MRC Proof of Concept: Stage one

This funding opportunity was previously titled ‘Developmental pathway funding scheme: stage one’. Ensure you apply to the correct scheme, as similarly titled UKRI opportunities exist.

Apply for funding to develop and test novel therapeutics, medical devices, diagnostics and other interventions across any stage of the developmental pathway, from prototype development, through pre-clinical refinement, to early-phase clinical studies (up to phase 2a).

You must be based at a research organisation eligible for Medical Research Council (MRC) funding.

There is no funding limit but requested costs should be appropriate to the project.

This funding opportunity is open to organisations with standard eligibility.

Check if your organisation is eligible

Who is eligible to apply

To be eligible to apply for this funding opportunity you must:

• be employed by an eligible research organisation
• show that you will direct the project and be actively engaged in the work
• be looking to develop and test novel therapeutics, medical devices, diagnostics and other interventions

If you do not have a contract of employment for the duration of the proposed project, by submitting an application the research organisation is confirming, if it is successful:

• contracts will be extended beyond the end date of the project
• all necessary support for you and the project will be provided, including mentorship and career development for early career researchers

Demand management

You can only submit one application as project lead to this funding opportunity.

Resubmissions

You may submit a maximum of two stage one applications to the MRC Proof of Concept funding opportunity for the same project. Following an unsuccessful stage one application, the MRC will invite you to submit one further application as a resubmission, taking into account the feedback you have received.

Applications for new, substantially different projects are not considered resubmissions under this policy.

We advise you to allow sufficient time between applications to consider and respond to feedback.

Who is not eligible to apply

You are not eligible to apply for this funding opportunity as a project lead if you are based at an international research organisation. This does not include the MRC Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) or MRC/UVRI (Uganda Virus Research Institute) and LSHTM Uganda Research Unit.

If you are employed by these organisations you cannot apply as project lead or project co-lead, but can participate as project partners on an application led by an eligible UK organisation:

• businesses
• charity and third sector organisations

However, charities and third sector organisations that are approved UKRI Independent Research Organisations are eligible to apply as project lead or project co-lead.

International researchers

As MRC is a lead funder for this funding opportunity, international researchers can apply as ‘project co-lead (international)’.

Project co-leads (international) make a major intellectual contribution to the design or conduct of the project. Their contribution and added value to the research collaboration should be clearly explained and justified in the application, see Applicant and team capability to deliver.

Read the UKRI project co-lead (international) eligibility for more details. Please contact us if you are uncertain about eligibility.

You should include all other international collaborators, or UK partners not based at approved organisations, as project partners.

Equality, diversity and inclusion

We are committed to achieving equality of opportunity for all funding applicants. We encourage applications from a diverse range of researchers.

We support people to work in a way that suits their personal circumstances. This includes:

• career breaks
• support for people with caring responsibilities
• flexible working
• alternative working patterns

UKRI can offer disability and accessibility support for UKRI applicants and grant holders during the application and assessment process.

What we’re looking for

Demand management

Demand management is being applied to this funding opportunity. Further details are provided in the ‘Who can apply’ section.

Scope

You can apply for academically-led translational projects that aim to either:

• improve prevention, diagnosis, prognosis or treatment of significant health needs
• develop research tools that increase the efficiency of developing interventions

All human diseases and medical interventions are eligible for support, both in the context of UK healthcare and addressing global health issues.

For smaller scale or earlier-stage translational projects, you can apply for funding to generate critical data and de-risk further development (including a future MRC Proof of Concept application) via:

• MRC impact acceleration accounts (available at certain research organisations)
• UKRI Translation: MRC Impact Acceleration Awards (formerly Gap Fund)

Activities we support

You can apply for funding for work on novel:

• candidate therapeutic entities (for example, drug discovery)
• vaccines for infectious or non-infectious disease
• biologics (antibodies, peptides, proteins)
• advanced therapeutics (for example, gene therapy and cell therapy)
• regenerative medicine approaches
• medicines repurposing studies (clinical studies or pre-clinical activities, where these are required for regulatory purposes), using existing therapies for new indications
• medical devices
• digital healthcare and app development
• diagnostics (including biomarker validation and development of clinical decision-making tools)
• medical imaging technology
• surgical techniques or tools
• behavioural and psychological interventions
• radiotherapy and radiation protocols

Activities we do not support

This funding opportunity will not support:

• fundamental or investigative research not linked to a development plan, supported by the MRC science areas, such as MRC: research grant: applicant-led
• technology development not aligned to a medical or clinical developmental plan, likely Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) or Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) remit
• clinical studies where the main aim is to investigate disease mechanism, supported by the MRC Experimental Medicine Panel
• late-phase clinical trials, supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) efficacy and mechanism evaluation, health technology assessment and global health research programmes
• development of technologies or interventions that aim to improve health service delivery rather than meeting a specific clinical need
• development of population-level and societal solutions to healthcare challenges

Learn about:

• MRC’s remit, programmes and priority areas
• NIHR’s efficacy and mechanism evaluation programme
• NIHR’s health technology assessment programme
• NIHR’s global health research programmes

Duration

There is no limit to the duration of your project. You should justify the timescale of the project in the context of the proposed work.

Projects should start one to six months after the funding decision date.

Funding available

There is no limit to the amount of funding you can apply for. You should justify the resources needed in the context of the proposed work.

We will fund 80% of the full economic cost and 100% of permitted exceptions.

Find out more about full economic costing.

What we will fund

You can request funding for costs such as:

• a contribution to the salary of the project lead and project co-leads
• support for other posts such as research and technical staff
• research consumables
• equipment
• travel costs
• data preservation, data sharing and dissemination costs
• estates and indirect costs
• public partnerships and related activities, including payments to public contributors

You can also request costs for work to be undertaken at international organisations by international project co-leads. We will fund 100% of the eligible costs.

The total of such costs requested for international applicants from high-income countries (those not on the OECD DAC list of ODA recipients), India and China must not exceed 30% of the total resources requested.

There is no cap on costs requested for international applicants from Development Assistance Committee (DAC) list countries.

For more information on international costs and what we will and will not fund see costs we fund and the Collaborate with researchers in Norway guidance.

What we will not fund

We will not fund:

• costs for PhD studentships
• publication costs
• funding to use as a ‘bridge’ between grants
• costs associated with applying for IP protection, for example, patent filing

Collaborations

We encourage working with charities or industry partners where these partnerships can add value to the project.

Collaborators may add value by giving access to:

• expertise
• technologies
• reagents
• funding

Please note that collaboration is not a prerequisite for application. You should make a clear case for the MRC Proof of Concept award being academic-led and requiring MRC funding to support the work proposed.

Be clear about any conflicts of interest and how they will be managed through the conflict of interest policies at the project lead’s research organisation.

Project partner

A project partner is a collaborating organisation in the UK or overseas, including partners based in the EU, who will have an integral role in the proposed research. You may include project partners that will support your research project through cash or in-kind contributions, such as:

• staff time
• access to equipment
• sites or facilities
• the provision of data
• software or materials
• recruitment of people as research participants
• providing samples, such as human tissue, for the project

Each project partner must provide a statement of support. If your application involves industry partners, they must provide additional information if the team project partner falls within the industry collaboration framework.

Find out more about subcontractors and dual roles.

Who cannot be included as a project partner

Any individual included in your application with a core team cannot also be a project partner.

Any organisation that employs a member of the application core team cannot be a project partner organisation, this includes other departments within the same organisation.

If you are collaborating with someone in your organisation, consider including them in the core team as project co-lead, or specialist. They cannot be a project partner.

Supporting skills and talent

We encourage you to follow the principles of the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers and the Technician Commitment.

Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I)

UKRI is committed in ensuring that effective international collaboration in research and innovation takes place with integrity and within strong ethical frameworks. Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I) is a UKRI work programme designed to help protect all those working in our thriving and collaborative international sector by enabling partnerships to be as open as possible, and as secure as necessary. Our TR&I Principles set out UKRI’s expectations of organisations funded by UKRI in relation to due diligence for international collaboration.

As such, applicants for UKRI funding may be asked to demonstrate how their proposed projects will comply with our approach and expectation towards TR&I, identifying potential risks and the relevant controls you will put in place to help proportionately reduce these risks.

See further guidance and information about TR&I, including where you can find additional support.

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