Expression of interest
An organisation may lead one outline application in round four which addresses a challenge across any part of MRC remit. In addition, an organisation may lead one application within the novel blood technologies highlight.
If you are submitting to this funding opportunity, as your organisation’s lead application, you are encouraged to inform us of your intention to submit by email to core@mrc.ukri.org by 4:00pm UK time on 8 December 2025.
Please provide in a maximum of 400 words:
- names and affiliations of the members of the leadership team
- a list of project partners
- a brief description of the research challenge you will address
Important note, this step is voluntary and does not form part of the assessment process. If you do not inform us of your intention to submit you can still apply to the funding opportunity.
MRC will not undertake eligibility checks at this point and will not provide feedback. You should not await a response, but simply continue with the development of the outline application to be submitted by the closing date. MRC will use the information provided to help prepare for the assessment process.
Applications from existing MRC units, although not included in the one lead application per research organisation limit(s), are also encouraged to inform us of their intention to submit.
Outline stage
The project lead is responsible for completing the application process on the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) 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.
To apply
Select ‘Start application’ near the beginning of this Funding finder page.
- Confirm you are the project lead.
- Sign in or create a Funding Service account. To create an account, select your organisation, verify your email address, and set a password. If your organisation is not listed, email support@funding-service.ukri.org
Please allow at least 10 working days for your organisation to be added to the Funding Service. We strongly suggest that if you are asking UKRI to add your organisation to the Funding Service to enable you to apply to this opportunity, you also create an organisation Administration Account. This will be needed to allow the acceptance and management of any grant that might be offered to you.
- Answer questions directly in the text boxes. You can save your answers and come back to complete them or work offline and return to copy and paste your answers. If we need you to upload a document, follow the upload instructions in the Funding Service. All questions and assessment criteria are listed in the How to apply section on this Funding finder page.
- Allow enough time to check your application in ‘read-only’ view before sending to your research office.
- Send the completed application to your research office for checking. They will return it to you if it needs editing.
- Your research office will submit the completed and checked application to UKRI.
Where indicated, you can also demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant.
When including images, you must:
- provide a descriptive caption or legend for each image immediately underneath it in the text box (this must be outside the image and counts towards your word limit)
- insert each new image 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 may 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.
Institutional Matched Funding
There is no requirement for matched funding from the institution(s) hosting the project lead, project co-leads or other staff employed on the application, beyond any 20% FEC contribution. UKRI advises reviewers and panel members not to consider the level of matched host institution funding as a factor on which to base funding recommendations. Any project partners are expected to contribute to the project, either with cash or in-kind contributions. MRC CoRE applications still require evidence of considerable, sustained and clearly defined support from the host research organisation(s). Further details can be found in the ‘What we are looking for’ section.
Deadline
We must receive your application by 4 February 2026 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 the funding opportunity, your application cannot be changed, and applications will not be returned for amendment. 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.
MRC, as part of UKRI, will need to share the application and any personal information that it contains with the Ministry of Defence (MOD) so that they can participate in the assessment process.
For more information on how the MOD uses personal information, visit MOD privacy notice.
Sensitive information
If you or a core team member need to tell us something you wish to remain confidential, email core@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.
Publication of outcomes
MRC, as part of UKRI, will publish the outcomes of this funding opportunity at Board and panel outcomes – MRC.
If your application is successful, we will publish some personal information on the UKRI Gateway to Research.
Summary
Word limit: 250
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
As this will be the first information in your application use it as your ‘elevator pitch’.
Clearly describe your proposed challenge in terms of:
- the gap, opportunity, or unmet need which the challenge addresses
- top level aims and objectives
- innovative approaches to delivering the challenge
- the transformational impact it will have if successful
- relationship with MRC priority areas or highlights
Core team
List the key members of your team and assign them roles from the following:
- project lead (PL)
- project co-lead (UK) (PcL)
- project co-lead (international) (PcL (I))
- researcher co-lead (RcL)
Only list one individual as project lead. This should be the individual who will act as the grant holder with responsibilities to MRC at the start of the MRC CoRE award. If you include more than one project lead your application will fail at the checking stage.
If the application is for an MRC CoRE to be delivered in partnership by two or more eligible organisations, then the project lead must be from the organisation which will lead the partnership.
List other leadership team members as project co-lead or international project co-lead.
All host organisations must be represented by an eligible co-lead.
At the outline stage we expect the applicants to be the proposed MRC CoRE leadership team only.
The leadership team members’ application roles should not imply relative status or influence the leadership model which is for the applicants to propose.
We encourage inclusion of senior professional enabling staff such as a chief operating officer. We would expect this role to be part of the leadership team and should be included as a project co-lead in this application.
These roles do not limit who might be recruited to successful MRC CoRE teams. We will request more details of the research teams in the full application. These roles are not available in this outline application:
- specialists
- grant manager
- professional enabling staff
- research and innovation associate
- technician
- visiting researcher
Find out more about UKRI’s core team roles in funding applications.
Application questions
Vision
Word limit: 550
What is the research challenge, why is it important and why do you need MRC CoRE funding?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Explain:
- the distinctive research challenge you will address over 14 years, this should include a clear challenge statement that articulates your challenge in no more than 50 to 100 words
- what will be different as a result of your work; how will tackling the challenge make a difference and lead to transformative impact in biomedical or health research
- how your proposed MRC CoRE it is positioned in relation to other research efforts in the field, nationally and internationally
- how the challenge is aligned with the MRC mission
- the bold, distinctive, disruptive, and innovative approaches you will use to achieve your ambitions
- why these ambitions are best achieved through MRC CoRE funding rather than other available funding mechanisms
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: 1,500
How will you approach your research challenge?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Explain how you have designed your approach so that it:
- is effective and appropriate to achieve your objectives
- is feasible, and comprehensively identifies any risks to delivery and how they will be managed
- uses a clearly written and transparent methodology (if applicable)
- summarises the previous work and describes how this will be built upon and progressed (if applicable)
Your approach should provide an outline of your proposed MRC CoRE research and how this will address the challenge:
- your research ambitions for the full 14 years
- what you will achieve within seven and 14 years if you are successful
- the key research themes or work packages required to develop this MRC CoRE in the first seven years, and how they will be integrated to deliver against the challenge
- the original, innovative, bold or disruptive approaches you will use
- how you will use cross-sectoral and multi or interdisciplinary working to advance your ambitions
- how your approaches are different to what has gone before
You should consider how the MRC CoRE may need to be flexible and evolve depending on the likely changes in the research landscape in fourteen years, and identify significant risks to delivery and how they will be managed
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.
Translation and knowledge transfer and exchange
Word limit: 250
What is your approach to translational research and knowledge transfer and exchange?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Explain your approach, including:
- how your translational research approach will be developed in the MRC CoRE or with partners
- how you will maximise the potential benefit of research undertaken in the MRC CoRE to the research community, wider society and economy
- how you plan to maximise engagement with relevant stakeholders (academia, industry, charities, policy makers) to ensure the appropriate sharing of knowledge and expertise
Environmental sustainability
Word limit: 100
How will you approach environmental sustainability?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Explain how you will:
- promote environmental sustainability in MRC CoRE research practices
- adopt relevant standards
- align your environmental sustainability strategy with host research organisation sustainability plans and policies
Leadership, operations and decision-making
Word limit: 250
How will you approach running the MRC CoRE?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Explain how the proposed MRC CoRE:
- will be effectively and inclusively managed including describing a leadership team with clear roles and responsibilities, potential leadership rotation and clear succession plans
- will approach decision-making and agility in response to new scientific developments, and the processes and criteria to take decisions on future research directions
- has clear governance plans to successfully function as a research entity, and coordinate activities across multiple sites (if applicable)
How the MRC CoRE will access the appropriate services, facilities, infrastructure, or equipment to deliver the proposed research should be described in the ‘Your host research organisation support’ section.
You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.
Research culture
Word limit: 500
How will you achieve and continually strengthen a positive research culture?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Outline how you will:
- develop creative approaches to leadership
- support career development paths, leadership training, mentoring, supervision and pastoral care
- embrace and realise the benefits of team science
- implement fair and transparent methods to assess performance, recognise contributions, and support career progression
- promote good research practice and open research
- integrate meaningful and challenge-led public involvement and engagement (PIE) into your research strategy and delivery
- embed equality, diversity and inclusion in all activities
In describing your plans for research culture across the MRC CoRE you may need to refer to details in the leadership, operations and decision making and training and career sections, you should not duplicate information provided in these sections.
Within the research culture section, we also expect you to:
Describe specific activities you will undertake to build on and enhance your host organisations’ research culture plan or strategy, to support the following principles which underpin a positive research culture:
- research is conducted with integrity, centred on reproducibility, responsible innovation, collaboration, interdisciplinarity and multidisciplinarity
- research is communicated to maximise impact, built on transparency and openness, and partnership with the public
- career paths and training environment, are provided to recognise a diversity of talents, skills and outputs, and embrace team science as the way of working
It is not sufficient to simply describe your host organisations’ plans in this section. We are looking for clear and specific plans for how you will underpin a positive research culture within your MRC CoRE.
Training, careers and capacity building
Word limit: 500
What is your approach to training, careers and capacity building in the MRC CoRE and how does this help address the challenge?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Explain how your approach to training, careers and capacity building across career stages, pathways, and types will:
- provide the innovative training and capacity building environment needed to deliver on the challenge
- promote and share good practice in training and careers, including but not limited to ensuring an inclusive and progressive research training environment and preparing researchers for the challenges and opportunities available to them after their time at the MRC CoRE
- add value by convening and aligning existing training activity across the UK
- provide robust management and governance structures for training activities, including a named training lead
Within the training, careers and capacity building section we also expect:
- you to justify the training and capacity building proposed, in context of activities already on offer either within participating research organisations or nationally
- if you are requesting doctoral studentships: you will need to demonstrate the national need for doctoral level training in this challenge area here, and also complete the ‘Management of doctoral training’ section
Management of doctoral training
Word limit: 100
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Explain how MRC CoRE students will be aligned with and managed as part of an existing MRC DTP.
Provide the following in your response:
- the name of the DTP and DTP lead
- in exceptional cases where not aligning with an existing MRC DTP, outline how you propose to manage doctoral training
- if you are not requesting support for doctoral students answer ‘N/A’
Leadership team capability to deliver
Word limit: 2,200
Why are you the right leadership team to successfully deliver the proposed work?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Evidence of how your team, have:
- the relevant experience (appropriate to career stage) to deliver the proposed work
- the right balance of skills and expertise to cover the proposed work
- the appropriate leadership and management skills to deliver the work and your approach to develop others
- contributed to developing a positive research environment and wider community
You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.
The word count for this section is 2,200 words, 1,700 words to be used for R4RI modules (including references) and, if necessary, a further 500 words for Additions.
Use the Résumé for Research and Innovation (R4RI) format to showcase the range of relevant skills you and, if relevant, your team (project and project co-leads, researchers, technicians, specialists, partners and so on) have and how this will help deliver the proposed work. You can include individuals’ specific achievements but only choose past contributions that best evidence their ability to deliver this work.
Complete this section using the R4RI module headings listed. Use each heading once and include a response for the whole team, see the UKRI guidance on R4RI. You should provide an integrated view of the skills and collective value of the team as a whole as they relate to the proposed challenge. You should consider how to balance your answer, and emphasise where appropriate the following key skills each team member brings in relation to your proposed MRC CoRE, rather than listing the skills of each individual:
- contributions to the generation of new ideas, tools, methodologies, or knowledge
- the development of others and maintenance of effective working relationships
- contributions to the wider research and innovation community
- contributions to broader research or innovation users and audiences and towards wider societal benefit
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).
Complete this as a narrative. Do not format it like a CV.
References may be included within this section.
ORCID iD
Within the R4RI format, team members should include their ORCID iD as part of the ‘short role descriptor’.
The roles in funding applications policy has descriptions of the different project roles.
Research organisation support
Word limit: 2,000
How will your research organisation(s) support the MRC CoRE?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
We are looking for strong host support and capability to deliver, evidenced through a statement from an individual with oversight of the organisations research strategy, vice-chancellor research or equivalent. If the application is for an MRC CoRE to be delivered in partnership, then all participating organisations must contribute to a collective statement.
An outline of the support offered from the research organisation to this MRC CoRE and description of how the research organisation will help this MRC CoRE meet our expectations.
The statement should include:
- name and position of all contributors to the statement
- how this MRC CoRE aligns with host organisation strategies (research, research culture, training, sustainability)
- the support and facilities you will offer this MRC CoRE
- how you will operate this MRC CoRE and help it address its challenge
- how this MRC CoRE will be governed within your organisation or the partnership
Within the research organisation support section we also expect you to:
- explain how you will manage the partnership between research organisations (If applicable), to support delivery of MRC CoRE activities across organisations
- explain how your support you will contribute to a collaborative and stimulating multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary research environment
If the MRC CoRE is to be hosted by a single research organisation you may only need 1,000 words.
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.
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 application includes industry project partners, you will need to complete the Industry Collaboration Framework (ICF) section during the full application stage, this is not required at the outline stage. Find out more about ICF.
For audit purposes, UKRI requires formal collaboration agreements to be put in place if an award is made.
Your partnerships and collaborations
Word limit: 150
How will your partnerships and collaborations enhance the MRC CoRE and help to address the challenge?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
In your response explain:
- how specialist input from project partners and collaborators aligns with the MRC CoRE team to address the challenge
- how this increases capability to deliver this MRC CoRE
- how partners and collaborators will contribute to a stimulating multi or interdisciplinary research environment
Within the partnerships and collaborations section we also expect you to:
- refer to the leadership team described and the project partners listed in the ‘Project partners’ section. You should not repeat information provided in those sections
Ethics and responsible research and innovation (RRI)
Word limit: 500
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 responsible research and innovation considerations
- how you will manage these considerations
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.
Outline costs
What are the expected costs of the proposed work?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
You should:
- provide the approximate total values in GBP (£) for the expected directly incurred, directly allocated, indirect costs and exceptions.
- view the guidance on the costs you can apply for.
Justification for mid-range or large equipment costs should be included in the ‘equipment section’.
Equipment
Word count: 250
Do you want to request any mid-range or large equipment?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
If you want to request mid-range or large equipment critical to establish platforms or facilities at the MRC CoRE:
- list the equipment items
- include an estimated cost for each
- provide the percentage full economic cost to be requested
- justify why the equipment is required and how it will be used
Mid-range equipment is a single item costing over £138,000 (£115,000 excluding VAT).
If you do not want to request any mid-range or large equipment you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.
