How charities can become a co-funding partner and support MRC funding applications.
Eligibility
Charities must typically be members of the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC). We will consider charities that are not AMRC members case-by-case.
MRC normally funds 80% of the full economic cost of a research project. You must be able to contribute between 25 to 50% of that MRC-funded amount.
MRC will retain at least a 50% share of any co-funded award.
Your contribution is towards the grant as a whole. It is not allocated to specific research costs.
If more than one charity wants to co-fund the research, one of you must act as the lead. The lead charity will coordinate the funding contribution and act as the main contact with MRC.
If your charity is eligible
You will need to:
- sign a co-funding framework agreement (CFFA)
- complete the required data protection documentation
Email partnership@mrc.ukri.org to start the process.
Co-funding framework agreement
The CFFA sets out the responsibilities of MRC and your charity.
You only need to sign the agreement once. It remains in place while MRC and your charity continue the partnership.
Data sharing agreement
You need complete a data sharing agreement. This sets out how MRC and your charity can share, access and use data as part of the partnership.
We will send you the agreement as part of the process to become a co-funding partner.
When an applicant contacts you
Applicants can contact potential charity partners before submitting their funding application.
You should discuss with the funding applicant:
- whether the proposed research aligns with your priorities
- whether you are interested in co-funding the application
- how much you can contribute to the cost
- other opportunities to support the applicant in proposal development if you can’t co-fund at that time
The design and delivery of the research must remain independent and be decided by the applicant.
You do not need to formally commit funding at this stage.
If you are interested in co-funding an application, agree an indicative contribution with the applicant. They will include this in their application.
The applicant is responsible for telling you if their application is not shortlisted.
If an application is shortlisted
We will contact you if an application you are interested in co-funding is shortlisted.
You will need to complete a schedule 1 funding commitment form. This formally confirms how much you will contribute if the application is successful.
You will need to complete a new form for each application you agree to co-fund.
You will also be invited to observe the applicant interview online at the scheduled date and time. It may not always be possible to accommodate the availability of individual charity representatives.
If you withdraw your funding
If you decide not to co-fund the research before signing the schedule 1 funding commitment form, the application will proceed through MRC’s standard assessment process without your contribution.
If you withdraw after signing the form, we can’t guarantee that MRC will cover the funding shortfall if the application is successful.
Successful applications
We will notify you if an application you have agreed to co-fund is successful.
We will invoice the lead charity for the agreed contribution. Payments are normally made quarterly in line with the award schedule.
We may contact you about changes to the award where your approval is needed.
We will share relevant reports and outputs from the award with you.
You can agree additional activities with the award holder and their research organisation, such as promoting the research through your networks.
Unsuccessful applications
We will tell you if an application you have agreed to co-fund is unsuccessful.
You can choose to continue working with the applicant, for example by supporting their research or keeping them involved in your research networks.