Key Features
Apply for funding to support emerging or established research partnerships between businesses and academic partners (lead must be UK-based).
Programme: Medical Research Council
Award: Share of up to £10.5 million
Opens: 30th Aug 2024
Closes: 6th Nov 2024
The Medical Research Council (MRC) is committed to supporting the development, scale-up, and delivery of advanced therapies (ATs) to patients. This initiative leverages MRC’s longstanding investment in toxicology and AT to facilitate the translation of discovery science into clinically relevant outcomes and to enhance skills in regulatory science for ATs.
Toxicity issues with advanced therapies (ATs) include, but are not limited to, immune reactions, off-target gene effects, and tumourigenesis. The long-term safety of many advanced therapies remains uncertain, with potential for unexpected toxic effects over time.
Therefore, advancing our understanding of how these therapies can be safely and effectively delivered to patients holds significant potential for breakthroughs, particularly in treating complex and previously untreatable conditions.
This funding opportunity aims to establish core resources and capabilities in advanced therapy toxicology for the UK, fostering connectivity among business, academia, and regulatory bodies, and gaining insights into the biological processes through which ATs can cause harm.
Research into the toxicity of advanced therapies, including the advanced therapy medicinal product (ATMP) classification of cell and gene therapies, regenerative medicine and nucleic acid therapies such as oligonucleotide base therapies and base or gene editing techniques, are all in scope.
Aims include modelling short and long-term adverse effects and translating research evidence into harmonised standards and definitions of future regulatory pathways. Additionally, this initiative aims to influence policy and standards in the AT sector and support skills and training in toxicology and regulatory science.
Prosperity partnerships should aim to address at least one of the following challenge areas in at least one area of advanced therapies:
For more information on these three challenge areas see the Additional information section.
Prosperity partnerships funded through this initiative will be co-developed with academia and business addressing significant challenge areas in safety and toxicology. These partnerships will form a UK-wide network that goes beyond the individual partnerships, coalescing the field and providing both connectivity and critical mass.
The strategic partnership can be newly established or based on existing, long-term relationships. It should be recognised by both parties and have a clear path for future collaboration, possibly formalised by a memorandum of understanding (MoU) or a collaboration agreement.
The research programme must be co-created, driving shared research challenges, with both business and academic researchers making distinct intellectual contributions.
This is an expression of interest stage, and the information about the full application stage may change. You can only apply for the full funding opportunity if we have invited you to do so following a successful expression of Interest.
The full funding opportunity will open in November 2024. More information will be available on this page then.
Applications should articulate co-developed research programmes addressing clear challenges in safety and toxicology of advanced therapies, and clearly described business-academic partnerships.
Academic and business partner project leads should ensure that:
For a definitive list of eligible cash contributions by business partners see here
The duration of this award is up to a maximum of five years.
Research organisations can act as the academic lead if they are eligible to receive UKRI funding.
Businesses can act as the lead project partner if they are:
Businesses may be a contributor to other applications as a project partner. Other businesses can collaborate in the partnership as project partners, but the majority of the matched contribution is expected from the lead business partner.
Before applying for funding, check the Eligibility of your organisation.
UKRI has introduced new role types for funding opportunities being run on the new Funding Service.
For full details, visit Eligibility as an individual.
A research organisation may lead or partner on more than one application and applications may comprise more than one research organisation.
For applicants who do not have a contract of employment for the duration of the proposed programme, by submitting an application the research organisation is confirming, if it is successful:
You are not eligible to apply for this opportunity as academic lead if you are based at an international research organisation. This does not include MRC Unit The Gambia or MRC/UVRI Uganda Research Unit at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine that are eligible to apply as project lead. Before applying for funding, check the Eligibility of your organisation.
You can include international applicants as project co-leads (international), where they will make a major intellectual contribution to the design or conduct of the programme. The contribution and added value to the research collaboration should be clearly explained and justified in the application.
MRC are committed to achieving equality of opportunity for all funding applicants. MRC encourage applications from a diverse range of researchers.
MRC support people to work in a way that suits their personal circumstances. This includes:
The full funding amount of £10.5 million will be delivered in a single funding opportunity with programmes being up to five years. The academic full economic cost (FEC) of your programme can be between £2 million and £4 million.
MRC will fund 80% of the FEC and 100% of permitted exceptions
Find out more about full economic costing.
The business partner(s) must provide at least a matched (financial and in-kind) contribution to the programme.
Book an appointment to speak to one of our advisors to discuss your eligibility to apply for this Grant Funding opportunity.
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