We are running this funding opportunity on the new UKRI Funding Service so please ensure that your organisation is registered. You cannot apply on the Joint Electronic Submissions (Je-S) system.
The fellow 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. The fellow will need input from their research office for costing the fellowship and submitting the application by the deadline.
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 addition steps for the organisation to be set up before you can apply.
To apply
Select ‘Start application’ near the beginning of this Funding finder page.
- Confirm you are the fellow.
- Sign in or create a Funding Service account. To create an account, select your organisation, verify your email address, and set a password. You will be prompted to select the organisation you are applying with to host the fellowship before you start your application. If you are not currently based at that organisation, ensure the research office are aware of your application.
- 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
- tables
- 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:
References
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.
Deadline
MRC must receive your application by 15 September 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.
Personal data
Processing personal data
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 apply for a jointly funded fellowship, we will need to share the application and any personal information that it contains with the joint funder so that they can participate in the assessment process. For more information on how the joint funders use personal information, visit their websites.
Sensitive information
If you or a core team member need to tell us something you wish to remain confidential, email fellows@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)
- declaration of interest
- 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 fellow 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.
Publication of outcomes
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.
Summary
Word limit: 550
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:
- opinion-formers
- policymakers
- the public
- the wider research community
Guidance for writing a summary
Clearly describe your proposed work in terms of:
- context
- the challenge the project addresses
- aims and objectives
- potential applications and benefits
Core team
List the key members of your team and assign them roles from the following:
- fellow
- specialist
- professional enabling staff
- research and innovation associate
- technician
Only list one individual as fellow. If you include more than one fellow, your application will fail at the checking stage.
Your sponsor(s) should not be listed in the core team. Our previous guidance advised you to include sponsors as professional enabling staff, we no longer require this.
Mentors should not be listed in the core team.
We expect the core team to be limited to the key named individuals who will deliver the proposed work. The fellow may be the only core team member. Resources can be requested and justified for directly incurred salary costs of unnamed and other positions. These do not need to be core team members.
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.
Application questions
Keywords
Word limit: 10
Provide up to five keywords that describe your application.
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Provide up to a maximum of five keywords including the health area, for example: mental health, engineering biology, environmental health, diagnosis, obesity, vaccine development.
Use commas or spaces to distinguish individual terms or phrases
This is for administrative purposes to help with the initial application processing and will not affect the overall assessment or influence the outcome of your application.
Vision
Word limit: 550
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 field(s) or area(s)
- has the potential to advance current understanding, or generate new knowledge, thinking or discovery within or beyond the field or area of its focus
- 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
- outline your plans for engagement, communication and dissemination about your research and its outcomes with the research community and, where appropriate, with potentially interested wider audiences
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.
Approach
Word limit: 2,800
How are you going to deliver your proposed work?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Explain how you have designed your work so that it:
- is effective and appropriate to achieve your objectives
- is feasible, and comprehensively identifies any risks to delivery and how you will manage them
- uses a clearly written and transparent methodology (if applicable)
- summarises the previous work and describes how you will build on and progress this work (if applicable)
- will maximise translation of outputs into outcomes and impacts
Within the Approach section we also expect you to:
- demonstrate access to the appropriate services, facilities, infrastructure, or equipment to deliver the proposed work
- provide a detailed and comprehensive project plan, including milestones and timelines in the form of a Gantt chart or diagram
- explain who you intend to collaborate with at the host organisation and your plans for wider research collaborations (project partner details should be provided only in that section)
- include details of work that will take place as part of the proposed fellowship at a second UK or overseas organisation (if applicable)
- explain and justify how you will approach diversity and inclusion in the study population and follow the MRC embedding diversity in research design policy (if applicable)
- show how you will use male and female animals or tissues and cells from female and male donors (if applicable) in your research. If you are not proposing to do this, justify why
- 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.
Reproducibility and statistical design
Word limit: 500
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:
- sample and effect sizes
- 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
Refer to the MRC guidance for applicants, 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.
PhD award and research organisation (or equivalent)
Word limit: 75
When was your PhD awarded?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
You must provide the following:
- the year your PhD was awarded
- the research organisation that awarded it
- the title of your thesis
- details of your equivalent research experience (if applicable)
If you have not yet been awarded your PhD, you must contact fellows@mrc.ukri.org before submission for advice.
Career history
Word limit: 350
Provide details of your career history, since your PhD.
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Demonstrate how the positions you have held, organisations you have worked at and funding you have been awarded are relevant to this fellowship application and the career stage it aims to support, including your:
- current position
- relevant employment history
- research funding history (including the award type, awarded amount, the role you held and details of any staff supported)
Additional guidance will be provided on the UKRI Funding Service on how to complete this section.
Career development
Word limit: 1,000
Why is this fellowship the right way to develop your career and how will you use it to benefit others?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Ensure that you have identified:
- career development goals appropriate to the fellowship funding opportunity
- how the fellowship will provide a feasible and appropriate trajectory for your personal development and to achieve your stated career development goals (as appropriate to your career stage and field)
- how you will instigate positive change in the wider research and innovation community, for example through Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), advocacy or advisory roles, stakeholder engagement, participation in expert review, influencing policy, public engagement, or outreach
Within the Career development section, we also expect you to describe:
- how you will ensure continued research and professional development in those you will be managing on the project, to have a positive research and innovation experience, with opportunities or support to progress their own careers (useful links Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers and Technician Commitment)
- how the proposed work will provide a feasible and appropriate trajectory for you to acquire additional skills, like research, leadership, communication and management
Applicant capability to deliver
Word limit: 2,000
Why are you the right individual to successfully deliver the proposed work?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Evidence of how you have:
- the relevant experience (appropriate to career stage) to make best use of the benefits presented by this funding opportunity to develop your career
- the right balance of skills and aptitude to deliver the proposed work
- contributed to developing a positive research environment and wider community
- the appropriate team working or leadership skills (appropriate to career stage)
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 have and how this will help to deliver the proposed work. You can include specific achievements and choose past contributions that best evidence your 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 following R4RI module headings. You should use each heading once, see the UKRI guidance on R4RI. You should consider how to balance your answer, and emphasise where appropriate the key skills you bring:
- contributions to the generation of new ideas, tools, methodologies, or knowledge, this may include your previous funding and key outputs such as publications
- 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
Additions
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).
You should complete this section 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.
Host organisation support
Word limit: 1,000
How will the host organisation support your fellowship?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Ensure the head of department (of the host organisation) provides you with a supporting statement (which they have written), that includes:
- the name and title of the head of department providing the written support statement
- evidence detailing how the host will support you, as appropriate for your career development and the vision and approach of the fellowship
- how your research environment will contribute to the success of the work, in terms of suitability of the host organisation and strategic relevance to the project
- how the host organisation will ensure your time commitment to the fellowship is protected
- what development and training opportunities will be provided and how they form a cohesive career development package tailored to your aims and aspirations
- what financial or practical support, such as access to the appropriate services, facilities, infrastructure, or equipment, is being provided and how this strengthens your application
- evidence of your suitability for an MRC fellowship
- details of the fellowship work to be conducted at another UK or overseas host organisation and how they will support you (if applicable)
The statement of support provided by your host organisation should be copied and pasted into the text box. You cannot upload the statement of support to this section.
Your application may be rejected if you upload a host organisation statement of support to the ‘Project partners: letters (or emails) of support’ section or any other section of your application.
If your application includes a second host organisation (industry or research), and you would like to provide a previous head of department supporting statement, this information should be included within the next two sections of your application.
Second host organisation support
Word limit: 1,000
How will the host organisation support your fellowship?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
If relevant to your fellowship, you should include a support statement from your second host organisation. Note, your second host organisation can be another eligible research organisation, an international research organisation, an industrial organisation or company, or an enterprise that puts or has intention to put goods or services on a market.
If your fellowship application does not include a second host organisation, you should indicate ‘N/A’ within the text box and mark the section as complete.
The appropriate head of department (or equivalent, if your second host organisation is from industry), must provide a statement of support confirm their commitment to supporting your MRC fellowship, by including:
- the name and title of the head of department (or industry equivalent), that has written your supporting statement
- evidence detailing how the second host research organisation or industry partner will support you, as appropriate for your career development and the vision and approach of the fellowship
- how your research environment will contribute to the success of the work, in terms of suitability of the host organisation and strategic relevance to the project
- how the second host research or industry organisation will ensure your time commitment to the fellowship is protected
- what development and training opportunities will be provided and how they form a cohesive career development package tailored to your aims and aspirations
- what financial or practical support, such as access to the appropriate services, facilities, infrastructure, or equipment, is being provided and how this strengthens your application
The statement of support provided by your second host organisation should be copied and pasted into the text box. You cannot upload the statement of support to this section.
Your application may be rejected if you upload a second host organisation statement of support to the ‘Project partners: letters (or emails) of support’ section or any other section of your application.
Previous head of department support statement
Word limit: 1,000
If applicable, provide a support statement from your previous head of department.
What the assessors are looking for in your response
If you plan to undertake your fellowship at a different department to your current affiliation or have recently moved department, a statement of support should be included from your current or previous head of department, with their assessment of your suitability for an MRC fellowship.
The statement of support provided by your previous head of department should be copied and pasted into the text box. You cannot upload the statement of support to this section.
Your application may be rejected if you upload a previous head of department statement of support to the ‘Project partners: letters (or emails) of support’ section or any other section of your application.
If not applicable to your fellowship application, you should indicate ‘N/A’ within the text box and mark the section as complete.
Sponsors
Word limit: 3,000
Provide details of your sponsors and their support.
What the assessors are looking for in your response
A statement must be provided by at least one sponsor who is a senior member of the department where you are applying to host your fellowship and who will have academic responsibility for you. Include other sponsors if necessary to support all areas of the proposed work, they may be from other organisations.
A sponsor statement should be up to 1,000 words, only use the full word limit if you have multiple sponsors.
A sponsor is not expected to fulfil a supervisory role during the fellowship, but they act as a supporter for the application and the fellowship.
A sponsor should have expertise in the research area of the application and will act as guarantor for the quality of the proposed research, suitability of you as a fellowship candidate and the quality of training and development you will receive.
An entry should be included for each sponsor, detailing:
- the sponsor’s name and current position
- in what capacity they know you
- how long they have known you
- their views on your research ability and suitability for this fellowship
- measures of research activity where you will be based, such as the number of academic staff
- the suitability and quality of the support, training and skills that you will receive, including how your research area fits with the priorities of the research environment
Each sponsor(s) statement of support provided, should be copied and pasted into the text box. You are not permitted to upload your sponsor(s) statement of support to this or any other section of your application.
Mentors
Word limit: 500
How will you be mentored during the fellowship?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Explain your proposed mentoring arrangements.
If a mentor has been identified, they should be named in the response to this question and provide a statement of support detailing how they will support you
Project partners
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. Their involvement may include direct (cash) and or indirect (in-kind) contributions such as expertise, staff time, use of facilities or recruitment of research participants. 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. Refer to Project partners guidance on costs we fund.
Important information
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 ‘Animal Involvement and”3Rs’ section (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
Word limit: 10
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 don’t want any other letters, statements or emails of support, from people or organisations who are not your identified project partners, such as supporting documents from:
- those simply expressing general support for your project
- your host, second and or previous research organisation(s)
If you upload this type of supporting information, your application may be rejected.
Important information
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 for the recruitment of people as research participants or providing human tissue their letter or email of support should include:
- agreement that the project partner will recruit the participants or provide tissue
- confirmation that what is being supplied is suitable for the proposed work
- confirmation that the quantity of tissue being supplied is suitable, but not excessive for achieving meaningful results (if applicable)
Agreement with your project partners
Ensure you have prior agreement from project partners so that, if you are offered funding, they will support your project as indicated in the ‘Project partners’ section.
For audit purposes, UKRI requires formal collaboration agreements to be put in place if an award is made.
Industry Collaboration Framework (ICF)
Word limit: 1,500
Does your application include collaboration with industry or company project partners?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
The assessors are looking for you to confirm if your proposed work involves collaboration with an industry or company project partner. If it does, you will need to follow the MRC industry collaboration framework (ICF).
By ‘industry or company’ we mean an enterprise that puts or has intention to put goods or services on a market.
For guidance to assist your decision if your proposed work requires you to follow ICF, you should explore the ICF decision tree and find out more about ICF which includes:
- collaboration agreements
- definitions of basic or applied research
- internationally based companies
- subsidy control
- intellectual property (IP) arrangements
- fully flexible and gated contributions
- the ICF assessment criteria
Enter ‘Yes’ in the text box if you have industry or company project partners and you are likely to follow ICF. You should also confirm your answers to the ICF questions one to nine in the text box for each ICF project partner.
Contact fellows@mrc.ukri.org if you are unsure if your application should follow ICF.
In addition to the project partner information completed in the previous section, the assessors are looking for information relating to the nature, goals and conditions of the collaboration and any restrictions or rights to the project results that could be claimed by the industry or company project partner.
Confirm your answers to the ICF questions in the text box, repeat this process for each ICF project partner:
-
- Name the industry or company project partner considered under ICF.
- Indicate whether your application is basic research or applied research.
- Explain why, in the absence of the requested UKRI funding, the collaboration and the planned research could not be undertaken.
- State whether your application is under the category of fully flexible contribution or gated contribution (based on the IP sharing arrangements with the industry or company partner).
- Outline the pre-existing IP (‘background IP’) that each partner, including the academic partner, will bring to the collaborative research project and the terms under which partners may access these assets.
- Outline the IP that is expected to be developed during the collaborative research project (‘foreground IP’) and briefly outline how it will be managed, including:
- who will own this IP
- what rights industry or company partners will have to use academically-generated foreground IP during and after the research project, for internal research and development or for commercial purposes
- any rights of the academic partner to commercialise the foreground IP, including foreground IP generated by industry or company partners
- Outline any restrictions to dissemination of the project results, including the rights of the industry or company partner to:
- review, approve or delay publications (including the time period associated with such rights)
- request or require the removal of any information
- Declare any conflicts of interest held by the applicants in relation to the industry or company project partners and describe how they will be managed.
- Justify collaborating with an overseas industry or company under ICF (if applicable).
Failure to provide the information requested for industry or company partners under ICF could result in your application being rejected.
You are recommended to discuss the goals and conditions of any collaboration with an industry or company with your technology transfer or contracts office before applying.
For audit purposes, UKRI requires formal collaboration agreements to be put in place if an award is made. You must provide us with a copy of the collaboration agreement, signed by all partners, before an ICF award starts.
If this does not apply to your proposed work, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service
Facilities
Word limit: 250
Does your proposed research require the support and use of a facility?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
If you will need to use a facility, follow your proposed facility’s normal access request procedures. Ensure you have prior agreement so that if you are offered funding, they will support the use of their facility on your project.
For each requested facility you will need to provide the:
- name of facility, copied and pasted from the facility information list (DOCX, 42KB)
- proposed usage or costs, or costs per unit, where indicated on the facility information list
- confirmation you have their agreement where required
Facilities should only be named if they are on the facility information list above.
If you will not need to use a facility, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.
Data management and sharing
Word limit: 1,500
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:
- 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
Ethics and responsible research and innovation (RRI)
What are the ethical or RRI implications and issues relating to the proposed work? If you do not think that the proposed work raises any ethical or RRI issues, explain why.
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Demonstrate that you have identified and evaluated:
- the relevant ethical or RRI considerations, including both the research or topic area itself and the design and delivery of the project
- the wider implications of the proposed work, and how you will maximise the positive societal, environmental, and economic benefits arising from the project, whilst minimising unintended negative impacts, such as research misuse or accidental harm
- how you will manage these considerations throughout the lifecycle of the fellowship
Consider the MRC guidance on ethics and approvals.
You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.
Please refer to the UKRI position statement on funding ethical research and Responsible innovation for more information around our expectations on ethical and responsible research and innovation.
Animal involvement and ‘3Rs’
You must complete this section about how your proposed project will involve or impact animals.
If your project does not involve or impact animals, you must confirm this on the next page.
You may be asked about:
- what animals you are involving
- the severity of the procedures you are using
- where the procedures will take place
- welfare standards you aim to meet
- the relevance of your project to the development, validation or dissemination of the 3Rs
You may also need to download, complete, and upload at least one set of additional questions. You will be told how to do this towards the end of this section.
To complete this section and check whether your project is in the scope of the questions, refer to the UKRI policy for research and innovation involving animals.
What counts as an animal
UKRI policy relates to all animals in the Kingdom Animalia, including vertebrates and invertebrates.
Genetically modified organisms and biological risk
You must complete this section if your project will include genetically modified organisms or genetic technologies.
If you project does not involve genetically modified organisms or genetic technologies, you must confirm this on the next page.
You may be asked about:
- the type of organism your project will involve and the procedures your project will include
- the intended use of the organism or genetic technology
- the genetic, biological and environmental risks of your project
For more information, see UKRI’s guidance on genetic technologies.
Human participation in health-related research
You must complete this section about whether your project will include human participation.
If your project does not involve human participation, you must confirm this on the next page.
You may be asked about:
- what type of human participation your project includes
- the project design for human participation
- the phase of the clinical trial
- whether the project will be in an NHS setting, if so how the project will be registered
- whether diversity and inclusion will be considered
For more information, see UKRI’s guidance for human participants in research.
Resources and cost justification
Word limit: 1,000
What will you need to deliver your proposed work and how much will it cost?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Justify the application’s more costly resources, in particular:
- project staff
- significant travel for field work or collaboration (but not regular travel between collaborating organisations or to conferences) as outlined in Fellowship application and policy guide for UKRI Funding Service
- any equipment that will cost more than £25,000
- any consumables beyond typical requirements, or that are required in exceptional quantities
- all facilities and infrastructure costs
- training costs
- all resources that have been costed as ‘Exceptions’
- support to work at a second organisation in the UK or overseas
- support for public and patient involvement and engagement. See Payments to public partners costs should be included as ‘other directly incurred costs’
- support for preserving, long-term storage, or sharing of data
- NHS research costs, when they are associated with NHS studies
- animal costs, such as numbers that need to be bred or maintained and to achieve high welfare standards
You can request costs associated with reasonable adjustments where they increase as a direct result of working on the project. For further information see Disability and accessibility support for UKRI applicants and grant holders.
Assessors are not looking for detailed costs or a line-by-line breakdown of all project resources. Overall, they want you to demonstrate how the resources you anticipate needing for your proposed work:
- are comprehensive, appropriate, and justified
- represent the optimal use of resources to achieve the intended outcomes
- maximise potential outcomes and impacts
Related applications
Word limit: 500
Is this application related to another application to MRC or other funding organisation?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
If your application is not related to another, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.
If yes, explain how this new application is related to the other application. You must include details of any related applications currently under consideration or previously submitted. Also include details of any grant applications you currently have under review where you are the project lead.
You must not submit fundamentally the same project to multiple UKRI funding opportunities simultaneously (which encompasses all fellowship schemes led by any of the research councils or Innovate UK). Fellowship applications to other funders are permissible. However, no part of the fellowship project may be under consideration as a grant application with any organisation while under consideration for an MRC fellowship.
If the related application was submitted to another funder, you should identify the name of the funder and when you applied as outlined in Fellowship application and policy guide for UKRI Funding Service.
If this is a resubmission include the reference number of your previous MRC application. Describe how this application differs from the previous application and how feedback on the previous application has been considered and acted on.
You may only apply twice for any MRC fellowship, regardless of the extent of changes to the application. Changing your organisation or project does not reset your number of previous applications.
Joint funders
Word limit: 20
Are you applying for a jointly-funded fellowship?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
If you are not applying for a jointly-funded fellowship, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.
If you are applying for a jointly-funded fellowship, we want to know the name of the joint funder. If applicable, select your joint funder from the following list and paste it in the text box:
- Addiction Healthcare Goals (AHG), led by the Office for Life Sciences (OLS)
- The Borne Foundation
- DEBRA (the butterfly skin charity)
- Diabetes UK
- Kidney Research UK
- Macular Society
- Multiple Sclerosis Society
- Parkinson’s UK
By selecting a joint funder, you agree to MRC sharing this application and your personal information with the chosen joint funder or funders.
If you apply for a jointly funded fellowship which is not available for any reason, we will automatically consider you for a standard MRC fellowship instead.
