UK Obesity Research Institute: full application

UK Obesity Research Institute: full application is sponsored by Medical Research Council (MRC). UK Obesity Research Institute: full application. Funding opportunity from Medical Research Council (MRC).

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UK Obesity Research Institute: full application – UKRI Funding opportunity: UK Obesity Research Institute: full application Medical Research Council (MRC) British Heart Foundation (BHF) 30 July 2026 9:00am UK time 19 November 2026 4:00pm UK time We are seeking director-led applications to investigate mechanistic biomedical drivers of obesity and related diseases such as cardiometabolic disease, and deliver transformative impact in this field.

The director, supported by a leadership team, will lead the design and delivery of a collaborative institute. Applications should focus on the key barriers to unlock understanding of the causes and consequences of obesity to enable targeted prevention and treatment. Funding available is up to £72 million for an initial seven years, with the potential to renew.

Funding of this funding opportunity is subject to the approval of a full business case. This funding opportunity is open to organisations with standard eligibility. Check if your organisation is eligible .

The nominated director (project lead) should lead the application, alongside a leadership team, and with the full support of their host research organisations.

To be eligible to apply for UK Obesity Research Institute (UK-ORI) funding, you must: have the relevant expertise and experience to lead or contribute to an internationally leading investment of significant scale show how you will strategically direct the investment, be actively engaged in the work and support a positive research culture focus your application on mechanistic research tackling important multidisciplinary health challenges related to obesity 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 that, 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 An eligible research organisation may lead one application only but is allowed to be a co-lead, or collaborate, on other applications.

Who is not eligible to apply If you are employed by the following organisations, you cannot apply as project lead or project co-lead but can participate as project partners on an application led by an eligible UK organisation: charity and third sector organisations Charities and third sector organisations that are approved UKRI Independent Research Organisations cannot lead an application as part of the leadership team or lead one of the UK research sites.

They are eligible to apply as project co-lead, if making an important research contribution to one of the UK sites. International researchers International organisations cannot lead an application as part of the leadership team or lead one of the UK research sites. International researchers are permitted as a project co-lead (international) if making an important research contribution to one of the UK sites.

We would expect co-leads based outside of the UK to offer expertise, or facilities not available in the UK, and to provide clear indicators of commitment to the UK-ORI. The contribution and added value of the international participants to the research collaboration should be clearly explained and justified in the application. Read the UKRI project co-lead (international) policy (eligibility ) for more details.

Please contact us if you are uncertain about eligibility. See the ‘Contact details’ section. 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. Diversity is one of the core MRC values and we are committed to creating inclusive environments that encourage excellence in research through good equalities practice.

We strongly encourage applications from currently underrepresented groups including female and ethnic minority researchers, and researchers with disabilities or long-term conditions. Demand management is being applied to this funding opportunity. Further details are provided in the ‘Who can apply’ section.

The overarching vision is to reduce the impact of obesity on society through a deeper, integrated understanding of the physiological and pathological mechanisms and the downstream health consequences. The new knowledge, insights and innovation generated will accelerate the development of treatments and long-term prevention strategies. This vision will be delivered as an internationally leading UK Obesity Research Institute (UK-ORI).

Your application should be led by a director with an international track record in large-scale research and delivery in a relevant field. The director will play a strategic leadership role regarding the future vision and direction of how the institute, and its partnerships, will grow.

The requested funding should include an allocation for the director’s own research programme, forming part of the overall scientific vision for the institute. Applications should address key biological and pathological questions on the causes, consequences and prevention of obesity, with a strong emphasis on advancing understanding of underlying pathophysiology and mechanistic biomedical drivers.

By bringing together complementary expertise under clear director leadership, the institute should aim to unlock new insights. This will enable the development of effective, targeted prevention and treatment strategies and deliver meaningful, measurable impact in the field.

The research will be distinct in the context of other national and international activities and outward facing, harnessing the best talent to deliver upon the proposed vision. It should be positioned in the context of ongoing investments across the Medical Research Council (MRC) and the broader landscape, synergising with or capitalising upon existing knowledge and national assets where relevant.

Applications should propose plans for a scalable, national UK-ORI, centred on a director-led single-site hub that both conducts research and coordinates and drives the overall scientific vision and programme. It is expected that to achieve the vision of this funding opportunity, applications will need to be collaborative and multi-site.

Partner research sites should add distinct value and expertise and will be expected to play a key role in the coherent and integrated co-development and co-delivery of the institute’s aims. Together, the hub and partner sites should operate in a unified, collaborative manner, ensuring strategic alignment, effective coordination, and the successful realisation of the institute’s objectives.

Funding as a scalable, collaborative and outward-facing institute is intended to position UK biomedical science at the international forefront of obesity research. This approach will support and integrate the critical mass needed to develop and deliver an ambitious vision.

The director should plan to work with a leadership and administrative team on a day-to-day basis and will be responsible for overarching management of UK-ORI, coherence across its sites, and demonstration of its overall strategic impact.

What types of challenges should UK-ORI tackle be bold, ambitious, and innovative, and address a gap or opportunity in the field which is not being adequately addressed elsewhere address substantial unmet needs in understanding or modifying human health and disease be specific, with definable major strategic objectives achievable within the initial 7-year timeframe, which, if achieved, will transform the research field or area of health research.

Proposals should be clear on what can be achieved within the initial 7-year timeframe and what might need additional funding to be leveraged within or beyond the 7 years align to the mission of MRC and BHF, and contribute to UK government priorities require coordinated and flexible, major long-term funding The challenges addressed by UK-ORI will be achieved through: fostering innovation and engagement to establish the capability and capacity to place the UK at the international forefront of impactful health research an outward facing position, harnessing the best expertise in the UK bringing together creative and diverse approaches for cross-sectoral and multi or interdisciplinary, and novel ways of working distinct and disruptive research that drives breakthrough advances and addresses specific bottlenecks through knowledge generation, technological or methodological innovation, with clear translational relevance pursuing a compelling vision around specific questions of importance or critical knowledge gaps, not through open ended research programmes developing a stimulating and supportive research environment UK-ORI will undertake research into the biological origins, prevention, treatment, and health consequences of obesity, with a strong focus on elucidating underlying mechanistic pathways.

Its scientific scope will integrate fundamental biomedical science, medicine, and technological innovation to enable the development of effective, targeted interventions and improved health outcomes. A step change in approach is required which further integrates different disciplinary perspectives to build a team science culture and take an impact-focused approach.

The institute will prioritise integrated, biologically and data-driven discovery across molecular, cellular, and physiological systems, with a strong emphasis on dynamic human physiology and related cardiometabolic processes. Research themes should address the mechanistic links between obesity and chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease.

The aim is to disentangle cause and effect, and link biological mechanistic research with opportunities for experimental medicine. This will be supported by agile proof-of-concept target validation in humans and experimental medicine to test mechanisms in vivo and de-risk novel therapeutic targets.

Exemplar research themes are set out in below (this is not intended to be prescriptive or offer an exhaustive list): Biological discovery: molecular and cellular mechanisms underpinning obesity and its consequences, including to inform novel therapeutics Behaviour-biology interface: defining the biological mechanism driving human behaviour in obesity, and how behaviour shapes biology Mechanisms of obesity complications including cardiovascular disease, cancer, dementia and pathways to multiple long-term conditions Improved mechanistic understanding of the health risks of weight loss drugs, to inform the development of safe and sustainable weight‑loss effects without requiring lifelong drug use Experimental medicine to generate new mechanistic insights, including those that may identify opportunities to modify disease or prevention pathways or enable the future development of novel prevention or therapeutic approaches Data driven discovery: large scale use of biomedical and health data to develop new methods and tools, including AI and machine learning Addressing these areas will require cutting edge, interdisciplinary technologies that enable mechanistic insight into obesity.

These might include advanced genetics and functional genomics, single-cell and spatial multi-omics, and high-resolution in vivo physiology and imaging. Key enabling technologies might also include digital phenotyping, wearable technologies, and artificial intelligence and machine learning for integrative data analysis.

Your application should be built around a defined gap or opportunity in the field, a major barrier or bottleneck that needs to be surmounted. Or the breakthrough advance that is pivotal for our understanding and ability to prevent, diagnose and treat obesity and its related conditions.

Your application must explain how the challenges to be addressed as part of UK-ORI will be positioned in the context of ongoing investments, and activities across MRC and the broader UK and international landscape. Your application should synergise with or capitalise upon existing knowledge and investments where relevant.

You should consider what you would need to put in place to promote or achieve equity of access to resulting knowledge, technologies, interventions, and therapies. British Heart Foundation is co-funding this funding opportunity with MRC, contributing up to £12 million over seven years to support a cardiovascular disease-focused research component within the UK-ORI.

Applicants should clearly identify the aspects of their proposal that align with BHF’s research remit. In particular, we are seeking research that explores the interaction between obesity and the full breadth of cardiovascular conditions, including obesity driven, pathogenesis of cardiovascular risk and disease, and novel approaches to treatment. The BHF-funded element should have an ambitious and distinct cardiovascular focus.

It could be delivered potentially through the establishment of a dedicated research theme within the Institute, with work programmes proportionate to the level of funding requested It is expected that UK-ORI will accelerate the translation of discovery into real-world impact, strengthening links between academia, industry and public benefit, while aligning with national priorities for innovation-led growth.

Applications should clearly articulate their vision for translational impact, outlining expected progress within the initial seven years of funding as well as the anticipated longer-term outcomes. This should include how early advances will lay the foundation for sustained impact beyond the funded period.

Applications should incorporate dedicated structures and leadership to enable two-way engagement between researchers and external partners, supporting effective translation of scientific discovery into real-world impact. Funding is available for roles associated with this route to translation including, for example, a senior chief technology officer with a remit to align research with industry, investor, and stakeholder needs.

This capability should increase alignment with translational priorities and enhance visibility and access to emerging UK-ORI data and discoveries. Applicants are encouraged to demonstrate how they will support navigation of academia–industry partnerships and identify viable commercialisation pathways. Plans should also outline how connections with biotechnology and pharmaceutical partners will be fostered and sustained.

UK-ORI will deliberately not address all the challenges associated with obesity, which are broad and complex, and intersect across the whole of society. Our aim is to support the transformative underpinning biomedical mechanistic science that is needed to link into the broader obesity research landscape.

Areas outside this funding opportunity include: the broad, underlying societal and environmental factors that contribute to obesity behavioural science alone without integration with basic biological mechanisms basic science or observational research or nutrition science which does not provide mechanistic insights into the pathophysiology of obesity and related conditions, or a pathway to prevention or treatment longitudinal population studies and clinical trials beyond phase IIa proposals where the focus is predominantly on networking activities or a series of project type research grants with no clear integration or added value UK-ORI is expected to play a significant national role in training and career development.

It will develop and enhance UK research capacity by providing strong multidisciplinary skills and training environments, particularly for early career researchers, and expanding research infrastructure to maintain the UK’s position as a world leader in obesity research.

UK-ORI will provide an internationally leading investment capable of attracting global talent and leveraging further investment from across the health and life sciences sector to address areas strategically important for other public and private funders. Leveraging partnerships with other funders, industry and technology company investment is strongly encouraged.

This will ensure that the knowledge generated by this national endeavour will be accelerated into impactful translation to support effective ‘real world’ interventions to prevent and treat obesity. UK-ORI research environment The institute will serve as a beacon of excellence in research culture, equality, diversity and inclusion, leadership models, and innovation.

It will create collaborative and stimulating multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary research environments that enable researchers to work effectively across boundaries and meet the institute’s objectives. UK-ORI will be expected to adopt and maintain the highest standards in how research is conducted and openly communicated. It should support creative leadership approaches and promote a strong team science ethos.

In addition, it will develop and nurture clear career pathways and provide a training environment that supports a positive and inclusive research culture. Public partnerships are all the different ways that people and the research community can come together to shape and share scientific research. Sharing knowledge and experience improves the quality and relevance of research, making it more likely that everyone will benefit.

MRC’s public partnerships strategy outlines MRC’s ambition and actions for effective collaboration and genuine partnerships between researchers, MRC staff, public involvement and engagement professionals, individuals and communities. The strategy applies to all the research that MRC supports, including non-clinical research.

All applications should include public partnerships (public involvement and engagement) in their research culture plans and research activities. Applicants should describe approaches to integrate meaningful public involvement and engagement into their research priorities and design as well as research strategy and delivery.

While applications will involve a number of eligible organisations, a single project lead affiliated with the lead research organisation must be identified for administrative purposes. The approach to leadership and decision-making across multiple organisations must be clearly specified.

Support from research organisations There is no requirement for matched funding from the institution(s) hosting UK-ORI, beyond any 20% FEC contribution. However, considerable, sustained and clearly defined support from the research organisation is essential to a successful application. This will be an equal part of the assessment of applications.

We expect research organisations to provide: access to facilities and equipment access to necessary digital support infrastructure support to manage estates underpinning of key staff positions access to additional sources of funding and support available to other researchers across the research organisations UK-ORI governance, monitoring and review UK-ORI must establish an independent strategic advisory board (ISAB) as part of its governance structure to provide critical advice and support to the director and leadership team.

This board must hold a meeting in year one of the award and at least annually thereafter. You may wish to describe the areas of input you will seek through your ISAB, but do not include proposed members of UK-ORI’s ISAB as applicants or project partners. In your application you will be asked to confirm key objectives for UK-ORI and propose a performance monitoring framework.

Progress against this framework should be considered annually by your ISAB. This framework will form a crucial component of the mid-term review of UK-ORI, alongside other information to be confirmed closer to the review point. We will support UK-ORI for an initial 7 years (84 months), with the potential for renewal.

The latest start date for UK-ORI is the 1 October 2027. The full economic cost (FEC) of your project for years one to seven can be up to £90 million. We will fund 80% of the FEC.

Any identified exceptions will be funded at 100%. The maximum MRC contribution, including any identified exceptions funded at 100%, is up to £72 million. UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) indexation will be applied at the time of award.

We will not supplement awards for inflation after they have started. We expect to make one award. Applications will be from a single eligible research organisation in a partnership with other research sites.

We will provide all the awarded funding to the lead organisation, to manage and distribute accordingly. Awards spanning multiple organisations will require a clear plan addressing award governance and management to ensure funds can be used flexibly to support changes in research delivery and opportunity across the duration of the award.

We will support a limited number of interlinked research activities or themes across partner research sites, with funding focused on key strategic objectives, achievable during the initial 7-year lifespan. The award should provide a platform to win additional grant support from all available funders. Funding of this funding opportunity is subject to approval of a full business case.

You can request funding for costs such as: directly allocated contribution to the director’s salary costs for the portion of their time dedicated to UK-ORI directly allocated contributions to salaries of the leadership team and other established researchers, usually between 15% to 30% of their time, in line with their research contribution directly incurred salaries for a central administrative team to support the director in their leadership role directly incurred salaries of research staff, technicians, and professional enabling staff, where there is a clear justification for their critical role in delivering UK-ORI recruitment of new researchers critical to addressing the research challenge, for example those switching disciplines or sectors, or from overseas, where up to 100% salary may be requested for up to three years, before other grant support is established.

The requested salary should reflect their time spent on in relation to UK-ORI up to £500,000 start-up costs for routine equipment (items over £25,000 that constitute normal elements of a well-founded laboratory), if required. All items will have to be fully justified and may not include generic departmental equipment.

Routine equipment will be funded at 80% FEC mid-range or large equipment critical to establish platforms or facilities, funded at 100% of the requested costs, if requested and accepted at the outline application stage.

For other mid-range equipment applications must apply to the MRC annual mid-range equipment opportunity in competition with the wider community data preservation, data sharing and dissemination costs costs for innovative training and capacity building required to address the research challenge, when not available elsewhere studentships (an exception funded at 100%), including iCASE studentships , may typically be requested for up to two studentships starting each year across the duration of the award (up to 14 studentships).

However, numbers should not exceed the supervisory capacity of the UK-ORI.

See Support for UKRI funded students technology and data platforms to provide accessible facilities and capability essential to the mission and to promote open-science, when not available elsewhere experimental medicine studies initiatives to underpin or strengthen a positive research culture knowledge transfer and exchange activities, including translational research and commercialisation public partnerships and related activities, including public engagement and involvement, and payments to public contributors initiatives to improve environmental sustainability estates and indirect costs creation and maintenance of a website You can also request costs for work to be undertaken at international organisations by international project co-leads where making an important research contribution to one of the UK sites.

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 (Development Assistance Committee) 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 . Mid-range or large equipment is a single item costing over £138,000 (£115,000 excluding VAT). Quotes for equipment exceeding £25,000 and business cases for equipment exceeding £138,000 are not necessary.

However, successful applicants must be able to show UKRI evidence of adherence to procurement rules, such as quotes, if audited. The director and their leadership team will have flexibility over use of the directly incurred funding within the total awarded, especially considering the award duration. There are constraints on the use of directly allocated and capital equipment funding.

Flexible directly incurred or exceptions funds can be requested and used to develop activities and support new opportunities but must be appropriately justified with clear plans for financial management.

open access costs: these must be covered by the UKRI open access grant training and capacity building that can be accessed through existing funding routes, such as existing doctoral training programmes, MRC or UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) fellowships mid-range equipment other than agreed and assessed as necessary as part of the start-up requirements.

All other mid-range equipment must be requested through the annual MRC equipment funding opportunity or other funding routes routine equipment (that constitutes normal elements of a well-founded laboratory) over and above the start-up fund of up to £500,000.

additional or duplicative equipment that is already part of the existing research environment of the applicants generic computing platforms for data analysis or data storage, which should be part of wider research organisation data management activities buildings and other types of infrastructures longitudinal population studies, which have specific governance requirements and for which alternative funding routes are available.

UK-ORI applications may utilise existing cohorts or clinical trials funded through other routes.

If such activities are relevant applicants should make clear in the application how these would be supported You may include project partners that will support your research project through cash or in-kind contributions, such as: recruitment of people 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 team 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 with a core team role 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 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 . MRC’s vision for doctoral training is to support high-quality doctoral training programmes that take a student-centred approach, focusing on scientific excellence, positive research culture and wider training opportunities.

Funding for studentships may be requested as part of your approach to training and capacity building as part of UK-ORI. Our expectation is that non-clinical studentships offered by UK-ORI would be four years in duration but may be shorter to account for a student’s relevant prior qualifications or experience.

Studentships will be fully aligned with an existing Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP), Doctoral Landscape award (DLA) or equivalent at the host research organisation(s). This ensures a consistent national standard for doctoral training and ensures that students benefit from the best practice approaches, expertise and cohort element provided by the DTPs and DLAs.

Resource awarded for UK-ORI Studentships would be ring-fenced and the scientific agenda driven by the UK-ORI. Prior to submission, applicants intending to include studentships must contact the office obesityresearchopp@mrc. ukri.

org Guidance on how to present studentship costs will be provided. 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 applicants 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.

Select ‘Start application’ near the beginning of this Funding finder page: Confirm you are the project lead 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. Please be aware that research office and finance teams undertake checks on hosting arrangements and financial eligibility.

The ultimate responsibility for ensuring compliance with all opportunity requirements lies with the applicant. 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 on 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 . We must receive your application by 19 November 2026 at 4:00pm UK time. You will not be able to apply after this time.

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