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What we fund

Our research

We fund and support the most promising health research wherever we discover great opportunities in areas that are underfunded.

Funding the research our society needs

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Our total spend
on research
£50 million
Mental health
and neuroscience
£10.5m
Eating
disorders £3.3m

Eating disorders

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
Self-harm £1.5m

Self-harm

Rates of self-harm have risen in young people, but we still know little about why people harm themselves.

Antimicrobial
resistance £4.3m

Antimicrobial resistance

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
Hepatitis £4.3m

Hepatitis

Every 30 seconds, someone loses their life to a hepatitis related illness. We need better options for diagnosis and treatment.

Read more about HepatitisRead more
Pain £4.5m

Pain

Chronic pain affects 28m people in the UK and nearly 30% of the entire global population – yet research is severely underfunded. Read more about chronic painRead more

Climate change and health £4.5m

Climate change and health

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 about climate changeRead more

Infectious diseases £1.9m

Infectious diseases

Research into a range of infectious diseases remains underfunded. We support research that brings solutions for people dealing with these health challenges.

Lupus £1.5m

Lupus

Lupus is difficult to diagnose and currently there is no cure, meaning more research is desperately needed.

Read more about LupusRead more

Respiratory diseases

£2.4m

Respiratory diseases

A better understanding of the mechanisms underlying respiratory diseases is needed, to improve the treatment options available.

Young stroke

£1.2m

Young stroke

A quarter of strokes happen in young people of working age, having a huge impact on their lives - yet we know little about the risk factors for this age group.

Adolescent skin disorders £1.6m

Adolescent skin disorders

For adolescents, skin disorders can be physically and mentally scarring, yet effective treatments are scarce.

Hearing loss £1.3m

Hearing loss

Better, tailored solutions are needed for the 9 million people in the UK who have significant hearing loss.

£7.7m
Discovery
science
£3.3m
Research capacity
building in Africa
£984k Changing policy
and practice

Changing policy and practice

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 more

Data based on awards made between 2008 to 2024

Our total spend
on research
£50 million
Mental health
and neuroscience
£10.5m
Eating
disorders £3.3m

Eating disorders

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
Self-harm £1.5m

Self-harm

Rates of self-harm have risen in young people, but we still know little about why people harm themselves.

Antimicrobial
resistance £4.3m

Antimicrobial resistance

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
Hepatitis £4.3m

Hepatitis

Every 30 seconds, someone loses their life to a hepatitis related illness. We need better options for diagnosis and treatment.

Read more about HepatitisRead more
Pain £4.5m

Pain

Chronic pain affects 28m people in the UK and nearly 30% of the entire global population – yet research is severely underfunded. Read more about chronic painRead more

Climate change and health £4.5m

Climate change and health

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 about climate changeRead more

Infectious diseases £1.9m

Infectious diseases

Research into a range of infectious diseases remains underfunded. We support research that brings solutions for people dealing with these health challenges.

Lupus £1.5m

Lupus

Lupus is difficult to diagnose and currently there is no cure, meaning more research is desperately needed.

Read more about LupusRead more
£2.4m

Respiratory diseases

Respiratory diseases

A better understanding of the mechanisms underlying respiratory diseases is needed, to improve the treatment options available.

£1.2m

Young stroke

Young stroke

A quarter of strokes happen in young people of working age, having a huge impact on their lives - yet we know little about the risk factors for this age group.

£1.6m

Adolescent skin disorders

Adolescent skin disorders

For adolescents, skin disorders can be physically and mentally scarring, yet effective treatments are scarce.

£1.3m

Hearing loss

Hearing loss

Better, tailored solutions are needed for the 9 million people in the UK who have significant hearing loss.

£7.7m
Discovery science
£3.3m
Research capacity
building in Africa
£984k
Changing policy
and practice

Changing policy and practice

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 more

Thanks 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.

Search our research

Research area:

Disease or condition:

Research organisation:

Funding type:

Status:

Search results Showing 5 of 179 results

Reducing the impact of pre-eclampsia in Zambia and India

Lead researcher: Professor Andrew Shennan
Research area: Changing Policy and Practice
Disease or condition: Maternal health
Research organisation: King's College London
Funding type: Dissemination award
Status: Live
Amount: £29,809
Read more

Empowering community healthcare in South Africa

Lead researcher: Dr Lucia D'Ambruoso
Research area: Changing Policy and Practice
Disease or condition: Healthcare systems
Research organisation: University of Aberdeen
Funding type: Dissemination award
Status: Live
Amount: £29,866
Read more

Strengthening Nepal's health systems

Lead researcher: Professor Julie Balen
Research area: Changing Policy and Practice
Disease or condition: Healthcare systems
Research organisation: Canterbury Christ Church University
Funding type: Dissemination award
Status: Live
Amount: £30,294
Read more

Assessing the effectiveness of household alcohol-based hand rub for the prevention of sepsis, diarrhoea, and pneumonia in Ugandan infants

Lead researcher: Dr David Mukunya
Research area: Epidemiology
Disease or condition: Bacterial and Viral Infection
Research organisation: Busitema University and the University of Liverpool
Funding type: Research grant
Status: Completed
Amount: £5,000
Read more

Evaluating the risk of developing Schistosoma-associated bladder cancer in endemic Ghanaian communities

Lead researcher: Dr Cecilia Smith
Research area: Epidemiology
Disease or condition: Schistosomiasis
Research organisation: University of Health and Allied Sciences & Birmingham City University
Funding type: Research grant
Status: Completed
Amount: £13,000
Read more