FAQs for research grant applications

Regular Grant Programme

The Lead Applicant should hold a higher academic research degree, such as a PhD or equivalent, and should be an established senior researcher.

The Lead Applicant should have previously secured at least one independent research grant and must hold a research position at the host institution. Postdoctoral researchers, research fellows and previous recipients of the INSPIRE Research Challenge are eligible to apply, provided they meet the requirement of previously securing at least one independent research grant.

INSPIRE Research Challenge

The Lead Applicant should be an early career researcher, defined as someone who was awarded their PhD or equivalent higher research degree between 2 and 7 years ago (full-time equivalent) and is working in research.

Eligibility is calculated from the date the applicant’s PhD or equivalent higher research degree was awarded up to the deadline application date, this year, 13 November 2026. This timeframe is fixed, for example, a researcher who was awarded a PhD 1 year and 11 months previously on 13 November 2026 is not eligible.

Time spent on officially authorised leave, such as parental or medical leave, may be deducted when calculating the period since completion of the PhD or equivalent degree.

Postdoctoral researchers, research fellows, research associates, or similar job titles, are all welcome to apply, provided they are within the early career researcher timeframe.

All applicants must be employed by and fully supported by the lead institution to conduct this research, should a grant be awarded.

A PhD student cannot act as Lead Applicant/Principal Investigator for either programme, but can be included as part of a funded research project. Where a PhD student is included, they should be working entirely on the project, with appropriate supervision, training and assessment arrangements in place.

Both PhD fees and stipends can be included within the grant budget. Please note, however, that we are not able to fund standalone PhD studentships, so an application that includes PhD fees and stipends within it should not be positioned as an application for a PhD studentship.

The above applies to our Investigator Initiated Grants only, as this is the only grant type of sufficient length.

Find out more about how we support early career researchers.

From 2026-27, applications to the Regular Grant Programme are accepted from anywhere in the world, including the Americas.

Applications for the INSPIRE Research Challenge continue to be accepted from all countries worldwide.

• Universities
• Medical schools
• Hospitals
• Scientific research institutes
• Independent medical research centres not affiliated with universities

 
Research undertaken for, or applications submitted by, commercial organisations are not eligible.

A Lead Applicant may submit a maximum of one application as lead per grant cycle.

An individual institution may submit a maximum of three applications to the Regular Grant Programme and another three to the INSPIRE Research Challenge (so six in total) within a single grant cycle.

Applications will be accepted on a first-come-first-served basis, so institutions are encouraged to assess which applications should be prioritised if there is high interest in our grant calls.

A previous or current grant holder is welcome to apply for further funding from us.

A researcher acting as Lead Applicant/Principal Investigator on one application may also participate as a co-applicant or collaborator on other applications.

Any proposed change of lead institution would need to be discussed with WCRF International and managed in accordance with the grant conditions. Written confirmation would be required from both the existing and newly proposed institution, to ensure that this change is both agreed and feasible.

Should a change of institution be approved, funding already transferred to the existing institution will need to be transferred directly to the new institution.

Collaboration across institutions is encouraged, but each application can have only one lead institution.

Similarly, there can only be one Lead Applicant/Principal Investigator. Other researchers and collaborators can be based at either the lead institution or at other institutions.

If affiliated with more than one institution, Lead Applicants should decide which institution is best placed to act as the lead or primary institution for the project. Applications need to be signed off by the Head of Department (or authorised equivalent person) and a Finance Officer from the lead institution.

Regular Grant Programme

There are two grant types:

Investigator Initiated Grants (IIGs)

These are intended for established researchers conducting innovative and original research.

Pilot and Feasibility Grants (PFGs)

These support preliminary work, such as establishing whether a study is feasible, gathering preliminary data or testing aspects of a future larger study.

Projects designed primarily to test a scientific hypothesis would generally be considered an Investigator Initiated Grant rather than a Pilot and Feasibility Grant.

INSPIRE Research Challenge

INSPIRE is a dedicated grant scheme for early career researchers, defined as 2-7 years post-award of a relevant PhD.

Regular Grant Programme

Investigator Initiated Grants

• Up to £500,000
• Up to 4 years

 
Funding should normally be distributed approximately evenly across the project period.

Pilot and Feasibility Grants

• Up to £60,000
• Up to 2 years

INSPIRE Research Challenge

• Up to £75,000
• Project duration of up to 1 year

 
All grant schemes involve two stages, a Letter of Intent (LOI) stage and a full application stage.

Applicants should plan effectively in order to submit by the published deadline. Deadlines for both the Letter of Intent (LOI) and full stage application are fixed and cannot be changed.

You must allow time for your application to be signed off by your Head of Department and Finance Officer before the submission deadline.

Applications for both programmes are submitted electronically through our grant management system, Proposal Central and there are mandatory fields that must be filled. Your application should be completed with close reference to the relevant guidance documents for the Regular Grant Programme or INSPIRE Research Challenge.

Applicants new to Proposal Central can register here. If you need support with any aspects of the system, there is a guidance document you can refer to, or you can contact Proposal Central Support direct by emailing pcsupport@altum.com

Regular Grant Programme

The Lead Applicant/Principal Investigator salary cannot be included in the budget for an Investigator Initiated Grant or a Pilot and Feasibility Grant.

Grant funds may be used to cover the salaries of other staff or personnel working on the project, including where they already hold a faculty position.

Eligible staff and personnel costs should be set out in the proposed project budget in accordance with the relevant programme guidelines.

INSPIRE Research Challenge

The Lead Applicant/Principal Investigator salary may be included in the budget for INSPIRE grants, but, due to the size of the grant, it will need to be demonstrated in the application that all other research expenses are covered by the lead institution or through secured additional funding.

Grant funds may also be used to cover the salaries of other staff or personnel working on the project, including where they already hold a faculty position.

Eligible staff and personnel costs should be set out in the proposed project budget in accordance with the relevant programme guidelines.

University or institutional overhead costs cannot be included in the proposed budget. This includes costs associated with setting up and running a lab, utilities and other examples of indirect costs. Personnel costs such as on-costs and fringe benefits cannot be included.

From autumn 2026, WCRF International will manage grants on behalf of the whole network: World Cancer Research Fund in the United Kingdom, Wereld Kanker Onderzoek Fonds in the Netherlands and the American Institute for Cancer Research in the United States. Therefore, the Regular Grant Programme will now be open to researchers anywhere in the world.

To focus this expanded programme where it can have the greatest impact, our 2026-27 grant calls will include six priority areas.

• Integrative oncology
• Lifestyle and weight-loss medications
• Early-onset cancers
• Early-life exposures
• Ingested contaminants
• Ultra-processed foods

 
Find out more about the 2026-27 priority areas, including definitions for each area.

Priority areas will be evaluated annually to determine if the approach will continue and, if so, which areas are to remain, or if any new areas will be introduced.

Priority areas were identified through assessing where evidence gaps remain, highlighted by the Global Cancer Update Programme, alignment with our strategic objectives and in consultation with scientific stakeholders.

No, all applications will be screened to ensure they fall within the priority areas and those that don’t will not pass the initial ‘triage’ stage.

Your application may be rejected if it is not considered to align sufficiently with the priority areas, particularly if a high volume of applications are received.

Alongside the priority areas, we have identified which study types may be best suited and/or would fill a gap in evidence. See the guidance documents for details. Other study types will be considered as long as they are appropriate and feasible within the financial and time constraints of the grant. See the relevant programme guidelines for more information.

Only murine models (mice and rats) may be considered and only where they are relevant to investigating mechanistic pathways involved in the cancer process.

Applicants should explain:

• Why the animal model is relevant to human cancer
• Why the exposure being studied is relevant to human exposure
• Why the research question cannot be appropriately addressed using a human research model

 
Applicants should consult the guidelines and the application form for more information. Research involving animals should follow appropriate ethical standards and principles relating to the replacement, refinement and reduction of animal use.

No. Applications proposing research conducted exclusively using cell lines are not eligible.

WCRF International does not support research whose purpose is the development of anti-cancer drugs or cancer treatment.

Yes, but before the grant can start, evidence is required that ethical approval is in place, if applicable.

The primary outcomes of your study must be explicitly cancer-related, but we welcome applications strengthened by qualitative research elements.

We are committed to ensuring that PPIE is included throughout a research project. Use the application form to demonstrate your understanding of the importance of PPIE, any related activities undertaken to develop the proposal, and plans for future PPIE inclusions (including budget, if relevant). Learn more about our approach to PPIE.