Medical Research Council

What is important to the MRC?

The MRC’s main strategic aim is to use research to improve health outcomes.

MRC priority areas are split into 2 themes:

Theme 1
– natural protection
– tissue disease and degeneration
– mental health and wellbeing
– repair and replacement

Theme 2
– molecular datasets and disease
– life course
– lifestyles affecting health (e.g. tobacco, alcohol, diet)
– environment and health (how the environment impacts on health and wellbeing)

In addition, the MRC is keen to see their funded research lead to demonstrable impact, ensure regulation, ethics and governance requirements are strictly adhered to, and engagement with the public and policy makers take place.

On the international stage, partnership working with other countries is encouraged, as is global research into inequalities.

The MRC develop and train early careers researchers, and aim to provide a world-class research environment.

What funding schemes are available?

New investigator grants
Research Grants
Programme grants
Partnership grants
Fellowships
Studentships

There are also several ‘strategic schemes’:
Biomedical Catalyst
Regenerative Medicine
Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation (EME) programme -funded jointly with NIHR

Funding applications are reviewed by one of the following 6 panels, each with a separate remit:
– infection and immunity
– neuroscience and mental health
– population and systems medicine
– global health
– translational health

Information on the specific MRC schemes including success rates is at http://www.mrc.ac.uk/funding/how-we-fund-research/

The majority of schemes are funded at 80% of full economic cost. Some calls are different (e.g. Global Health) so check the funder guidance specific to the call.

This information is correct at the time of writing (20/03/2016)