matchmaking
If you are interested in providing your expertise and becoming part of a team, the Foundation executive will provide a matchmaking function to interested applicants. Get in touch to discuss further on research@myname5doddie.co.uk.
Making an application
Before you apply, please read our Request for Applications, which provides more detailed information on the Discovery Network and application process. You can find the Discovery Network’s Open Science policy here.
To register for an account and start your application for the Discovery Network, visit Flexi-Grant.
If you are interested in submitting an application, we encourage you to get in touch with us to discuss your proposal first at research@myname5doddie.co.uk.
Previous success rate
In 2024, for our Discovery Network Awards, we received 21 expressions of interest: eight were invited to the full application stage and four projects were awarded funding.
Our acknowledgements
The Discovery Network is underpinned by a model born out of the Milken Institute and applied in Parkinson’s and bipolar disorder. We would like to extend our thanks to the team at BD² for sharing their knowledge and expertise with us, to help us establish this programme.
Find out more
Our Director of Research, Jessica Lee, introduced the Discovery Network 2024 round and application details in the video below.
Visit funding web page
(https://www.myname5doddie.co.uk/research/funding-opportunities/)
