UKRI translation: MRC proof of concept: stage two

UKRI translation: MRC proof of concept: stage two is sponsored by Medical Research Council (MRC). UKRI translation: MRC proof of concept: stage two. Funding opportunity from Medical Research Council (MRC).

Apply via the UKRI portal.

UKRI translation: MRC proof of concept: stage two – UKRI Funding opportunity: UKRI translation: MRC proof of concept: stage two Medical Research Council (MRC) 9 July 2026 9:00am UK time 4 November 2026 4:00pm UK time Last updated: 4 August 2026 - see all updates This funding opportunity was previously titled ‘Developmental pathway funding scheme: stage two’. You must be invited to apply for stage two of this funding opportunity.

Apply for funding to develop and test novel therapeutics, medical devices, diagnostics and other interventions across any stage of the developmental pathway, from prototype development, through pre-clinical refinement, to early-phase clinical studies (up to phase 2a). There is no funding limit but requested costs should be appropriate to the project. We usually fund 80% of a project’s full economic cost (FEC).

You can only apply for this funding opportunity if we have invited you to do so following a successful stage one application. 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 be part of a team that submitted a Developmental Pathway Funding Scheme (DPFS, now titled ‘MRC Proof of Concept) stage one application and, after successful assessment, have been invited to submit a stage two application for this funding opportunity.

Additional team applicants can be included that were not in the stage one application or, be part of a team that have been invited to submit a DPFS (now titled ‘MRC Proof of Concept) stage two application as part of a panel-approved resubmission If you 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 you and the project will be provided, including mentorship and career development for early career researchers We will not accept uninvited resubmission of applications that were submitted after 1 April 2026 to MRC, the rest of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) or any other funder.

An uninvited resubmission is an application that was previously unsuccessful and has been submitted again without being invited by MRC. This includes applications that are unchanged, minimally revised, or substantially the same as the original submission. You should contact us if you are unsure whether your application is a resubmission.

Find contacts in the ‘Contact details’ section. International researchers As MRC is a lead funder for this 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 about UKRI project co-lead (international) eligibility for more details. Contact us if you are uncertain about eligibility.

You should include all other international collaborators 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. Demand management is not being applied to this funding opportunity.

You can apply for academically-led translational projects that aim to either: improve prevention, diagnosis, prognosis or treatment of significant health needs develop research tools that increase the efficiency of developing interventions All human diseases and medical interventions are eligible for support, both in the context of UK healthcare and addressing global health issues.

Your project can start and finish at any stage on the developmental pathway from early prototype development, through pre-clinical refinement and testing, to early-phase clinical studies and trials (up to phase 2a). You can submit follow-on proposals where you can justify the need for continued support.

You can apply for funding for work on novel: candidate therapeutic entities (for example, drug discovery) vaccines for infectious or non-infectious disease biologics (antibodies, peptides, proteins) advanced therapeutics (for example, gene therapy and cell therapy) regenerative medicine approaches repurposing clinical studies or using existing therapies for new indications digital healthcare and app development diagnostics (including biomarker validation and development of clinical decision-making tools) medical imaging technology surgical techniques or tools behavioural and psychological interventions radiotherapy and radiation protocols interventions that benefit health in low and middle-income countries Activities we do not support This funding opportunity will not support: fundamental or investigative research not linked to a development plan, supported by the MRC science areas such as MRC: research grant: applicant-led studies where the main aim is to investigate disease mechanism (supported by the MRC Experimental Medicine Panel ) technology development not aligned to a medical or clinical developmental plan, likely Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) or Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) remit late-phase clinical trials (supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) efficacy and mechanism evaluation, health technology assessment, and global health research programmes) development of technologies or interventions that aim to improve health service delivery rather than meeting a specific clinical need development of population-level and societal solutions to healthcare challenges MRC’s remit, programmes and priority areas NIHR’s efficacy and mechanism evaluation programme NIHR’s health technology assessment programme NIHR’s global health research programmes There is no limit to the duration of your project.

You should justify the timescale of the project in the context of the proposed work. Projects should start one to six months after the funding decision date. Applications following on from active awards should consider the current status of those projects when submitting a stage two application.

There is no limit to the amount of funding you can apply for. You should justify the resources needed in the context of the proposed work. 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 co-leads support for other posts such as research and technical staff 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 eligible costs. The total of such costs requested for international applicants from high-income countries (HIC) (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.

See more information on international costs and what we will and will not fund and the Collaborate with Researchers in Norway guidance . costs for PhD studentships funding to use as a ‘bridge’ between grants costs associated with applying for IP protection, for example, patent filing We encourage working with charities or industry partners where these partnerships can add value to the project.

Collaborators may add value by giving access to: Please note that collaboration is not a prerequisite for application. You should make a clear case for the MRC Proof of Concept award being academic-led and requiring MRC funding to support the work proposed. Be clear about any conflicts of interest and how they will be managed through the conflict of interest policies at the project lead’s research organisation.

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 team 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 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 . Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I) UK Research and Innovation (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 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.

You can only apply for this funding opportunity if we have invited you to do so following a successful stage one application. The start application link will be provided via email: 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 . MRC must receive your application by 4 November 2026 at 4:00pm UK time. You will not be able to apply after this time.

Make sure you are aware of and follow any internal institutional deadlines. Following the submission of your application to this funding opportunity, your application cannot be changed, and submitted applications will not be amended. If your application does not follow the guidance, it may be rejected.

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 dpfsanddcs@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 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 . Provide a response to feedback from your stage one Developmental Pathway Funding Scheme (DPFS) application or previous stage two DPFS application. You should include the feedback as part of your response.

This counts towards the word limit. What the assessors are looking for in your response how this application differs from the previous application how previous feedback has been considered and addressed Please identify, if applicable, if your application is a resubmission to DPFS, including any invitations from us permitting your resubmission and previous reference number.

You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service. What is the opportunity or challenge you are seeking to address?

What the assessors are looking for in your response the health or clinical need you are seeking to address how your work could lead to the development of a new or improved prototype, product, service or technology how meeting this need could significantly reduce disease burden or alleviate an important clinical or translational bottleneck the competing solutions and their status, including whether similar or complementary research and development is being undertaken elsewhere the key competitive advantages of your proposed solution the potential market for your proposed solution.

Quantify this in terms of the target product profile, patient numbers and financial parameters Building on your stage one application, you should also describe in detail: the timeliness of your approach the end users of your proposed solution, such as clinicians, primary care staff, technical specialists any engagement with end users, patients, carers or the wider public in the development of the project any further needs that could be addressed by your proposed solution or components of it, such as use as a platform technology You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form, if relevant.

Further details are provided in the Funding Service. Scientific background and current stage of development What is the background to this application and evidence to support the proposed solution?

What the assessors are looking for in your response a detailed description of the current stage of development an overview of the rationale and scientific background of your application updated information about your previous or current funding (if applicable) that has enabled and informed the proposed work, include any previous UKRI grant references.

If you will have any funding concurrent to this project, explain any overlap and how that funding will support the proposed work in the case of applications involving institutes, units or centres with existing core funding, including those funded by UKRI and National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) such as Biomedical Research Centres (BRCs), describe how the proposed work and resources requested builds on, but is distinct from, core funded programmes of research In this section, you must also provide supporting data (including figures, tables and images where relevant) to demonstrate the current development stage of your project and proof-of-concept to support your application.

Further details are provided in the Funding Service. References may be included within this section. Small molecule supplementary information If you are requesting funding for a hit to lead, lead optimisation or candidate selection project, please provide structures.

What the assessors are looking for in your response If your application is not about hit-to-lead and lead optimisation, enter ‘N/A’ in the text box, mark this section as complete and move to the next question.

Small molecule supplementary information You will be asked to provide Chemotype and or series one and two information related to: physicochemical properties in vitro biological activity toxicology and safety Assays in vivo date (if available) Additional guidance will be provided on the Funding Service on how to provide this information, including the required format.

Using the following headings, ensure that you provide target product profile (TPP) or key target compound parameters of the proposed investigational new drug (IND): mechanism of action, such as agonist, antagonist route of administration, such as oral, IV, topical duration of treatment, such as acute or chronic dosage regimen, such as twice daily You should provide structures for the most promising chemical series being actively developed.

Failure to include chemical structures may negatively impact the ability to assess the suitability or strengths of your proposed chemistry plan.

Data are requested for any available assays for the lead molecule shown and the range seen within the chemical series, including (but not limited to): physicochemical properties liabilities and development risks for up to two chemotypes or chemical series summarise the main structure activity or property relationships for each chemical series highlight the key challenges to optimisation of the series towards the TPP and outline how these will be addressed describe the biological assays and models to be used in the project including their duration and throughput where relevant explain how risk associated with the translation between in vivo assays, in vivo models, and activity in humans will be minimised Development plan and route to patient benefit What is the proposed approach for further development, and how will the project progress the innovation or technology towards achieving market or health or patient benefits?

What the assessors are looking for in your response Using the following headings, ensure you describe in detail: the project’s primary objectives the project endpoint that would indicate that there is a reasonable chance of attracting onward investment the expertise or any consultancy required to deliver the proposed work how the proposed work will enable development of the innovation or technology how the proposed work will inform or deploy the innovation or technology using the most appropriate route to market or patient benefit what further support you may need, following this funding, to deliver your product or technology, such as access to further funding, networks, partnerships, private investment and skills the criteria that would need to be met to access the further support if you are ultimately seeking to develop a commercial product, how the market value will be realised such as through business development plans any engagement planned or that has taken place with potential downstream funders, partners, regulators or commercialisation entities, outlining who they are and the status of discussions.

You should justify your engagement plans, such as approaches and timing within the project the plans and strategy for further development, outlining the planned route to achieving patient benefits following the end of your project How are you going to deliver your proposed work?

What the assessors are looking for in your response We suggest you structure your response using the following headings, with approximate word counts for each: project plan: 1,500 words methodology and experimental design: 750 words risk management: 450 words environment, infrastructure and equipment: 450 words Do not use the project plan to include information which should be detailed in the other sections of your application.

Provide a detailed project workplan which should include: project specific deliverables a minimum of two key progression milestones (one being the project end) the project’s starting point and approaches proposed to deliver the planned objectives the resourcing and time necessary to deliver the proposed work, and justification that these will be sufficient a description of any contingency planning that has been factored in any regulatory approvals required.

If you have consulted with the relevant regulatory body or experts, please summarise the outcome of the discussions You should also include the project management requirements, including the commitment and involvement from your: translational research office, your technology transfer office or both (include key contacts and their positions) To support your project plan, you must also embed a legible Gantt chart in the text box that includes: project tasks with, where relevant, the party responsible for delivering the task and dependency between tasks at least two milestones, which are major, specifically timed decision points that are defined by SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and timely) success criteria and detailed, robust ‘go or no-go’ criteria You should check the readability of your embedded ‘Gantt chart’ using the ‘read view’ on the Funding Service.

Sizes of images can be adjusted when editing within the text box.

Methodology and experimental design As part of your methodology and experimental design, ensure that you describe: the use of animals or patients, including justification for why particular animal models or clinical populations have been chosen, following the MRC embedding diversity in research design policy if applicable, show how you will use males and females in research involving animals and tissues and cells.

If you are not proposing to do this, a strong justification is required any consultation with a statistician or methodology hub to the development of the proposal the access you will have to statistical support during the project for clinical studies, the recruitment and retention strategy, and the evidence that this will be feasible explain and justify the inclusion of public partnerships (if applicable) and the added value these offer Refer to the MRC application guidance , for further information.

Use the ‘Animal Involvement and “3Rs”’ section to provide information on the rationale for using animals, choice of species, welfare and procedure severity. The National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement, and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) have developed a free online tool to guide researchers through the design of their experiments.

It helps to ensure that researchers use the minimum number of animals consistent with their scientific objectives, methods to reduce subjective bias, and appropriate statistical analysis.

Describe the key risks to the project and your risk management plan, including: how likely the risks are to occur what their impact would be on the success and deliverability of the project how these risks will be managed, by whom and related escalation or mitigations procedures You may use a risk table if preferred.

Environment, infrastructure and equipment Describe 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.

Demonstrate access to the appropriate services, facilities, infrastructure, or equipment to deliver the proposed work, including: specialist equipment or infrastructure required to deliver the project objectives proposed use of existing joint research facilities proposed use of existing clinical infrastructure, for example the Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre Network, NIHR Biomedical Research Centres, NIHR clinical research facilities, patient cohorts if not already in place, explain how you will ensure this infrastructure is accessible by the project start date 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. Reproducibility and statistical design How will you ensure your proposed work is reliable, robust and reproducible?

What assessors are looking for in your response Information about reproducibility and how you will ensure reliability and robustness of your proposed work, such as further details of statistical analyses, methodology and experimental design, not provided in your approach.

We expect you to seek professional statistical or other relevant advice in preparing your response, which should include, as appropriate: planned statistical analyses models chosen (for example animal model, cell line) potential sources of bias and how these will be mitigated during analysis how your approach to addressing diversity is reflected in the experimental design and analyses Ensure you justify your proposed samples and effect sizes, statistical analysis plan and any assumptions used.

Refer to the MRC application guidance , for further information, examples and online tools. If your proposed work involves animals, and you provide information on animal sample sizes and statistical analyses here, you should not duplicate it in the ‘Animal Involvement and “3Rs”’ section.

Use the ‘Animal Involvement and “3Rs”’ section to provide information on the rationale for using animals, choice of species, welfare and procedure severity. You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.

The length of your response will vary depending on the type of project, you may not need to use 500 words. Provide details of your project milestones.

What the assessors are looking for in your response Provide at least two key progression milestones for your project (one of which should be the project end), that: delineate the proposed work into costed project phases with clear ‘go or no-go’ decision points provides the success criteria that will be used for each milestone, with target and acceptable thresholds You may add as many milestones as needed for your project, but ensure that these are consecutive rather than concurrent, and reflect key project progression decision points.

Proof of concept projects typically have two to four milestones (including the project end). Milestones must be SMART, that is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-framed.

detail robust ‘go or no-go’ criteria (failure to meet these will result in early termination of the project) be structured so that the critical questions are addressed as early as possible in the plan Success criteria should be based on project outputs that, at the given point, need to be achieved in order to justify further continuation of the project. Success criteria should align to project aims and objectives.

Success criteria for the final milestone should reflect outcomes representing successful completion of the project. For each success criterion, specify: a quantified target value that you aim to achieve a quantified acceptable