Coronavirus (COVID-19): update for grant-holders

To all Medical Research Foundation funded researchers,

There is a great deal of uncertainty around the COVID-19 outbreak and in these challenging times, we would like to provide some reassurance and support.

We are very aware that your research may be delayed as a result of lab and clinic closures, and that some of you may have chosen to step away from your research to provide clinical care. We understand that this may result in additional costs, in particular salary costs, to your grant and you will need more time to complete your research project. Whilst we are a small charity and our investments have been significantly impacted by the serious economic downturn, we believe that it is important to support our researchers and so the Board of Trustees has agreed that the Foundation will consider all requests for abeyance periods for grants and extensions with supplementary funding, so that you are not disadvantaged by the current circumstances. We will need you to document carefully the disruption to your research and the impact this has on the grant finances; we will be in touch shortly to explain what we will require.

The Medical Research Foundation team are continuing to work as normally as possible despite the closure of our Old Street HQ, and we will be working hard to fundraise to make up our income, continue with our planned research funding competitions and support even more of the UK’s brightest researchers.

If you have any queries or would like to speak to a member of the team, please email research@medicalresearchfoundation.org.uk.

Angela Hind PhD | Chief Executive

Prof Nick Lemoine | Chair of the Board of Trustees