New Cancer Grand Challenge Awards Open to Applications

Cancer Grand Challenges is a global funding platform founded in 2020 by the two largest funders of cancer research in the world: Cancer Research UK and the National Cancer Institute in the US.

The Grand Challenge Awards are intended to stimulate a focused multinational, interdisciplinary research effort to tackle significant problems in cancer research, bringing in new thinking, innovation and technology from other disciplines and sectors.

Funding is available to interdisciplinary teams with novel, exciting ways of solving one of the Grand Challenges, which together encompass some of the most important unanswered questions in cancer research. For the current call, the following nine topics of interest are:

Challenge 1: Cachexia and performance status

Challenge 2: Dormancy

Challenge 3: E-cigarettes

Challenge 4: Extrachromosomal DNA

Challenge 5: Inflammation

Challenge 6: Macromolecules

Challenge 7: Normal Phenotypes

Challenge 8: Senescence

Challenge 9: Solid tumours in children.

The Grand Challenges have been set by an independent Cancer Grand Challenges Scientific Committee (CGCSC).

Applications must be comprised of a principal applicant and up to seven co-investigators from recognised institutions or for-profit companies from any country. Academic and commercial collaborations are encouraged where appropriate.

It is expected that teams will be international in nature, with no more than 70% of the activity (and funding) being based in a single country. There is no requirement for teams to be led by, or comprise team members, who are based in the UK or US.

Applications to address one of the challenges are welcomed from teams working across a breadth of disciplines and institutions including but not limited to: the biomedical sciences, software development and technology, engineering and physical sciences, behavioural, health, population and social sciences.

Up to £20 million is available to each winning team for up to five years. Awards will cover direct research costs, including staff and associated running costs.

A pre-questionnaire must be submitted by the 1 April 2021 to check eligibility against the criteria. Initial expressions of interest (EOI) forms must be submitted online by deadline 22 April 2021.

More information about this research funding opportunity and the application process is available on the RESEARCHconnect funding information platform. RESEARCHconnect provides up-to-the minute content, insight and analysis on research funding news and policy. To find out more about how RESEARCHconnect can keep you in the know, and subscription fees, contact us today.