Human Specific Research Regional Community Grant: Match-Maker

Our launch event provided an ideal setting for human-specific researchers across the North to connect, exchange knowledge and expertise, share resources, and identify opportunities for collaboration.

To help turn these connections into meaningful research partnerships, the Centre is offering a grant of up to £6,000 to support a new research collaboration that emerged from the community launch event. The funding is intended to enable researchers to develop shared ideas, build partnerships, and initiate collaborative research that strengthens the North Regional Community.

Grant Details

• Funding: Up to £6,000 
• Duration: Up to 12 months
• Eligible Costs: Consumables and small equipment items directly required for the project

Grant 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
• The grant will only support entirely animal-free projects
• The use of animal-derived products (ADPs) is supported only when a clear humanisation plan is in place. The cost of these ADPs will not be covered by the Centre.

Eligibility

• Applicants must be affiliated with a university, hospital, pharmaceutical company, biotechnology company, contract research organisation, or other research institution in the North region
• Applications led by mid-career researchers must include a senior researcher (e.g. Principal Investigator, Department Head, or equivalent) as a Secondary Grant Holder to provide oversight and institutional support
• Early-career researchers (e.g. PhD students or junior scientists) are eligible to apply, provided a senior researcher (e.g. Principal Investigator, Department Head, or equivalent) is named as the Grant Holder and will supervise the project
• Where a collaboration involves researchers from more than one institution or university, one institution will act as the lead Grant Holder and signatory for the purposes of receiving and administering the funds
• Applicant must be a registered member of the Centre for Human Specific Research Forum.

Application Process

Applicants must submit a application outlining:

• The scientific rationale and significance of the project
• The expected impact of the project
• How the project will support replacement of animals and/or animal-derived products
• The importance of the collaboration

All applicants will be notified of the outcome within four weeks of the grant call closing.

Grant Selection Criteria

Applications will be assessed based on:

• Alignment with the Centre for Human Specific Research strategic goals
• Scientific merit and innovation
• Expertise and capability of the applicants and project team
• Feasibility, methodology, and implementation plan.
• Benefits and added value of the collaboration
• Potential impact and dissemination within the scientific community.