Dementia Research Funding

My Name’5 Doddie Foundation and the MND Association fund teams probing how non-genetic risk factors drive MND. Expressions of interest due 21 January 2027.

International Horizon Europe call, with NIHR as UK funder, for research on transforming the health and social care workforce. Pre-proposals close 21 Jan 2027.

NIHR RfPB funding for early career allied health professionals to lead applied research with a senior mentor. Outline stage closes 14 April 2027.

CurePSP funding to move PSP biomarker discoveries towards research and clinical use. Open internationally. Letters of intent due 15 December 2026.

BHF funding for medical students on a university MBPhD programme to do their PhD in cardiovascular research. Next deadline 13 January 2027.

Protected research time for NHS consultants to lead their own cardiovascular research alongside clinical work. Next BHF deadline 13 January 2027.

MRC funding for mechanistic studies that use an experimental intervention or challenge in people. New investigators can apply. Stage one closes 14 April 2027.

MRC fellowship for clinicians with a PhD who have been away from research for five or more years and want to get back into it. Closes 13 January 2027.

BBSRC funding for a single piece of shared mid-range equipment for bioscience research. Up to three bids per organisation. Closes 14 January 2027.

Five years of BHF support for established clinician scientists ready to grow their research group. Next deadline 13 January 2027.

Bridge funding for early career researchers whose US federally funded work has been disrupted. The next letters of intent close on 29 January 2027.

NIHR funding to prepare a future Programme Grant for Applied Research, or build on a current one, over 12 to 24 months. Closes 16 December 2026.

NIHR award for postdocs at any stage, including clinicians and practitioners, to build a research career. MND Association partner route. Closes 14 Jan 2027.

Up to seven years of BHF support for clinical researchers moving towards independence and leading their own team. Next deadline 13 January 2027.

New BHF fellowship giving PhD-qualified resident doctors protected postdoctoral research time alongside specialty training. Deadline 13 January 2027.

MRC fellowship funding a professional doctorate for registered healthcare professionals, with salary and project costs. Applications close 13 January 2027.

Flexible MRC funding for discovery and early translational research into human health and disease. Runs continuously, aim for 14 April 2027.

MRC funding for researchers ready to lead their first substantial project and move towards independence. Runs continuously, aim for 14 April 2027.

BHF funding for doctors to do a PhD or MD in cardiovascular research, between Foundation Year 2 and CCT. Next deadline 13 January 2027.

NIHR HSDR funding for research that answers the needs of NHS and social care managers and leaders. Two stages, outline applications close 20 January 2027.

Alzheimer’s Association funding for established investigators at Associate Professor level or above. Letters of intent close on 1 December 2026.

MRC funding for ambitious research partnerships, networks and shared resources. Runs continuously, with 14 April 2027 as the date to aim for.

MRC fellowship for clinically active researchers with a PhD who are ready to establish their own research niche. Applications close 13 January 2027.

NIHR HSDR outline funding for studies tackling James Lind Alliance research priorities, with addiction priorities encouraged. Outlines close 20 January 2027.

Twelve fully funded four-year genomics PhD studentships at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, open to all nationalities. Deadline 24 Nov 2026, 9am GMT.

Fully funded Gates Cambridge Scholarships for non-UK students doing a PhD or postgraduate course at Cambridge. Deadline 8 Dec 2026 or 6 Jan 2027 by course.

Around 50 fully funded UCL EPSRC PhD studentships for 2027/28, open to Home and International applicants. Projects open 26 Oct. Apply by 8 January 2027.

NIHR regional strategic funding for projects that change how research is delivered and who can take part. Talk to your RRDN first. Closes 17 November 2026.

ERA4Health IICS4all: funding for multi-country trials comparing treatments or repurposing off-patent drugs. Pre-proposals close 14 January 2027.

Parkinson’s UK project grants: up to three years of funding for research into Parkinson’s and related disorders. Preproposals close 7 January 2027.

50 fully funded 3.5-year PhD scholarships at Imperial, open to any nationality. Bring your own dementia project and supervisor. First round closes 2 November.

Four fully funded 3.5-year AHRC PhD studentships at the University of Sheffield for arts and humanities research, starting 2027/28. Apply for a PhD place by 14 December.

Research Council of Finland Academy Research Fellowships: four years and up to €700,000 for researchers 2–7 years post-PhD, based in Finland. Closes 11 November.

Novo Nordisk Foundation fellowships: two years at MIT, then a year back in Denmark, up to DKK 3.6m, for postdocs with Danish ties. Closes 29 January.

NIHR Research Professorships fund up to five research leaders in England to translate research into practice. Non-medical professions prioritised. Closes 9 December.

NIA K07 Academic Leadership Award: five years’ support for established US investigators to build aging and dementia research capacity. Three deadlines a year.

British Academy funding to run writing workshops that help early career researchers in developing countries publish in leading journals. Closes 2 December.

Crick fellowships for clinicians combining a funded MSc in AI and machine learning with a PhD or postdoc at the Crick. Applications close 11 November 2026.

MRC funds academic teams to screen compounds from AstraZeneca’s 2 million molecule library, with up to four projects a year. Applications close 28 January 2027.

Up to 3 years of NIHR funding for protected research time for senior clinicians and practitioners with a PhD or MD. Dementia is a strategic theme.

ERC Consolidator Grants offer up to €2m over five years to researchers 5 to 15 years post-PhD building their own team in Europe. Closes 12 January 2027.

DAAD funds research stays in Germany of 2 to 12 months for PhD students and up to 6 months for early postdocs. UK applicants: next rounds close 1 Oct and 23 Feb.

Up to 12 months of flexible NIHR funding to prepare a competitive career development award application. Open to all career stages.

EquaDem Pilot Funding: up to £16,000 for 12 to 18 month projects testing solutions to inequalities in dementia diagnosis and care. Closes 5pm, 27 Nov.

Researcher-led methodology funding from NIHR and MRC’s Better Methods, Better Research programme. Up to £625,000 FEC, one stage. Closes 1pm on 1 December.

NIHR and MRC Better Methods, Better Research: up to £625,000 to develop evaluative methodologies for social care research. Closes 1pm on 1 December.

Apply for up to £21 million in MRC CoRE funding to tackle a complex, interdisciplinary health challenge through an ambitious long-term research programme.

Black heritage early career researchers: apply for up to £703,800 through the Royal Society’s four-year Career Development Fellowship in STEM.

Apply for Public Health Research Funding Call to evaluate real-world, non-NHS interventions addressing health inequalities across the UK.

Apply for NIHR HSDR funding for high-quality research addressing NHS and social care priorities and the needs of service managers and leaders.

UK researchers: lead / join a Horizon Europe consortium improving socio-economic outcomes for people with dementia and informal carers.

NIHR funding for definitive trials evaluating the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of social care interventions for adults, children, families and carers.

NIHR funding for research evaluating the clinical and cost-effectiveness of interventions to improve outcomes for adults with faecal incontinence.

MRC Impact Acceleration Awards offer £50,000–£300,000 for single-step projects to de-risk development of medicines, devices, diagnostics and interventions.

Apply for an EPSRC New Investigator Award to develop your research vision, establish a research group and build independence and leadership.

NIHR funding is available for research into how big data and data linkage in local or regional government affect health and health inequalities.

ARUK’s Clinical Research Award funds ambitious experimental medicine studies, early-phase trials and trial sub-studies to advance dementia therapies.

Apply for MRC Proof of Concept funding to develop and test therapeutics, devices, diagnostics and interventions, from prototype to phase 2a.

NIHR HTA Application Development Awards fund work to shape future HTA applications on health and social care interventions.

The NIHR Academy Member Event Fund provides support to plan and hold events that promote NIHR Academy programmes and strategic priorities. 

Funding to support excellent new investigator-led research across the breadth of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council scientific remit

BBSRC standard research grants: up to £2m FEC over 5 years for investigator-led bioscience at eligible UK research organisations. BBSRC funds 80% of costs.

ISTAART offers grants for PIA led conferences workshops and events that encourage collaboration mentoring and new ideas in dementia research worldwide

UK Human Functional Genomics Initiative launches a bursary to help researchers build academia industry partnerships in functional genomics. Apply now.

Vivensa Foundation funding supports PhD by Publication routes for UK ageing researchers with existing peer reviewed work covering fees and submission costs UK.

NIHR PHR Rapid Funding Scheme supports small time sensitive public health studies to enable rapid baseline data and feasibility work ahead of full evaluations.