Brain Research UK grants: what they fund and how to apply

What Brain Research UK funds

Brain Research UK is a national medical-research funder. It funds research that helps understand how the brain changes after a tumour, an injury or a disease, and how those changes can be treated. The charity concentrates on three priority areas where it says patient need is high but research funding is low:

• Brain tumours (neuro-oncology) — research into the causes and mechanisms of primary tumours of the brain or spinal cord, and how to diagnose and treat them.
• Acquired brain and spinal cord injury — research to protect or restore function after injury, covering traumatic injury and non-traumatic events such as stroke.
• Headache and facial pain — research into disorders including migraine, cluster headache and trigeminal neuralgia.

Research may be pre-clinical or clinical, must rest on a mechanistic hypothesis, and must show a clear pathway to translation. The charity also funds the development of biological models of disease that support these themes. One stated aim is to invest in early career researchers to build capacity in these under-funded areas.

How much you can apply for

There are two national schemes. Project grants provide up to £400,000 for projects lasting up to three years. Post-doctoral fellowships (including clinical PhD studentships) provide up to £300,000 covering salary and research costs. Separately, the charity makes a small number of awards through restricted endowment funds that are ring-fenced for research at UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology.

Who can apply

Funding is for UK-based researchers, normally at a university or hospital. This is a medical-research funder, so general charities and community groups are not eligible. The only route for a charity is where it carries out eligible neurological research, and in practice that runs through an academic or clinical host institution. Project grants particularly encourage early career researchers (up to 10 years post-doctorate) and collaborative projects, including international collaborations led by a UK team.

Deadlines and rounds

Calls run annually. The 2026 project grant call is open, with preliminary applications due by 12 noon on 04 September 2026. The 2026 post-doctoral fellowship call has closed, with interviews held in London on 16 July 2026. Check the Apply for a grant page for the current round and full application guidance before you start.

How to apply

Grants are awarded in open competition. Project grants use a two-stage process: a short outline proposal is reviewed and short-listed by the Scientific Advisory Panel, then short-listed applicants submit a detailed proposal that goes to external peer review. Fellowships use a single-stage application with two stages of assessment. Full guidance and the current deadlines are on the charity’s Apply for a grant page. Queries can be sent to tom.simpson@brainresearchuk.org.uk.

Tips

• Read the remit closely — the charity funds only its three priority areas, and every scheme requires a mechanistic hypothesis and a clear pathway to translation.
• Success rates are low (6–7% for project grants in 2024–2025), so make the fit with an under-funded priority area explicit at outline stage.
• If you are a general or community charity rather than a research team, this funder is not a match — use the Grant Finder to find funders that support your work.

Official source and last updated

Last updated: July 2026. Source: Brain Research UK — Apply for a grant. Always confirm current schemes, amounts and deadlines on the charity’s own site before applying.

Recent grants

[Theme renders recent awards automatically from 360Giving data — do not hand-write.]

Similar funders

• Brain Tumour Research
• The Brain Tumour Charity
• Medical Research Council (MRC)

Check if your charity is eligible for funders like this — CharityIQ’s free Grant Finder matches your charity to real, published UK funders and cites the source for each. → /grant-finder/