Eligibility

View details of our new clinical research funding scheme. You can still apply for a Clinical Trial Award outline application in September 2024, but if the Committee invites you, the full application will be submitted under the new scheme. The clinical trial award supports interventional clinical trials of cancer treatment (including systemic treatment, radiotherapy and surgery) to improve outcomes. Applications must be:

• From a UK university, research institution, clinical centre or clinical trials unit (CTU)

• For investigator-led, interventional studies of cancer treatment

• Developed with the involvement of a registered CTU

Scientific remit

The types of studies that fit this scheme are typically:

• Phase 1a/2 dose-finding trials testing safety, tolerability and preliminary efficacy (including novel combinations of therapies and radiotherapy and novel indications)

• Phase 1b/2 or phase 2 trials test the viability of larger trials, including the ability to recruit and/or to explore the tolerability or efficacy of treatments

• Window of opportunity studies

• Phase 2/3 or phase 3 trials are used to investigate the efficacy, effectiveness, and tolerability of interventions to improve survival.

Studies of cancer treatment approaches that aim to achieve equivalence of survival whilst reducing toxicity or optimising treatment delivery will be considered where the potential for a significant impact on patient outcomes can be demonstrated. Funding for translational research that allows us to learn more from the clinical trial can be requested in applications to this scheme. If your proposal includes research that seeks to enable the early detection of cancer or pre-cancerous states, you may be eligible for our early detection funding opportunities. If your study is an early phase trial requiring full management/support from our Centre for Drug Development, you should consider the Drug Development Project scheme. As part of the Clinical Trial outline application, you can apply for costs associated with non-regulatory pre-clinical studies required for the initiation of early-phase clinical trials of cancer treatments, including, but not limited to, proof-of-concept studies for drug re-purposing and novel combination approaches for drugs post-candidate stage.***

This scheme will not fund:

• Industry-sponsored trials

• Long-term follow up

• Collection and banking of samples for future unspecified translational research 

• Regulatory (GLP) toxicology

• Pre-clinical studies for first-in-human studies

• Explorative pre-clinical studies, e.g. to determine candidate selection or early drug development

What is funded

Funding from the Clinical Trial Award can be used for:

• Salaries for researchers and technical staff

• Running expenses

• Equipment

Funding from the Pre-Clinical Package can be used for:

• Salaries for named researchers and technical staff already employed within the group

• Running expenses

Read our costs guidance for full details of the costs you can claim in your application. Please note that successful funding of the pre-clinical package and positive results of the pre-clinical experiments do not guarantee support of the full Clinical Trial Award application. The full clinical trial application review is independent and a separate funding decision. *Typically, up to 4 years for early phase or feasibility studies and up to 10 years for late phase trials. Funding for the pre-clinical package can be for up to 12 months. **Typically up to £50,000 per year for early phase or feasibility studies and up to £150,000 per year for late phase trials. Larger amounts may be considered with appropriate justification, particularly where substantial translational research is included. Costs up to £200,000 for one year can be requested for a pre-clinical package as part of the clinical trial outline application. However, larger amounts may be considered with appropriate justification. *** We will accept applications for a pre-clinical package as part of a Clinical Trial Award outline application.

How to apply to this scheme

Application process

Your application will follow either a two- or three-stage process:

• Expression of Interest (EOI): submit an expression of interest form to the CRUK office. We will check that your proposal is within remit and confirm whether an outline is required. Please complete and send us your EOI form ideally at least 1 month and no later than 2 weeks before a submission deadline to help us best assist you.

• Outline applications: this stage can be omitted for some applications (see below)

• Submit your outline application through our FlexiGrant system

• The Clinical Research Committee will review your application

• If you are successful, we will invite you to submit a full application

Full applications:

• Submit your full application through our FlexiGrant system

• Your application will be sent to designated members of our Expert Review Panels for comments

• You will be allowed to respond to the comments provided

• One of our Expert Review Panels (ERP) will consider your application, the comments, and your response to the comments, and you may be invited to present to the ERP before they make a recommendation to the Committee

• The Clinical Research Committee will make a final decision on funding

We will confirm whether an outline application is required after you submit your expression of interest form. Applications, including a request for a pre-clinical package, always require an outline application. For applications without a request for a pre-clinical package, an outline application can typically be omitted where one of the following applies:

• You are applying for less than £500,000 of funding

• You are applying for endorsement only

• Your study follows seamlessly on from a feasibility study previously funded by CRUK

• You are requesting funding for the UK component of an internationally-led clinical trial

• You are applying for a costed amendment or extension to an existing study supported by CRUK

If following your outline application a full application is invited, then the full application will be reviewed in the subsequent funding round.

Before you begin your application

You must read the application guidelines (PDF) before starting your application, even if you have previously applied for funding with us. You must read the cost guidance to understand what we will and will not fund. We expect patient and public involvement to be demonstrated in applications. Use our Patient and Public Involvement Toolkit for Researchers for advice on this. The NIHR CRN can support several aspects of study development, set up and delivery through their Study Support Service. Applications must be costed in line with AcoRD guidance.

What makes a successful application

The Clinical Research Committee and its Expert Review Panels will judge your proposal based on the following criteria:

• Clinical and scientific importance of the research questions

• Alignment with our Research Strategy and Clinical Research Statement of Intent

• Expected impact on clinical practice

• Strength of study design, including statistical design and rationale

• Adequacy of background and supporting evidence

• Expected interest in patients and adequacy of the recruitment plan and supporting evidence

• Expertise of the study team

• Likelihood of successful study delivery

• Appropriate patient involvement

• Appropriate justification of costs

The 5 year rolling success rate (financial year 2019-2024) from application to funding for this scheme is 47%.

Find more resources to help you develop your application.

For More funding Opportunities, Visit Global Funding Opportunities.