Research Funding
Our Research Funding team ensures that we fund and support science to the highest quality. We work closely with expert Grant Panels to uphold these standards and maintain scientific rigour in the research we fund.
On this page
The Panels and Scientific Advisory Groups assess the scientific quality, novelty and relevance of proposals and make recommendations on which projects should be funded, supporting both our grant funding programmes and our wider research collaborations.
Our grant programmes
Regular Grant Programme Panel
All grant applications to World Cancer Research Fund International are reviewed by a panel of experts, comprising established investigators in different disciplines who have expertise in diet, nutrition, body composition, physical activity and cancer.
Australian experts on diet, nutrition and physical activity assist our Grant Panel as corresponding members, reviewing only applications for research grants from Australia.
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Prof Rudolf Kaaks – Chair
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Head of the Division of Cancer Epidemiology, German Cancer Center (DKFZ)
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Professor of Cancer Epidemiology, University of Heidelberg, Germany
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Prof Anne May – Co-Chair
- Professor of Clinical Epidemiology of Cancer Survivorship
- Department of Epidemiology, Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, the Netherlands
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Dr Rebecca Beeken
- Associate Professor of Behavioural Medicine
- Leeds Institute of Health Sciences, University of Leeds, UK
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Dr Calistus Wilunda – Corresponding Panel Member
- Associate Research Scientist
- Nutrition and Food Systems Unit, African Population and Health Research Center, Nairobi, Kenya
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Dr Richard Burt
- Clinician Scientist and Leukaemia Consultant
- University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, UK
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Dave Chuter
- Patient and Public Representative
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Prof Melinda Craike – Corresponding Panel Member
- Professor of Physical Activity and Health
- Institute for Health and Sport, Victoria University, Australia
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Claire James
- Patient and Public Representative
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Dr Brigid Lynch – Corresponding Panel Member
- Associate Professor of Cancer Epidemiology
- Cancer Epidemiology Division, Cancer Council Victoria, Australia
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Dr Dora Romaguera Bosch
- Principal Investigator, Nutritional Epidemiology and Cardiovascular Physiopathology (NUTRECOR) group
- Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa), Spain
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Dr Clare Shaw
- Freelance Consultant Dietitian, UK
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Dr Helene Rundqvist
- Senior Researcher, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Division of Clinical Physiology, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden
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Dr Bethany van Guelpen
- Associate Professor, Clinical Oncologist
- Department of Diagnostics and Intervention, Oncology, Umeå University, Sweden
- Wallenberg Centre for Molecular Medicine, Umeå University, Sweden
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Dr Renate Winkels
- Associate Professor of Nutrition and Disease
- Division of Human Nutrition and Health, Wageningen University, the Netherlands
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Dr James Thorne
- Associate Professor of Cancer, Nutrition, and Epigenetics
- School of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Leeds, UK
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Prof Bernard Corfe
- Professor of Human Nutrition and Health
- Human Nutrition Research Centre and the Centre for Healthier Lives, Newcastle University, UK
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Prof Bernard Srour
Prof Bernard Srour, Junior Professor of Epidemiology at the Centre for Research in Epidemiology and Statistics (CRESS-EREN),
National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment, France (INRAE), The National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm), Nutrition and Cancer Research Network (NACRe) -
Dr Kaitlin Wade – Corresponding Panel Member
Dr Kaitlin Wade, Associate Professor in Epidemiology, MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit (MRC-IEU), Bristol Medical School (Population Health Sciences), University of Bristol, UK
INSPIRE Research Challenge Panel
The INSPIRE Research Challenge is reviewed by an independent panel of experts, including leading investigators in diet, nutrition, body composition, physical activity, immunology and cancer.
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Prof Richard Simpson – Chair
- Professor of Exercise Physiology and Immunology, School of Nutritional Sciences and Wellness, The University of Arizona Cancer Center, US
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Prof Ellen Kampman – Co-Chair
- Chair in Nutrition and Disease, Wageningen University, Netherlands
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Prof Yikyung Park
- Professor of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, US
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Prof Kathryn Beck
- Professor of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, Massey University, New Zealand
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Dr Christina Dahm
- Associate Professor of Epidemiology, Aarhus University, Denmark
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Dr James Turner
- Associate Professor in Exercise Physiology and Immunology, School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Birmingham, UK
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Ceri Steele
- Patient and Public Representative
Research Collaborations
CANDO Steering Committee
The CANDO programme, launched in October 2025, is run by a research team at the University of Southampton, led by Prof Ramsey Cutress and Prof Ellen Copson. The scientific committee is joined by internal WCRF International science experts Dr Giota Mitrou, Dr Helen Croker and Dr Julia Panina.
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Anne May
- Professor, Department of Epidemiology & Health Economics
- University Medical Center Utrecht, the Netherlands
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Carla Prado
- Professor, Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences
- University of Alberta, Canada
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Steven Clinton
- Professor, Division of Medical Oncology and Department of Urology
- The Ohio State University, United States
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Montserrat García-Closas
- Professor, Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention Unit
- The Institute of Cancer Research, United Kingdom
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Inger Thune
- Professor, Department of Oncology
- Oslo University Hospital, Norway
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Claire James
- PPIE Representative
- United Kingdom
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Caroline Wilson
- Consultant Clinical Oncologist
- The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, United Kingdom
FITco Scientific Advisory Group
The FITco study, launched in May 2025, is run by the Princess Máxima Center and Wageningen University & Research.
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Dr Elena Ladas
- Sid and Helaine Lerner Professor of Global Integrative Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center
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Prof Suzanne Turner
- Professor of Childhood Cancer Biology, University of Cambridge
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Prof Bob Phillips
- Professor of Paediatrics and Evidence Synthesis, University of York
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Prof Koen Joosten
- Professor of Paediatric Surgery, Erasmus University Rotterdam
