CFPs: Bone Metastasis Collaboration Fund (UK)

Purpose

• The purpose of the Expression of Interest is to obtain enough information on the proposed project to enable them to understand how well the proposal aligns with the grant call and the strategy. Applications that successfully make it through the EOI stage will be invited to the second stage which is to submit a full application. Please note, that the EOI stage is highly competitive, with less than 30% of EOIs in their most recent grant round being invited to Stage 2.

Areas of Research

• They invite proposals addressing any of the following criteria, or a combination thereof:
  • Research investigating the fundamental mechanisms of bone metastasis which are cancer-agnostic
  • Research focused on the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and care of bone metastasis. This may relate to breast cancer, prostate cancer, or both.
  • Research that addresses issues relevant to both cancers will be of particular interest
  • Research focused on breast cancer or prostate cancer
  • Projects looking to combine approaches in models of both breast and prostate cancers
  • New collaborations of teams working on breast and prostate cancer

Funding Information

• Seed grants of up to £15k: to fund model development or an initial experiment or collaboration
• Pilot grants of £50-100k: to generate data to power a future application for a larger, longer-term award
• Project grants of up to £250k: these are for comprehensive research projects with the potential for significant impact on understanding or treating bone metastasis.
• The funding can be used to cover directly incurred research costs such as salaries, consumables, travel, and equipment.

Eligibility Criteria

• Career Stage:
  • Lead applicants should hold a PhD (or equivalent higher research degree) and have a minimum of three years of independent research experience. Those with less than three years of experience may apply under the mentorship of a senior researcher.
  • Lead applicants must hold employment or honorary contracts that extend beyond the period of the grant. For fixed-term positions, a letter from the head of the department must confirm that the applicant’s salary will be covered for the project’s duration.
  • They encourage applications from early-career researchers and are committed to supporting young investigators in cancer research.
  • Applicants may not apply for more than one grant in the same funding round as the lead applicant but may apply as co-applicants or collaborators on multiple applications.
  • Applicants who have taken career breaks due to (e.g., maternity leave, long-term sick leave, COVID-19 pandemic) will have this taken into account during the review process.
• Institution:
  • The lead applicant must be based at a recognized university, research institution, hospital or NHS trust in the UK.
• Collaborations and Co-Applicants:
  • Co-applicants and collaborators can be based at institutions outside the UK and/or at pharmaceutical or biotech companies.
  • National and international collaborations will be considered if the award can be administered through a UK-based lead host institution.
  • They encourage proposals that involve community groups and patients as co-investigators or collaborators.

Ineligibility Criteria

• The following will not be accepted:
  • Applications from commercial entities.
  • Applications solely for equipment, consumables, or running costs. Requests for small pieces of equipment as part of the proposal must include a clear justification.
  • Requests to cover the salary costs of tenured lead applicants and co-applicants.
  • Applications for methods or service development.
  • Applications from individuals who are not employed by an eligible institution.
  • Projects part-funded with other funders.

For more information, visit Prostate Cancer Research.