MRC: Centre of Research Excellence: round two: outline application

05/10/2023

07/02/2024

Apply for Medical Research Council (MRC) Centre of Research Excellence (MRC CoRE) funding to tackle complex and interdisciplinary health challenges. This is an annual funding opportunity, initially focused on specified themes. You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for MRC funding. MRC CoREs will be funded for up to 14 years. Your award will initially last for seven years, with a further seven years based on successful review. The full economic cost (FEC) of your MRC CoRE can be up to £26.5 million for the first seven years. MRC will fund 80% of the FEC. We expect to fund one or two MRC CoREs every year. (Internal deadline 9th of November).

We are looking for outline applications to create new MRC CoREs that will support bold and ambitious research focused on a specific and defined challenge with the potential to prove transformative to biomedical research, health research or both within 14 years. Tackling such challenges will transform approaches to the prevention, early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, improving health and wellbeing for all. MRC CoREs will be beacons of excellence in research culture, equality, diversity, and inclusion, leadership models, and innovation. These major investments should be outward facing, harnessing the best talent in the UK to deliver upon their proposed vision and providing a stimulating environment to train the next generation of researchers and technologists. Applications can be from a single research organisation or in partnership across multiple organisations. Applications may include project partners. We expect to fund one or two MRC CoREs every year.

To be eligible to apply for MRC Centre of Research Excellence (MRC CoRE) funding you must: be a researcher or technologist employed by an eligible research organisation show that you will direct the project or be actively engaged in the work have the relevant expertise and experience to lead or contribute to an MRC CoRE and its research culture focus your application on tackling complex and multi or interdisciplinary health challenges at the outline application stage, be a member of the proposed MRC CoRE leadership team The leadership team can be from a single eligible organisation or a partnership of eligible organisations. The leadership team should have the relevant expertise and experience to lead or contribute to an MRC CoRE and its research culture.