Open Grant Calls

We are pleased to announce that we are offering funding for strategic Programme Grants of up to £1 million and up to five years’ duration. We particularly encourage proposals that focus on innovative research challenges that will lead to significant shifts for people living with muscle wasting and weakening conditions. Through these awards we want to facilitate collaboration and strengthen the impact of research and innovation for the community. We continue to be grateful to our incredible community of donors, supporters and fundraisers who enabled us to raise the funds to generate this call.

We are currently in a position to fund at least one project and possibly more subject to strategic fit, quality of application and available funds. The call will open for research proposals on Friday 31 May 2024. The deadline for submission of the online application is 3pm on Thursday 3 October 2024.

Before applying, please ensure you refer to following webpages:

• Applying for a Research Grant.
• Grant FAQs.
• Refer to our Research Strategy for further information about the aims and objectives of the charity, which must be reflected in your application. If you are unsure whether your research fits the criteria or our remit, please contact the research team at researchgrants@musculardystrophyuk.org.
• Terms and Conditions for Programme Grants.
• Guidance for completing the online Programme Grant application form.
• List of conditions supported by Muscular Dystrophy UK. If you want to make an application for research into a neuromuscular condition that is not listed here, please contact us on researchgrants@musculardystrophyuk.org.

Researchers who are interested in applying are encouraged to contact us at  researchgrants@musculardystrophyuk.org to ensure the application fits the remit of the call.

Programme grant applications must meet the following broad criteria:

• Proposals must address at least one neuromuscular condition supported by Muscular Dystrophy UK. Applications may be strengthened by a focus on multiple conditions, but this is not a prerequisite for the application to be considered for funding.
• Applications must demonstrate relevance to Muscular Dystrophy UK’s Research Strategy and must benefit the wider UK neuromuscular community.
• Only one Strategic Programme Grant may be submitted per institution.
• The host university must have a clear strategy for neuromuscular research.
• There must be a significant financial or ‘in kind’ commitment from the university as part of the planned partnership with Muscular Dystrophy UK. For example, through the provision of posts or other key elements of the programme, or by seeking additional support from other sources, e.g. industry etc.
• Applicants must clearly articulate how the strategic programme would build on existing Muscular Dystrophy UK or other support for research into neuromuscular conditions to add value to these investments.
• The grant should support researchers with a shared interest in neuromuscular conditions to collaborate and deliver world-leading research and will lead to high-impact translation to benefit patients.
• Applications should include strong national (and where relevant, international) collaborations.
• The proposal must have clear research goals, milestones and strong leadership.
• Applications with a clinical focus or element must demonstrate how people with lived experience of neuromuscular conditions will be engaged. In such cases, applications would be strengthened if you can demonstrate the people with lived experience of relevant neuromuscular conditions have been involved in designing the planned work.
• We will invest in research that increases our understanding of neuromuscular conditions and that promotes the development of potential treatments. Applications for this strategic funding can cover a range of basic, pre-clinical and clinical projects, but must demonstrate a coherent theme.

See the guidance for the call which gives more detailed criteria.

Whilst we are only able to fund principal applicants who are based in the UK, we strongly encourage international collaborations. Applications may be strengthened by a demonstration of wide collaborative networks within the field of neuromuscular research.

How to apply

Applications must be submitted using our online application form, which is accessed by a secure login. Please ensure you use the correct form for your application; we reserve the right to reject applications that are submitted using the wrong form type. If you are unsure of which form to use, please contact us at researchgrants@musculardystrophyuk.org.

• If you have used our online system before, go to the Smart Simple login page. Please login and update your profile before starting your application.
• If you are new to the system, please register as an applicant on the registration page. After that you will be able to log in and select the grant round and type of grant you wish to apply for.
• If you work at an institution which is not already listed on our system, you may need to contact us at researchgrants@musculardystrophyuk.org to help you create a profile.

Please also refer to our Terms and Conditions and guidance for this call, which are also accessible when you are log into the online system; please select Help – Support Documents from the home screen.

The deadline for submission of the online application is 3pm on Thursday 3 October 2024. Applications will not be accepted after the deadline. Please note that applications can be submitted at any time prior to the deadline. After online submission you must send us a copy of your application signed by the principal- and co-investigators, and by your Head of Department and institute’s research office. This should be sent by email to researchgrants@musculardystrophyuk.org no later than three weeks after the submission deadline.

The decision-making process

Muscular Dystrophy UK staff will review programme grant applications to ensure eligibility and alignment with the call’s remit. Applications will then be sent to at least five reviewers who will be selected from the international community of experts, based on their relevant research experience and ability to comment on the proposal. Applicants will be given the opportunity to respond to reviews.

The application will be considered by a panel of experts in the field of neuromuscular research and people with lived experience of muscle wasting and weakening conditions selected from our Medical Research Committee and our Lay Research Panel respectively. The panel will score applications and only applications that meet the minimum quality threshold will be considered for funding. The panel will make a recommendation to the Board of Trustees and applicants will receive a decision letter in Late March 2025.

Other relevant policies

Other policies relating to research applications can be found here

• Additional Requirements for HRA-Approved Clinical Research
• Animal Research and the NC3Rs

If you have any questions, please contact us at researchgrants@musculardystrophyuk.org.