How to apply

Pre-application stage

Applicants interested in submitting a partnership grant must contact the appropriate MRC programme manager and provide a brief abstract of the partnership grant to help them consider fit to the scheme.

This initial contact with the MRC programme manager should take place a minimum of six weeks before the relevant closing date. For further information on closing dates, see application timelines.

Find contact details for the relevant programme manager, along with remit and scope information for the research board:

If you are unsure who to contact please contact our Research Funding Policy and Delivery (RFPD) team.

Email: rfpd@mrc.ukri.org

Telephone: 01793 416 440

You should email the programme manager, attaching a brief description of your application.

The description document may be up to four pages, including:

two pages outlining the proposed partnership
one page for the track record of your team
up to one page of references

The document should include:

the title of the potential partnership
a list of the project lead and co-leads and their affiliations
a list of collaborators (if known at this stage)
an estimate of the likely cost to MRC, including staff and equipment

You should explain the aims of the partnership, including:

why the partnership is important
the nature of the partnership and its activities
how these activities align with the partnership grant scope

You should explain your and your team’s track record and show you have the potential to successfully manage and deliver the partnership, based on your research track record, outputs and funding history.

Full application stage

Applicants invited to complete a full application using the UKRI Funding Service will be notified in advance of the relevant board closing date.

Read the relevant partnership grant funding opportunity page for guidance on how to complete your application:

Infections and immunity responsive mode: partnership
Molecular and cellular medicine responsive mode: partnership
Neurosciences and mental health responsive mode: partnership
Population and systems medicine responsive mode: partnership

If the partnership grant will involve a collaboration with one or more industrial partners – contributing either in cash or in kind – then applicants will need to comply with MRC guidance on the Industry Collaboration Framework (ICF).

Creating the application on the UKRI Funding Service

Select the ‘start application’ link on the relevant funding opportunity page. This will take you directly to the UKRI Funding Service to create an application.

Closing dates

This is an ongoing funding opportunity with multiple closing dates every year, usually in January, June and September.

For open, closing and funding decision meeting dates, see application timelines.

Your application must be submitted through the UKRI Funding Service by 4pm on the relevant research board’s closing date.

To ensure that your application reaches us in time, please give your administrative department at least two weeks’ notice of your application and the MRC research board closing date.

Help with applying using the UKRI Funding Service

Email

support@funding-service.ukri.org

We aim to respond to emails within 2 working days.

Telephone

01793 547490

Our phone lines are open:

Monday to Thursday 8:30am to 5:00pm
Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm

Partnership grant - MRC

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