Call for Entries: Clinical Research Funding Scheme (United Kingdom)

Focus Areas

• Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity: for example, investigations into the effectiveness of various activities to improve the recruitment of patients from underserved backgrounds or reducing inequalities in access to cancer interventions.
• Methodology: for example, investigations into innovative statistical/methodological approaches or decentralization of clinical trials.
• Public and Patient Involvement (PPI): for example, investigations into how different PPI approaches promote recruitment.
• Quality of Life: for example, investigations into complementary therapies or patient reported outcomes measures.
• Sustainability: for example, investigations into how to reduce the carbon footprint for a given clinical trial/study, or more widely.

What they are looking for? 

• They expect most clinical trial proposals to have a Sample Collection module and Experimental Medicine module integrated, where possible, to enable the delivery of this strategy. They will also prioritise:
  • early phase proof of concept trials.
  • Trials that optimise/repurpose treatments while minimising adverse effects.
  • Trials that promote innovative methodologies.
• Opportunities to generate mechanistic insights are highlighted in the research strategy and could include, but are not limited to, the following:
  • Why an intervention is or is not effective, including cancer recurrence.
  • How tumours evolve to be resistant to therapies.
  • How toxicities can be better predicted and managed.
  • How combinations of therapies can be optimised to tumour biology (e.g. precision and stratified medicine approaches).
  • Trials with clinical decision-making biomarkers which can progress towards biomarker registration for routine use

What they are not looking for?

• In particular, note that:
  • Population based studies, clinical trials and associated translational research aimed at understanding the epidemiology of cancer, cancer risk, incidence rates, overall changes in cancer survival, preventative interventions and screening should be directed towards Prevention and Population Research Committee
  • Clinical and translational research that aims to investigate how and when early cancers and pre-cancerous states are diagnosed, including investigations into biomarkers for early detection or risk stratification for screening, should be directed to the Early Detection & Diagnosis Research Committee;
  • Genome-wide association studies for the identification of genetic predisposition/risk biomarkers should be directed to the Discovery Research Committee, or to the Early Detection & Diagnosis Committee;
  • Biomarker discovery proposals that are not integrated within a clinical trial and pre-clinical studies utilising cell lines or animal models to investigate biological mechanisms, should be directed to the Discovery Research Committee.
  • Pre-clinical research for drug development should be directed to Centre for Drug Development
  • If your study includes the development of an imaging technology that requires administration of unlicensed/experimental reagents (i.e. PET probes or contrast agents) to patients in first-in-human studies, you should contact the Centre for Drug Development.
  • If you are looking to translate your CRUK-funded research into a commercial opportunity that brings patient benefit, please contact Cancer Research Horizons

Eligibility Criteria

• The Host Institution must be a UK university, medical school, hospital, UKCRC registered clinical trials unit or research institution and the proposal must be investigator-led.
• All applications must have a UKCRC registered Clinical Trials Unit coordinating the clinical trial/study, or associated clinical trial/study. Exceptions may apply for small-scale and/or non-complex, non-interventional studies or certain biomarker assay validation studies using samples from patients receiving standard or care, where appropriately justified.
• They encourage applications which include early-career researchers, specifically the career stage heading of Develop Independence. This includes individuals who are nearing the completion of, or have recently graduated from, a clinical trials or clinician scientist fellowship. This scheme is also open to early-career researchers who have had limited involvement in research as coinvestigators and collaborators. Each module has specific guidance for applicant eligibility.
• They expect meaningful Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) activities across all modules within the Clinical Research Scheme.
• They recognise that integrated proposals can be logistically complex, with multiple centres contributing to the delivery of the study. To help speed up contractual set-up between the collaborating parties and ensure the trials run smoothly, Cancer Research UK, through the innovation engine Cancer Research Horizons, will support applicants in creating the contractual framework needed to enable the delivery of significantly complex studies. Cancer Research Horizons will contact research groups that are eligible for this support after submission of the outline application.

Selection Criteria

• The Clinical Research Committee and its Expert Review Panels will judge all proposals on the following criteria:
  • Importance and rationale of the research questions – both clinical and scientific.
  • Alignment with CRUK Research Strategy and Clinical Research Statement of Intent.
  • Expected impact, or potential future impact, on clinical practice and patient outcome.
  • Strength of study design; including statistical design, rationale, and the appropriate integration of modules.
  • Adequacy of background information and supporting evidence.
  • Expected interest to patients and adequacy of the recruitment plan and supporting evidence, where appropriate.
  • Expertise of study team, including meaningful involvement of early career researchers.
  • Likelihood of successful delivery
  • Appropriate and meaningful patient involvement in the development, delivery, governance, and dissemination of the study.
  • Suitable justification of costs, including the appropriate phasing of costings in line with expected milestones.

For more information, visit Cancer Research UK.