MRC Centre of Research Excellence: round five: outline application
Funding
Up to £21,000,000
Deadline
3 February 2027
Location
England
Applications
Deadline: 3 February 2027
Overview
This Medical Research Council (MRC) opportunity funds a Centre of Research Excellence, known as an MRC CoRE. Each centre tackles a complex, interdisciplinary health challenge. It suits UK research organisations with a bold, well-defined idea that falls anywhere within MRC remit, from discovery science to developing treatments or prevention. The full economic cost of your centre can be up to £26.25 million for the first seven years. MRC pays 80% of that, with a maximum MRC contribution of £21 million. Awards can run for up to 14 years. They start with seven years of funding, then a further seven years if a review is successful. MRC expects to fund one or two centres each year from a total fund of £50 million. You can ask for costs such as salaries, new researcher posts, consumables, public partnership activities, research culture initiatives and up to two studentships a year. Start-up routine equipment is covered up to £500,000. The funder will not pay for buildings, clinical trials, longitudinal population studies or open access costs. This is the outline application stage. The round opened on 1 October 2026 and closes at 4:00pm UK time on 3 February 2027. Centres are expected to start between 1 April 2028 and 30 October 2028. One caveat: each organisation may lead only one outline application in this round. If your outline application is declined, you cannot resubmit unless the panel invites you to. Official source: https://www.ukri.org/opportunity/mrc-centre-of-research-excellence-round-five/. Last checked by GrantMatch on 15 October 2026.
Requirements to check
Who can apply:
Key requirements:
- Applicants must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for MRC funding.
- Each organisation may lead only one outline application in round five.
- MRC funds 80% of full economic cost, up to a maximum MRC contribution of £21 million.
- Awards run for up to 14 years: seven years initially, then seven more subject to successful review.
- Applications declined at outline stage cannot be resubmitted unless invited by the panel.
- Clinical trials, longitudinal population studies and buildings are not funded.
You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for MRC funding. You need to direct the project or be actively engaged in it, have the right expertise, and be a member of the proposed leadership team at outline stage. Your focus must be a complex, multi or interdisciplinary health challenge. Staff at businesses, charity and third sector organisations and international research organisations cannot lead, but can join as project partners. International researchers can be co-leads. Each organisation may lead one outline application.
This summary may not include every exclusion. Check the full eligibility rules, including who and what the funder will not support.
UK research organisations and leadership teams with an ambitious, defined plan to tackle a complex, interdisciplinary health challenge over many years.
Regions
No published award history for Medical Research Council (MRC). Some funders do not publish their grants data.
Full details from Medical Research Council (MRC)
Apply for MRC Centre of Research Excellence (MRC CoRE) funding to tackle complex and interdisciplinary health challenges.You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for MRC funding.
Apply for the outline stage through the application link on the UKRI opportunity page. If your organisation is submitting a lead application, you are encouraged to submit an expression of interest by 4:00pm UK time on 8 December 2026. The outline application closes at 4:00pm UK time on 3 February 2027.
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Create free accountLast updated: 15 October 2026