Grant Focus Areas

• Cancer
• Cardiovascular disease
• Neurodegenerative disease
• Toxicology

Projects outside of these areas will also be considered.

Relevant human-specific approaches may include in vitro assays such as 2D cell culture, organ-on-chip models, organoids, or spheroids; ex vivo tissue models; omics technologies; or in silico analysis.

Grant Details

• Funding: from £5,000 to £25,000 
• Duration: from 6 months to 2 years
• Eligible Costs: personal support for a Primary Scientist (capped at 50% of the total project cost), consumables, and small equipment items
• We are open to receiving applications with matched funding

Eligibility & Requirements

• Projects should provide further insight into the utility of human-focused techniques or technologies and advance their development, validation, and application.
• Projects should be directly relevant to biomedical research and human health.
• Pilot grants are only available to support entirely animal-free protocols.
• Transition projects allow for the use of animal-derived biomaterials (ADBs) when a clear humanisation plan is in place. The cost of these ADBs will not be covered by the grant.
• Researchers from universities, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, biotechs, contract research organisations, and other research organisations are eligible to apply.

Grant Selection Criteria

• Alignment to Centre for Human Specific Research strategic goals
• Scientific merit and innovation
• Grant holder and project group expertise and experience
• Feasibility and implementation plan, resources, budgeting, and output
• Merit of proposed research to the broader scientific community and dissemination plan