Scope
Scope of the network
The network for novel human in vitro models of complex disease will aim to:
- improve our understanding of human disease mechanisms and better support therapeutic development for disease intervention
- overcome limitations of current in vivo and in vitro models to represent human (patho) physiology and disease heterogeneity
- accelerate the development, validation and uptake of technologies and methods to accurately and reproducibly model human physiology and disease and reduce the reliance on animal models
We are seeking to fund a coordinated network of interdisciplinary clusters to drive the development, validation and adaptation of advanced, complex and highly specific human in vitro disease models for ready adoption by end users in academia, industry or both. The novel human in vitro models are expected to increase our mechanistic understanding of disease, including disease progression over time, from healthy state to disease emergence to tissue and organ failure and enable clinical translation, including drug development and testing.
Scope of your cluster application
You must articulate an ambitious programme of proposed work with the aim to understand human disease physiology and the clear potential to catalyse a step change in the development and validation of human in vitro model(s) in a relevant biomedical context. If the experimental design necessitates the development of healthy human reference model(s) as a prerequisite for the development and validation of disease model(s), this is within the scope of this funding opportunity.
Your individual cluster may focus on specific disease areas of high unmet need or it may be addressing common needs with relevance to multiple disease domains which may include, but not limited to:
- extracellular matrix complexity and structure
- vascularization
- immune regulation
- tissue crosstalk
We expect the scope of your cluster to expand on the validation, adaptation and adoption of novel or existing models across an area of unmet need rather than focus on the development of an entirely new model.
Scope of your cluster team
Clusters must integrate interdisciplinary teams, comprising diverse expertise appropriate to your proposed work, such as:
- bioengineers
- biologists
- biophysicists
- clinicians
- computational scientists
- industry partners
You and your team will be providing the critical mass required for delivery from model development through to validation and adoption. Applications from new groupings of researchers from multiple disciplines, and research interests are strongly encouraged.
Expectations related to your cluster and proposed work
It is expected that model design within individual clusters is guided by clearly defined milestones and functional endpoints. Progress against milestones, including clear go/no-go decision points, will be reviewed by an ‘Oversight Committee’ implemented by and reporting to the funders and supported by project management resources within the clusters.
You must consider end-user involvement from the start, and we strongly encourage collaboration with both small and large companies as well as academic and clinical researchers, as relevant to the cluster challenge. Industry partnerships are not mandatory, however where relevant, should be mutually beneficial in line with MRC’s Industry Collaboration framework, and industry partners can provide cash or in-kind contribution to the cluster as appropriate.
You should also consider how your cluster will connect with, make use of and complement, rather than duplicate, existing infrastructure, initiatives and resources, such as, but not limited to:
- Medicines Discovery Catapult
- MRC National Mouse Genetics Network
- National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Bioresource
- NC3Rs CRACK IT Challenges
- NIHR-MRC Rare Disease Research UK Platform
We expect funded clusters to adopt an open and transparent approach to sharing models, tools and data to enable access across the clusters, wider network and research community, as necessary. For further guidance, you should explore making your research data open.
Funded clusters must champion a collaborative and open ethos to accelerate the collective impact and reach of the initiative and sustainability of its outputs.
We are looking for each cluster application to explain:
- the key biological and methodological challenges to be addressed
- the definition of robust, measurable and multiparametric functional endpoints based on (patho) physiology
- provisions for timely open access to the models, tools and data developed through the clusters, including access to relevant patient biosamples
We want clusters to consider population-level diversity in cell and tissue choices, successful clusters will consider how to address:
- health equity through population diversity of samples
- benefits of using diverse data in revealing new functional insights
- the limitations of conclusions drawn from your own research and applicability of the research to UK and global populations
The intended outputs and impacts of clusters are expected to include:
- how your work will drive deeper mechanistic understanding of disease, from healthy state to disease emergence to tissue and organ failure, and the potential impact
- how your model will be suited to perturbation for interventional analysis, be reproducible in different lab settings and if applicable be scalable for use in industry settings
- how the cluster will address a capability gap in the UK research landscape
- why your team is best placed to deliver this work and how each team member will contribute to the initiative
- whether and how your team will include a breadth of experiences at various career levels
- how your work will connect with other relevant initiatives
We want clusters to benefit other researchers in the field. For example through:
- training and career mobility
- commitment to technician recognition and career development
- knowledge exchange
- sharing of models, tools and data
You are encouraged to leverage the full strengths of the UK’s diverse research and innovation community from the earliest stages of assembling your teams through to the delivery of awarded projects.
Consideration of equality, diversity and inclusion is important for all applications to MRC for funding, but particular care should be taken for projects taking a team science approach involving multiple co-applicants.
Network coordination
Strategic coordination across the network of clusters will be facilitated by a coordinating committee consisting of cluster leadership team members, as well as funder representatives. The coordinating committee is expected to provide connectivity with wider UK capabilities, including industry, and ensure that common technological and regulatory challenges are being overcome.
The coordinating committee is also expected to drive a coordinated effort to address common challenges in the field, including:
- the development of strategies and policies for improved access to cell and tissue resources
- the implementation of population-level diversity in sample considerations
- the development of regulatory frameworks (working with regulatory bodies, as appropriate) for functional endpoint definition and model validation
We will not support
We will not support applications solely focused on animal in vitro models or healthy human in vitro models with no relevance to disease. However, we will consider supporting animal research that significantly enhances or complements the activity. If appropriate to your application you are encouraged to engage with existing investments, for example, the MRC National Mouse Genetics Network.
What is not in scope
We will not support your application if it is solely focused on technological advancement without clear functional endpoint definition(s) and defined strategies for validation and adoption by end users.
We encourage you to contact us first at humandiseasemodels@mrc.ukri.org to discuss the scope of your application.
Duration
The duration of this award is four years. Projects should start by 1 September 2025.
Funding available
The total fund is up to £10 million and we anticipate funding three clusters. We will fund 80% of the full economic costs and 100% of permitted exceptions.
What we will fund
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, project management and technical
- research consumables
- equipment
- travel costs
- data preservation, data sharing and dissemination costs
- estates and indirect costs
What we will not fund
We will not fund:
- research involving randomised trials of clinical treatments
- costs for PhD studentships
- publication costs
Team project partner
You may include team project partners that will support your research project through cash or in-kind contributions, such as:
- staff time
- access to equipment
- sites or facilities
- the provision of data
- software or materials
- 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 relationship falls within the industry collaboration framework.
Find out more about subcontractors and dual roles.
Who cannot be included as a team project partner
Any individual included in your application 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)
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.
