MRC Funding: Research Grants, Fellowships and Equipment

The Medical Research Council (MRC) is one of the main public funders of medical research in the UK. After pausing its curiosity-driven research funding, it reopened in 2026 with a new approach: grants open all year, a single College of Experts and decisions twice a year. This guide explains the main schemes, who can apply, how decisions are made and where charities and businesses fit in. Every figure comes from MRC's pages on the UKRI website, checked on the date shown on this page.

What MRC funds

MRC is one of the nine councils of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). For its applicant-led research grants, it says it wants research that changes our understanding of human health and disease, focused on discovery and early translational research into the causes and mechanisms of disease, to speed up diagnosis, improve treatment and prevent illness.

Alongside applicant-led funding, MRC runs fellowships, strategic programmes, translation and commercialisation schemes, Centres of Research Excellence and its own institutes.

How MRC's new approach works

In March 2026, MRC announced that its applicant-led funding would reopen with a new approach. The main changes it set out were:

• One College of Experts. MRC's separate research boards are being brought together into a single College of Experts, and funding panels are drawn from it. MRC says this is to support research that crosses medical disciplines.
• Interviews. After the written applications are assessed, shortlisted applicants are invited to an in-person panel interview.
• Open all year. Applicant-led opportunities stay open all year, with no closing dates.
• Two decision points. MRC makes funding decisions twice a year, in June and December.

MRC also said it would make sure early career researchers are particularly supported under the new approach.

Applicant-led grants

All three applicant-led grants opened on the UKRI Funding Service on 12 October 2026 with no closing date. Each pays 80% of the full economic cost (FEC) and 100% of permitted exceptions, for up to five years, and none has an upper limit: the amount must be appropriate to the work.

Grant	What it is for	Length
Research grant	Focused research projects, flexible in length and scale	Up to 5 years
New investigator research grant	Researchers taking the next step to becoming independent	Up to 5 years
Partnership grant	Partnerships and shared resources, not mainly research	Up to 5 years

Research grants

The MRC research grant is the core scheme for focused research projects. MRC says there is no standard model, and it encourages applicants to be ambitious and think about what the research needs before applying. PhD studentships and fellowships cannot be costed into a research grant.

New investigator research grants

The MRC new investigator research grant is for researchers who are capable of becoming independent and are ready for the next step. It can cover up to 50% of the new investigator's own salary, in line with the research organisation's usual levels for new investigators, and the length should reflect what the project needs and the case for the move to independence.

Partnership grants

The MRC partnership grant is not designed mainly to support research. It funds partnerships, which can include equipment or infrastructure that is key to the partnership's aims. If your main aim is a research project, MRC says to apply for a research grant instead. MRC's application questions now let you indicate a charity co-funder.

Early independence fellowships

The early independence career development fellowship helps researchers with a PhD or equivalent establish their own research niche and team. MRC funds salary and project costs at 80% of FEC for up to five years, pro rata for part-time fellowships. Fellows can spend up to six hours a week, pro rata, on other commitments such as teaching.

To be eligible you must have completed a PhD or equivalent before the award starts, show evidence of career development and productivity, have research plans that do not significantly overlap with your current group leader's or sponsor's, and work within MRC's remit. MRC says there are no eligibility rules based on age or years of postdoctoral experience.

Unlike the grants above, fellowships have fixed rounds. The September 2026 round closed on 15 September 2026. MRC's application timelines list the next round as opening on 26 January 2027 and closing on 20 April 2027, with shortlisting in September 2027 and interviews in October 2027.

MRC Equip: mid-range equipment

MRC Equip funds a single piece of capital equipment for biomedical research. The equipment can have several components, as long as together they form one technology platform. You can ask for £200,000 to £1 million, and MRC will fund up to 100% of FEC, with any remaining cost met from other contributions.

The current round closes at 4pm on 5 November 2026. Each research organisation can submit only two applications unless MRC tells it otherwise, and each person can be project lead on only one, so talk to your research office early. All awards last seven months from 1 June 2027. See the MRC Equip listing on GrantMatch.

Translation funding

MRC also funds the step from discovery towards products and treatments. In July 2026 it reopened its Developmental Pathway Funding Scheme as MRC Proof of Concept and its Gap Fund as MRC Impact Acceleration Awards, saying the application process would stay substantially the same. We list both, for example MRC Proof of Concept stage one.

Who can apply

The project lead must be at a research organisation eligible for UKRI funding, usually a university, an approved research institute or, for some schemes, an NHS body with research capacity. Check the eligibility section of each opportunity.

MRC research grants can also include project partners, including businesses and charities. Each partner provides a statement of support, and industry partners give extra information if the relationship falls under MRC's industry collaboration framework. Charities can co-fund some grants, and MRC's application questions now include a charity co-funder option. If you lead a health charity, a partnership with an MRC-funded team can bring research expertise to the people you support. Our guide to letters of support for grant applications explains what a strong partner statement covers.

Costs and matched funding

UKRI says there is no requirement for matched funding from host organisations beyond the standard 20% of FEC, and reviewers and panels must not take it into account. Direct and in-kind contributions from project partners are encouraged. Our guide on how much to ask for in a grant covers how to build a budget you can justify, which matters more when there is no upper limit.

Tips for a strong MRC application

• Start with your research office. It submits the application, sets internal deadlines and, for MRC Equip, decides which two applications go forward.
• Make the case for the length and size you ask for. With no upper limit and up to five years available, reviewers will look closely at whether the plan and budget fit the question.
• Prepare for interview. Under the new approach, shortlisted applicants present their case in person, so plan who will attend and rehearse the key points.
• Bring partners in early. If a charity or business is contributing, agree its role and statement of support well before you submit.

Finding MRC opportunities

Fellowship rounds, MRC Equip and translation schemes have fixed windows, while the applicant-led grants are always open. Follow live MRC opportunities on GrantMatch, browse funding for universities and research organisations, or check grants closing this month across every funder.