Humane Research Trust Grant 2024 (UK)

The Humane Research Trust CIO (THRT or The Trust) is a registered charity that funds projects to replace the use of animals and animal-derived products in medical research. THRT is funded solely by donations and legacies from their supporters who desire to promote human health without animal cruelty.

The Trust wishes to fund the development and use of techniques that will quantitively replace animals and animal-derived products in medical research and nurture the next generation of leaders in animal-free research methods. The Trust asks all its grantholders to lead the way and commit to use their best endeavours to not use animals or animal derived products in any future research.

Funding Information

• They usually provide project grants within the range of £90,000 to £200,000. Whatever the proposed budget, applicants must fully justify all costs within their grant application.
• There is no set limit to the duration of projects or to the budget. Typically, they fund PhD studentships for up to 4 years, and support 2-year postdoctoral positions.

What will THRT funding cover?

• The full costs of a post-doc or PhD-led project, including stipend/salary, tuition fees and consumables. An annual inflationary rate of 3% should be added to the stipend/salary from year 2 onwards. At its discretion the Trust will vary this rate in line with market forces.
  • Typically, they support a PhD studentship of up to 4 years, and 2- year postdoctoral positions with the possibility of extension for a further year.
  • Part-time positions may be considered – please contact the Trust before submitting your application.
• Follow-on funding that draws substantially on previous THRT funding where the route to practical application can be demonstrated. Follow-on funding is typically for up to two years.
• Wider costs of research
  • Research facility costs. Recharge costs for scanners etc.
  • Technician support. Where essential, reasonable costs of a research assistant or technician’s time on the project.
  • Attendance at conferences. The Trust recognises conferences are an important opportunity for PhDs and post-docs to network whilst spreading the word about the Trust. A PhD/post-doc will be funded to attend:
    • A maximum of 2 national conferences
    • A maximum of 1 international conference
  • The Trust will fund registration fees, travel, hotels and subsistence, provided these are fully costed in the grant application. Costs for a PI to attend one of the conferences may also be considered. Travel should be costed at standard or advanced ticket prices.
  • Equipment. Funding for equipment such as a laptop, specialist software etc.
  • Publication costs. The costs to publish in open-source journals.

Eligible Funding

• Research that advances human health and understanding of disease whilst also promoting the replacement of animals in research.
• Research to further develop or test existing in vitro, ex vivo and in silico methods models, techniques and products that were developed to replace the use of animals or animal-derived products in research.
• The development and application of novel in vitro, ex vivo and in silico models and techniques aiming to quantitatively replace the use of animals and animal-derived products in medical research.
• The bespoke development of non-animal derived antibodies, animal-free growth factors and serum substitutes for use in research.
• Joint applications with other like-minded funding bodies or charities that share their ethos and that do not fund research using animals.
• Applications towards larger projects where other funding bodies are involved, provided those bodies share their ethos and do not fund research using animals.
• In all cases, applications must confirm that ethical approval from a relevant body has been acquired, is being sought or is not required.

Ineligible Funding

• The Humane Research Trust does not allow the use of animals or any animal-derived products to be funded through its grants. This includes the use of animal-derived growth serums etc as positive controls.
• Indirect costs such as university overheads.
• The salaries of collaborators or co-investigators.
• Costs to recruit to the funded post.
• Part contributions to course fees, living expenses, applications for just equipment or consumables.

Who can apply?

• The research grants are open to researchers registered at a UK university or research institution, such as a hospital. They fund medical researchers who are developing and using animal-free techniques in their research of human diseases.
• Principal Investigators (PI) must apply for funding for a PhD or post-doctoral researcher to lead a research project. PhD and post-doctoral researchers cannot apply for their own funding and must be under the supervision of a PI.
• They also accept applications from existing and previous Humane Research grant-holders.

Collaborations

• The trust encourages collaborations with other researchers. These can be based anywhere in the world.
• THRT requires that all collaborators are named and their role described in the application.
• THRT does not allow the results of research undertaken by collaborators that relies on animals or animal-derived products to be used in the THRT grant-funded project.
• Collaborators must not receive remuneration from the THRT grant, with the exception of payment for laboratory services the collaborator may provide. These costs must be detailed in the application.

For more information, visit Humane Research Trust.