We fund and support the most promising health research wherever we discover great opportunities in areas that are underfunded.
This is an interactive diagram
Eating disorders are devastating – anorexia alone has the highest death rate of any psychiatric disorder – yet our understanding of what causes them is limited.
Read more about Eating DisordersRead more
Rates of self-harm have risen in young people, but we still know little about why people harm themselves. Research is urgently needed.
Climate change is a severe threat to human health globally. Urgent action is needed to understand and tackle the health impacts of climate change. Read more
From viral hepatitis (£3.7m funded) to emerging pandemics like COVID-19, viral infections pose a constant threat to UK and worldwide public health.
Chronic pain affects 28m people in the UK and nearly 30% of the entire global population – yet research is severely underfunded. Read more about painRead more
AMR is a global threat to human health. To stop the spread of drug-resistant illness and disease, a new approach is desperately needed
Read more about Antimicrobial resistanceRead more
A better understanding of the mechanisms underlying respiratory diseases is needed, to improve the treatment options available.
Autoimmune diseases
£2.3m
Autoimmune conditions like lupus (£1.5m funded) and autoimmune hepatitis (£600k funded) are difficult to diagnose and treat, often leaving patients without answers for years. More research is desperately needed.
Cardiovascular diseases
£2m
Cardiovascular diseases remain a leading cause of death across the UK. Research investment is vital to save lives. We have also invested in research into stroke in young people (£1.2m funded), in this area.
Adolescent skin disorders
£1.6m
For adolescents, skin disorders can be physically and mentally scarring, yet effective treatments are scarce.
Eye health £1.6m
Currently only 3% of research funding is spent on eye diseases and sight loss. Better solutions are desperately needed to protect vision and quality of life.
Hearing loss £1.3m
Better, tailored solutions are needed for the 9 million people in the UK who have significant hearing loss.
Our Changing Policy and Practice Awards help ensure that discoveries made by Foundation or MRC-funded researchers reach a wider audience and directly impact on healthcare policy, treatments, and public behaviour.
Read more about Changing policy and practiceRead moreData based on awards made between 2008 to 2025
Eating disorders are devastating – anorexia alone has the highest death rate of any psychiatric disorder – yet our understanding of what causes them is limited.
Read more about Eating DisordersRead more
Rates of self-harm have risen in young people, but we still know little about why people harm themselves. Research is urgently needed.
Climate change is a severe threat to human health globally. Urgent action is needed to understand and tackle the health impacts of climate change. Read more
From viral hepatitis (£3.7m funded) to emerging pandemics like COVID-19, viral infections pose a constant threat to UK and worldwide public health.
Chronic pain affects 28m people in the UK and nearly 30% of the entire global population – yet research is severely underfunded. Read more about painRead more
AMR is a global threat to human health. To stop the spread of drug-resistant illness and disease, a new approach is desperately needed. Read more about Antimicrobial resistanceRead more
A better understanding of the mechanisms underlying respiratory diseases is needed, to improve the treatment options available.
Autoimmune conditions like lupus (£1.5m funded) and autoimmune hepatitis (£600k funded) are difficult to diagnose and treat, often leaving patients without answers for years. More research is desperately needed.
Cardiovascular diseases
Cardiovascular diseases remain a leading cause of death across the UK. Research investment is vital to save lives. We have also invested in research into stroke in young people (£1.2m funded), in this area.
Adolescent skin disorders
For adolescents, skin disorders can be physically and mentally scarring, yet effective treatments are scarce.
Eye health
Currently only 3% of research funding is spent on eye diseases and sight loss. Better solutions are desperately needed to protect vision and quality of life.
Hearing loss
Better, tailored solutions are needed for the 9 million people in the UK who have significant hearing loss.
Our Changing Policy and Practice Awards help ensure that discoveries made by Foundation or MRC-funded researchers reach a wider audience and directly impact on healthcare policy, treatments, and public behaviour.
Read more about Changing policy and practiceRead moreThanks to our supporters, we've been able to fund a wide range of life-changing medical research. Have a look at the projects we've funded below or visit our News and Events page to read the latest research findings.
Autophagy is the recycling of damaged cellular components, and the elimination of unwanted viral infections. This research project studies the process of autophagy following viral infection to understand its role in human herpes virus.
| Lead researcher: | Dr Vanessa Sancho-Shimizu |
| Research area: | Infectious diseases |
| Disease or condition: | Human herpes virus |
| Research organisation: | Imperial College London |
| Funding type: | Research grant |
| Status: | Completed |
| Amount: | £273,117 |
A grant of £130,000 to investigate behaviour-related signalling of the nerve cells that are damaged in Parkinson’s disease and how this activity can be restored.
| Lead researcher: | Prof Peter Magill |
| Research area: | Neurodegenerative diseases |
| Disease or condition: | Parkinson’s disease |
| Research organisation: | University of Oxford |
| Funding type: | Research grant |
| Status: | Completed |
| Amount: | £133,400 |
A fellowship to investigate the role and biological mechanisms of two potentially pathological mutant genetic variants in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).
| Lead researcher: | Dr Bradley Smith |
| Research area: | Neurodegenerative diseases |
| Disease or condition: | Motor neurone disease |
| Research organisation: | King's College London |
| Funding type: | Fellowship |
| Status: | Completed |
| Amount: | £289,847 |
A research grant to investigate the changes in the structure of a protein known as superoxide in the most common motor neurone disease: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).
| Lead researcher: | Professor Samar Hasnain |
| Research area: | Neurodegenerative diseases |
| Disease or condition: | Motor neurone disease |
| Research organisation: | University of Liverpool |
| Funding type: | Research grant |
| Status: | Completed |
| Amount: | £251,364 |
A fellowship to determine the protective function of a protein-bound structure to prevent pathological aggregation in the most common motor neurone disease: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).
| Lead researcher: | Dr Tatyana Shelkovnikova |
| Research area: | Neurodegenerative diseases |
| Disease or condition: | Motor neurone disease |
| Research organisation: | Cardiff University |
| Funding type: | Fellowship |
| Status: | Completed |
| Amount: | £280,291 |
We offer a range of support and development for your career, including funding for research.
We exist to fund research and we want to help support you – the rising stars and the champions of the medical research world.
