The MRC Partnership Grant (Applicant-Led) is a grant from the Medical Research Council (MRC) that funds novel collaborative partnerships between research teams in areas of unmet biomedical need. The grant supports activities that establish high-value collaborative capabilities, add value to existing funded research, or build capacity in underserved research areas.

Funding ranges from £400,000 to £2,000,000 at 100% full economic cost (FEC), with project durations of 18 months to five years. Eligible applicants are UK-based researchers employed by eligible research organisations; international researchers may participate as project co-leads. Applicants are limited to two applications as project lead across MRC applicant-led opportunities per 12-month period.

The funding opportunity opens on 7 April 2026.

Pre-announcement: MRC: partnership grant: applicant-led – UKRI Funding opportunity: Pre-announcement: MRC: partnership grant: applicant-led Medical Research Council (MRC) 7 April 2026 9:00am UK time Last updated: 13 March 2026 - see all updates Apply for funding to support partnerships to carry out novel collaborative activities between a team of researchers, with interdisciplinarity encouraged where appropriate.

You must be employed by an eligible research organisation. The grant will allow you to: establish novel high-value collaborative activities or capabilities add value to high-quality research activities supported by existing funding, or underpin future funding in our remit build capacity in an area of unmet need Funding is available for between 18 months and five years.

You are strongly encouraged to contact us before applying for advice. Applications out of scope will be rejected. The funding opportunity will open on 7 April 2026.

This funding opportunity is open to organisations with standard eligibility. Check if your organisation is eligible .

To be eligible to apply for this funding opportunity you must: show that you will direct the project and be actively engaged in the work, or contribute to the academic leadership of the partnership demonstrate that you and your team have the right expertise and experience to deliver the aims of the partnership, using interdisciplinary approaches where appropriate For applicants who do not have a contract of employment for the duration of the proposed project, by submitting an application the research organisation is confirming, if it is successful: contracts will be extended beyond the end date of the project all necessary support for the project and the applicants will be provided, including mentorship and career development for early career researchers We will not consider a previously unsuccessful application submitted to us, another research council or other funding body within 12 months of the original submission date, unless we have informed you that you may resubmit early.

An application that is substantially similar to a previous submission, with only minor changes is a resubmission. To be considered a new application, your application must be substantially different. You should contact us if you are unsure whether your application is a resubmission.

Who is not eligible to apply Partnership grants are not designed to primarily support research. If you would like to apply for funding for a research project, you should instead consider a research grant. You are also not eligible to apply for this funding opportunity as a project lead if you are based at an international research organisation.

This does not include project leads from MRC Unit The Gambia or MRC/UVRI Uganda Research Unit at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. International researchers As MRC is a lead funder for this funding opportunity, international researchers can apply as project co-lead (international). Project co-leads (international) make a major intellectual contribution to the design or conduct of the project.

Their contribution and added value to the research should be clearly explained and justified in the application, see ‘Applicant and team capability to deliver’. Read the UKRI project co-lead (international) eligibility for more details. Please contact us if you are uncertain about eligibility.

You should include all other international collaborators (or UK partners not based at approved organisations) as project partners. Equality, diversity and inclusion We are committed to achieving equality of opportunity for all funding applicants. We encourage applications from a diverse range of researchers.

We support people to work in a way that suits their personal circumstances. This includes: support for people with caring responsibilities alternative working patterns UKRI can offer disability and accessibility support for UKRI applicants and grant holders during the application and assessment process.

We are looking to fund applicant-led partnerships between a team of researchers carrying out novel collaborative activities or capabilities that add value to high-quality research activities. These can be already supported by existing funding or will underpin future funding within the remit of the Medical Research Council (MRC). We welcome team-science approaches and interdisciplinary partnerships.

You will need to demonstrate that you and your team have the right expertise and experience to deliver the activities. Additionally, details of the support for people and teams should be embedded in the design of your proposal, recognising the importance of supporting staff and the environment they work in.

We fund partnerships working to transform our understanding of human health and disease, to accelerate diagnosis, advance treatment and prevent human illness.

Find out more about our applicant-led areas of investment and support as follows: Infections and immunity areas of investment Molecular and cellular medicine areas of investment Neurosciences and mental health areas of investment Population and systems medicine areas of investment Collaborative activities and capabilities can include: networking and partnership activities: establishing multidisciplinary collaborative partnerships or consortia, fostering or enabling a national or international strategy in an area, enabling knowledge sharing or creation across organisations infrastructure support for establishing a unique shared resource or helping to exploit it, for example, staff, systems, equipment, seminars and workshops.

This could include networking activities, including outreach work and travel, with a defined output platform activities such as specialist data and software platforms or resources training, career development and capacity building in an area of unmet need to support the future delivery of high-value research capabilities funds to support small scale, pump-priming projects may be included but specific research questions should not be the focus of the partnership.

Any research projects should be interdisciplinary, high risk or gain projects which will demonstrate the novel capability of a new partnership This list is not exhaustive. The activity or activities proposed should support the overarching objective of the partnership. applications that primarily support research.

If you would like to apply for funding for a research project, you should instead consider a research grant applications that only request support for networking activities and establishing collaborations without a defined related activity activities that are inward looking, with insufficient openness or engagement with the wider community Please see our case studies for examples of partnership grants and why they were funded by MRC.

We strongly encourage you to contact us first to discuss your application, especially if you believe your research may cross MRC or research council interests. Your application will be rejected if it is out of MRC remit or out of scope of this funding opportunity. We will fund partnerships lasting from 18 months to five years.

Projects should start between nine to 18 months after you submit your application. Sustainability of the partnership beyond the end of the grant should be considered within the proposal. It is only in exceptional circumstances that we would consider requests for renewals or follow on activities.

There is no limit to the funding you can apply for. You must apply for an amount that is appropriate for the partnership and you must justify why this is needed to deliver partnership activities. We expect to receive requests for partnership grants that are 18 to 60 months in duration and costing between £400,000 and £2 million (100% full economic cost (FEC)).

Resource requests will vary between partnerships, so you are strongly advised to discuss this with the relevant programme manager before applying. Your application must be for an amount that: is appropriate to the project you can justify in order to deliver the objectives of the proposed activities We will fund 80% of the full economic cost and 100% of permitted exceptions. Find out more about full economic costing.

You can request funding for costs such as: a contribution to the salary of the project lead and a small number of co-leads contributing to academic leadership of the partnership support for technical staff equipment or infrastructure that is key to the aims of the partnership or provides a platform for activities associated with the partnership data preservation, data sharing and dissemination costs estates and indirect costs public partnerships and related activities, including payments to public contributors You can also request costs for work to be undertaken at international organisations by international project co-leads.

We will fund 100% of the eligible costs. The total of such costs requested for international applicants from high-income countries (those not on the OECD DAC List of ODA Recipients ), India and China must not exceed 30% of the total resources requested. There is no cap on costs requested for international applicants from DAC list countries.

For more information on international costs and what we will and will not fund, see costs we fund and the Collaborate with Researchers in Norway guidance .

contributions to the salary of co-leads unless critical to academic leadership of the partnership costs primarily for research costs for PhD studentships funding to use as a ‘bridge’ between grants A project partner is a collaborating organisation in the UK or overseas, including partners based in the EU, who will have an integral role in the proposed research.

You may include project partners that will support your research project through cash or in-kind contributions, such as: recruitment of people, such as research participants providing samples, such as human tissue, for the project Each project partner must provide a statement of support.

If your application involves industry partners, they must provide additional information if the project partner falls within the industry collaboration framework . Find out more about subcontractors and dual roles . Who cannot be included as a project partner Any individual included in your application core team cannot also be a project partner.

Any organisation that employs a member of the application core team cannot be a project partner organisation, this includes other departments within the same organisation. If you are collaborating with someone in your organisation, consider including them in the core team as project co-lead, or specialist. They cannot be a project partner.

Supporting skills and talent We encourage you to follow the principles of the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers and the Technician Commitment . UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) supports over 25,000 full-time equivalent of research and innovation (R&I) staff directly on grants, many more if indirect costs, facility charges and strategic funding streams are included.

Those skilled people and teams design our studies, deliver the R&I work and disseminate the outputs. They are the R&I system and mission critical to delivering the outcomes we invest in. Our expectations for people and teams are collated on the supporting skills and talent section of the good research resource hub .

In this funding opportunity we are piloting a new approach to embedding consideration of people and teams in our assessment. You can find the assessment criteria for integrating support for people and teams in your application (sections; the approach, team capability and resources and costing in the people and teams assessment guidance .

You should evidence a strong commitment to supporting the development of researchers at all stages of their career. Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I) UKRI is committed in ensuring that effective international collaboration in research and innovation takes place with integrity and within strong ethical frameworks.

Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I) is a UKRI work programme designed to help protect all those working in our thriving and collaborative international sector by enabling partnerships to be as open as possible, and as secure as necessary. Our TR&I Principles set out UKRI’s expectations of organisations funded by UKRI in relation to due diligence for international collaboration.

As such, applicants for UKRI funding may be asked to demonstrate how their proposed projects will comply with our approach and expectation towards TR&I, identifying potential risks and the relevant controls you will put in place to help proportionately reduce these risks. See further guidance and information about TR&I , including where you can find additional support.

We are running this funding opportunity on the new UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service so please ensure that your organisation is registered. You cannot apply on the Joint Electronic Submissions (Je-S) system. The project lead is responsible for completing the application process on the Funding Service, but we expect all team members and project partners to contribute to the application.

Only the lead research organisation can submit an application to UKRI. If the lead research organisation is an NHS organisation, check it is available in the Funding Service. You are encouraged to check this early as there may be additional steps for the organisation to be set up before you can apply.

Three grant types are available, research , new investigator , and partnership . Before you select ‘Start application’, check you are applying for the appropriate grant type. Applications submitted to the incorrect grant type will be rejected.

Select ‘Start application’ near the beginning of this Funding finder page: Confirm you are the project lead. Please allow at least 10 working days for your organisation to be added to the Funding Service. We strongly suggest that if you are asking UKRI to add your organisation to the Funding Service to enable you to apply to this opportunity, you also create an organisation Administration Account.

This will be needed to allow the acceptance and management of any grant that might be offered to you. Answer questions directly in the text boxes. You can save your answers and come back to complete them or work offline and return to copy and paste your answers.

If we need you to upload a document, follow the upload instructions in the Funding Service. All questions and assessment criteria are listed in the How to apply section on this Funding finder page. Allow enough time to check your application in ‘read-only’ view before sending to your research office.

Send the completed application to your research office for checking. They will return it to you if it needs editing. Your research office will submit the completed and checked application to UKRI.

Where indicated, you can also demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant.

When including images, you must: provide a descriptive caption or legend for each image immediately underneath it in the text box (this must be outside the image and counts towards your word limit) insert each new image onto a new line use files smaller than 5MB and in JPEG, JPG, JPE, JFI, JIF, JFIF, PNG, GIF, BMP or WEBP format Images should only be used to convey important visual information that cannot easily be put into words.

The following are not permitted, and your application will be rejected if you include: sentences or paragraphs of text excessive quantities of images A few words are permitted where the image would lack clarity without the contextual words, such as a diagram, where text labels are required for an axis or graph column.

For more guidance on the Funding Service, see: how applicants use the Funding Service how research offices use the Funding Service how reviewers use the Funding Service References should be included within the word count of the appropriate question section. You should use your discretion when including references and prioritise those most pertinent to the application. Hyperlinks can be used in reference information.

When including references, you should consider how your references will be viewed and used by the assessors, ensuring that: references are easily identifiable by the assessors references are formatted as appropriate to your research persistent identifiers are used where possible General use of hyperlinks Applications should be self-contained. You should only use hyperlinks to link directly to reference information.

You must not include links to web resources to extend your application. Assessors are not required to access links to conduct assessment or recommend a funding decision. Generative artificial intelligence (AI) Use of generative AI tools to prepare funding applications is permitted, however, caution should be applied.

For more information see our policy on the use of generative AI in application and assessment . Applications are accepted and processed continuously, so there is no need to focus on a specific deadline. You may see a notional future closing date displayed in the Funding Service.

This is a system requirement and does not reflect an actual deadline. You should ignore this date and submit your application whenever it is ready. Due to the continuing development of the Funding Service, we will occasionally need to make changes to this funding opportunity to allow technical updates or new policies to be implemented.

When updates are required, we will communicate changes to this opportunity at least eight weeks before they are implemented, to minimise the impact on applications being prepared for submission. Following the submission of your application to the funding opportunity, your application cannot be changed by you or us.

If there is a problem with an application it may either fail our examination checks and be rejected, or your research organisation may request to withdraw your application. You would then need to submit a new revised application –because there are no closing dates you can do this more easily.

The medical research council (MRC), as part of UKRI, will need to collect some personal information to manage your Funding Service account and the registration of your funding applications. We will handle personal data in line with UK data protection legislation and manage it securely. For more information, including how to exercise your rights, read our privacy notice .

If you or a core team member need to tell us something you wish to remain confidential, email the relevant MRC team: Infections and immunity board: iib@mrc. ukri. org Molecular and cellular medicine board: mcmb@mrc.

ukri. org Neurosciences and mental health board: nmhb@mrc. ukri.

org Population and systems medicine board: psmb@mrc. ukri. org Include in the subject line: [the funding opportunity title; sensitive information; your Funding Service application number].

Typical examples of confidential information include: individual is unavailable until a certain date (for example due to parental leave) additional information about eligibility to apply that would not be appropriately shared in the ‘Applicant and team capability’ section conflict of interest for UKRI to consider in reviewer or panel participant selection the application is an invited resubmission For information about how UKRI handles personal data, read UKRI’s privacy notice .

Institutional matched funding There is no requirement for matched funding from the institutions hosting the project lead, project co-leads or other staff employed on the application, beyond the standard 20% FEC. Expert reviewers and panels assessing UKRI funding applications must not consider levels of institutional matched funding as a factor on which to base recommendations.

Direct and in-kind contributions from third party project partners are encouraged. This policy does not remove the need for support from host organisations who must provide the necessary research environment and infrastructure for award-specific activities funded by UKRI. For example, research facilities, training and development of staff.

MRC, as part of UKRI, will publish the outcomes of this funding opportunity at board and panel outcomes . If your application is successful, we will publish some personal information on the UKRI Gateway to Research . In plain English, provide a summary we can use to identify the most suitable experts to assess your application.

We usually make this summary publicly available on external-facing websites, therefore do not include any confidential or sensitive information.

Make it suitable for a variety of readers, for example: the wider research community Guidance for writing a summary Clearly describe your proposed work in terms of: the challenge the project addresses potential applications and benefits relationship with MRC priority areas or highlights List the key members of your team and assign them roles from the following: project co-lead (UK) (PcL) project co-lead (international) (PcL (I)) professional enabling staff research and innovation associate Only list one individual as project lead.

If you include more than one project lead your application will fail at the checking stage. UKRI has introduced a new addition to the ‘Specialist’ role type. Public contributors such as people with lived experience can now be added to an application.

Find out more about UKRI’s core team roles in funding applications . What are you hoping to achieve with your proposed work?

What the assessors are looking for in your response Explain how your proposed work: is of excellent quality and importance within or beyond the fields or areas has the potential to advance current understanding, or generate new knowledge, thinking or discovery within or beyond the field or area is timely given current trends, context, and needs impacts world-leading research, society, the economy, or the environment Within the Vision section we also expect you to: identify the potential direct or indirect benefits and who the beneficiaries might be identify potential improvements in human or population health, whether through contributing to relieving disease or disability burden, improving quality of life or providing benefit to the health service or health-related industry explain why establishing a partnership is necessary in this area and how it will add value to the current research landscape References may be included within this section.

You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service. How are you going to deliver your proposed work?

What the assessors are looking for in your response Explain how you have designed your approach so that it: is effective and appropriate to achieve your objectives is feasible, and comprehensively identifies any risks to delivery and how they will be managed uses a clearly written and transparent methodology (if applicable) summarises the previous work and describes how this will be built upon and progressed (if applicable) will maximise translation of outputs into outcomes and impacts describes how your, and if applicable your team’s, research environment (in terms of the place and relevance to the project) will contribute to the success of the work Within the Approach section we also expect you to: demonstrate access to the appropriate services, facilities, infrastructure, or equipment to deliver the project provide a project plan including milestones and timelines, in the form of an embedded Gantt chart or similar explain how the partnership will be planned and managed explain how the partnership will enable researchers to work together, network and build capability in a strategic area demonstrate how the partnership will benefit the wider research community if applicable, explain how partnership services, equipment or infrastructure will be accessed by the wider research community outline future plans for sustaining the partnership beyond MRC funding, or for funding research which may develop from the partnership explain and justify the inclusion of public partnerships (if applicable) and the added value these offer References may be included within this section.

You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service. Data management and sharing How will you manage and share data collected or acquired through the proposed research?

What the assessors are looking for in your response Provide a data management plan which should clearly detail how you will comply with MRC’s published data management and sharing policies , which includes detailed guidance notes. Provide your response in the text box following the headings in the MRC data management plan template . You are not required to upload the document to your application.

The length of your plan will vary depending on the type of study being undertaken, as follows: population cohorts; longitudinal studies; genetic, omics and imaging data; biobanks, and other collections that are potentially a rich resource for the wider research community: maximum of 1,500 words all other research, less complex, the plan may be as short as 500 words Applicant and team capability to deliver Why are you the right individual or team to successfully deliver the proposed work?

What the assessors are looking for in your response Evidence of how you, and if relevant your team, have: the relevant experience ( appropriate to career stage ) to deliver the proposed work the right balance of skills and expertise to cover the proposed work the appropriate leadership and management skills to deliver the work and your approach to develop others contributed to developing a positive research environment and wider community You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant.

Further details are provided in the Funding Service. The word limit for this section is 2,000 words: 1,500 words to be used for Résumé for Research and Innovation (R4RI) modules (including references) and, if necessary, a further 500 words for Additions.

Use the R4RI format to showcase the range of relevant skills you and, if relevant, your team (project and project co-leads, researchers, technicians, specialists, partners and so on) have and how this will help deliver the proposed work. You can include individuals’ specific achievements but only choose past contributions that best evidence their ability to deliver this work.

You are encouraged to include ORCID iDs for individuals where relevant, as this can help to demonstrate and verify their achievements. Complete this section using the R4RI module headings listed. Use each heading once and include a response for the whole team, see the UKRI guidance on R4RI .

You should consider how to balance your answer, and emphasise where appropriate the key skills each team member brings: contributions to the generation of new ideas, tools, methodologies, or knowledge the development of others and maintenance of effective working relationships contributions to the wider research and innovation community contributions to broader research or innovation users and audiences and towards wider societal benefit, including public partnerships Provide any further details relevant to your application.

This section is optional and can be up to 500 words. You should not use it to describe additional skills, experiences, or outputs, but you can use it to describe any factors that provide context for the rest of your R4RI (for example, details of career breaks if you wish to disclose them). Complete this as a narrative.

Do not format it like a CV. References may be included within this section. The roles in funding applications policy has descriptions of the different project roles.

Add details about any project partners contributions. If there are no project partners, you can indicate this on the Funding Service. A project partner is a collaborating person or organisation who will have an integral role in your proposed research.

This may include direct contributions for example cash, donated equipment and resources, or staff seconded to the project, or indirect and in-kind contributions for example use of project partner’s equipment, datasets, or facilities. Project partners may be in industry, academia, third sector or government organisations in the UK or overseas, including partners based in the EU.

A project partner is not anyone in your core team or anyone from your organisation or any of the other organisations represented by core team members.

Add the following project partner details: the organisation name (searchable via a drop-down list or enter the organisation’s details manually, as applicable) the project partner contact name and email address the type of contribution (direct or in-direct) and its monetary value If a detail is entered incorrectly and you have saved the entry, remove the specific project partner record and re-add it with the correct information.

If there are specific circumstances where project partners do require funding for minor costs such as travel and subsistence, these project partner costs should be claimed and justified within the resources and costs section of your application. If you are adding a project partner to this section, you must ensure they provide you with a letter or email of support and you upload it to ‘Project partners: letters or emails of support’.

If your project partners are from industry or a company, you must also complete the ‘Industry Collaboration Framework (ICF)’ section.

Project partners responsible for carrying out animal work If the project partner is responsible for conducting animal work or providing animals or animal tissue samples, you must ensure that you complete and upload the appropriate forms under the sections ‘Research involving the use of animals’ and ‘Conducting research with animals overseas’ (if applicable).

For audit purposes, UKRI requires formal collaboration agreements to be put in place if an award is made. Project partners: letters (or emails) of support Upload a single PDF containing the letters or emails of support from each partner you named in the ‘Project partners’ section. These should be uploaded in English or Welsh only.

What the assessors are looking for in your response If you do not have any project partners, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service. What supporting statements we are looking for We are looking for you to provide letters or emails of support from all your identified project partners.

What we are not looking for We do not want any other letters (or emails) of support, from people who are not your identified project partners, such as those simply expressing general support for your project. If these are included by you, they will be ignored by us and will not be used in the assessment process.

You should only provide letters or emails of support from people you have identified in the project partner section of your application, who will have an integral role in your proposed research.

What each project partner letter or email of support must include Each project partner letter or email you provide should: include the name of the project partner organisation and contact information explain the project partners’ commitment to the project explain the value, relevance, and possible benefits of the proposed work, to them describe any additional value they will bring to the project not exceed two sides of A4 per project partner Project partner letters and emails of support are not required to be on headed paper or include handwritten signatures (electronic signatures are acceptable).

The Funding Service will provide document upload details when you apply. Project partners from industry or a company Industry or company project partners are required to download and complete the industry or company letter of support template . You must also complete the ‘Industry Collaboration Framework (ICF)’ section.

Find out more about ICF. Project partners responsible for recruiting research participants or providing human tissue or samples If the project partner is responsible