Get in touch for more information or for support in applying for funding opportunities.
Funding Opportunities
- AstraZeneca-Funded Non-Clinical PhD studentships (2026 intake) now open
- NIHR Invention for Innovation (i4i) Programme
- Sanofi iAwards Europe
- Translational Pump Priming Awards
- Restricted call: ESRC New Investigator Grants
- Policy Innovation Fund (PIF)
- Cancer Research Horizons Therapeutic Catalyst Award
AstraZeneca-Funded Non-Clinical PhD studentships (2026 intake) now open
Remit: The aim of this programme is to fund 4year Non-Clinical PhD studentships at the University of Cambridge (UoC) for talented graduates in research areas which align with the strategic interests of AstraZeneca (AZ). The three broad areas of research interests are:
- Innovative Technologies and Platforms
- Novel Biological and Chemistry Research
- Science, Data and Technology
The call for submitting partnership requests is now open , while the application form for submitting collaborative proposals for this program is now available to download from the CATS website
Eligibility and Criteria: Principal Investigators employed by the University of Cambridge and AstraZeneca are eligible to apply in partnership. Individual investigators applying without an AstraZeneca / Cambridge partner must be willing to collaborate with a co-investigator from the partner organisation. The programme management team can assist with the identification of a suitable partner. All applications should be submitted as a partnership between identified Principal investigators employed by the UoC and AZ. The University of Cambridge Principal Investigator will be the lead investigator for this studentship should it be awarded. Support for the proposal will be required from the relevant University of Cambridge Head of Department prior to submission.
Funding: Each funded studentship covers
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Student stipend for 4 years
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Combined fees for Home student only for 4 years
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Project consumable budget up to £33,000 for 4 years
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Travel and subsistence for the student up to £5000 for 4 years
Please note, the AstraZeneca funded non-clinical studentship program covers academic fees for UK/home students only. Any additional funding required for the recruitment of overseas students will not be covered and will have to be met by the University department or other sources.
Note: You will find more information regarding the studentship on our CATS webpage.
NIHR Invention for Innovation (i4i) Programme
Multiple Deadlines
The NIHR i4i Programme is a translational research funding scheme aimed at medical devices, in vitro diagnostic devices and digital health technologies addressing an existing or emerging health or social care need.
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i4i THRIVE (Translate Healthcare Research through InnoVation and Entrepreneurship) - Deadline: 16 May 2025
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Product Development Awards - Deadline: 28 May 2025
Sanofi iAwards Europe
Deadline for pre-proposals: 16th May 2025
The 2025 - 2026 Sanofi Innovation Awards scheme (Sanofi iAwards Europe) is a partnership program designed to support collaborations with academic investigators to accelerate innovative, disease-relevant, cutting-edge translational research in Sanofi’s areas of interest that can contribute to Sanofi’s early-stage pipeline and ultimately benefit patients. There will be the opportunity for successful projects to be taken forward for further funding and collaboration. Besides financial support, each pilot project will benefit from an access to Sanofi’s R&D expertise and guidance. Pre-proposals are invited for potential iAwards projects in the following therapeutic areas:
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Oncology
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Immunology & Inflammation
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Vaccines
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Genomic Medicine
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Rare & Neurological Diseases
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Novel Methods in Target Identification
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Target, Disease and Systems biology
Interested Principal Investigators at the University of Cambridge are welcomed to contact Juraj Rievaj, Senior Research Facilitator at CATS.
Translational Pump Priming Awards
Deadline: 13th June 2025
Translational Pump Priming Awards allow researchers to access smaller agile funding with quick turnaround funding decisions. These awards will enable researchers to answer a particular question, validate data and provide sufficient evidence that would help them accelerate development of their innovation to the next stage on the translational pathway.
Please ensure you have read the information on this page before you start an application on BHF Grants Management System.
Who can apply
- The principal investigator will be a researcher working in an established research institution in the UK. This includes post-doctoral researchers, heads of groups and fellows.
- Individuals or teams from commercial organisations can apply as collaborators.
Grant duration and maximum award
- Awards of up to £50,000 are available for a maximum of 9 months.
How to apply
How will they assess your application
Assessment criteria:
- Potential to address an unmet clinical need
- Evidence to support the proposed question and project activities
- Strength and feasibility of the project
- Potential impact of outputs and the likelihood of future success and/or investment
Application submission
BHF reserves the right to change the deadline dates and close the scheme early. We recommend that you check their page on a regular basis to take note of any changes.
Please visit their website for more information on applying for this award - https://www.bhf.org.uk/for-professionals/information-for-researchers/what-we-fund/pump-priming-awards
Restricted call: ESRC New Investigator Grants
Internal Deadline: 20th June 2025
The ESRC have announced their New Investigator Grant scheme. This scheme is suitable for early career researchers who have yet to make the transition to be an independent researcher. Proposals are welcome in any topic which falls within ESRC’s remit, including projects at the “interface with the wider sciences”, provided that social sciences accounts for at least 50% of the proposed research. The ESRC will award grants of between £100-350K (covered at 80%fEC).
University Internal selection
You will be required to upload the following:
- Your research project proposal (template provided)
- A letter of support from your Head of Department
This letter is very important to the success of the application as it is needed to confirm the details of the departmental support and the applicant’s eligibility. The letter must also specify a department/faculty based mentor, and a reviewer, both of whom have agreed to provide feedback on the full proposal, should the applicant be selected to proceed. The reviewer may be from within or outside the applicant’s department/faculty. Please note that naming a reviewer is an internal requirement, and the reviewer will not be named on the full application to ESRC. The mentor and the named reviewer will be expected to provide feedback on the full proposal prior to submission to ESRC. This will be coordinated by the School Research Facilitator.
- An X5 PDF report
The report should show the preliminary costing for the project, including the cost of the applicant’s salary and research assistance (if required). The Worktribe report should not be submitted for ROO approval at this stage; the costing is for indicative purposes only, to inform the internal selection. It will be possible to modify it after the internal selection.
If you have any questions, please write to ESRCNewInv@admin.cam.ac.uk.
Policy Innovation Fund (PIF)
CSaP is now inviting applications for next round of Policy Innovation Fund (PIF). In collaboration with the University's Research Strategy Office, PIF offers awards up to £10,000 for Cambridge researchers to work collaboratively with policy partners to develop and carry out innovative policy engagement activities.
Who can apply?
Academics and researchers from any department or faculty at the University can apply for the PIF. Early Career Researchers (ECR) are also encouraged to apply. Project duration can be up to 9 months.
Please refer carefully to the guidance notes and assessment criteria before applying.
How to apply?
All proposals must be submitted on or before 17:00 GMT by 30 June 2025.
Get Support
CSaP is pleased to offer further support and advice in developing your proposal. Researchers interested in applying for PIF who do not yet have a Policy Partner are also encouraged to get in touch
If you wish to schedule a meeting, please contact Kavya Neeba (k.neeba@jbs.cam.ac.uk)
Take a look at last year’s PIF projects here.
Cancer Research Horizons Therapeutic Catalyst Award
Open ended
Cancer Research UK is uniting all their drug discovery and commercialization activity to form Cancer Research Horizons. An integral part of Cancer Research Horizons is an exciting and ambitious approach to driving therapeutic innovation. The new organization will be home to over 200 drug discovery scientists and will use cutting-edge capabilities to tackle the biggest challenges in discovering cancer drugs to help accelerate patient benefit.
To support this vision, the Therapeutic Catalyst Award is designed to kick-start exploratory drug discovery efforts in cancer, to validate and de-risk targets and technologies, and to position them for onward investment and progression. As a researcher, you can take your idea from bench to patients with a single funder and partner. Successful projects will receive up to £250,000 for up to 18 months. Informal enquiries can be directed to Matthew Farren and Neil Jones.