Apply for funding

You can check to see if we are open to applications here, as well as find detailed guidance on how to do so and other information such as success rates from previously advertised schemes in our FAQs. Our calls for applications are organised around focused themes so please do check our latest detailed call guidance.

We know that there’s a huge amount to do, so we need to prioritise.  We will be focusing on some key themes for support for our current plan period (2020-2025) and will be making periodic detailed calls for proposals focused on one or more of these themes. We hope that this will provide greater clarity for applicants and improve our ability to apply sufficient resources to make practical impact.  The call information will detail the available funding mechanisms (e.g. project grants, studentships, fellowships).

You can also check the DMT Academy Jobs and Studentships Board for studentship, fellowship and other research vacancies offered by our award-holders and the UK Ageing Research Funders’ Forum (UKARFF) news page for announcements about ageing-related research funding opportunities from other funders.

View FAQs

Open calls and deadlines

We publish our invitations to apply for funding here. Please do check our invitations and deadlines carefully. You can find the answers to frequently asked questions below. Please note that we also leave details of calls where the deadline for application has passed here so that you can check the timetable for decision and award.

DMT Academy Ignition Fund

If your browser doesn’t open the dropdown boxes below, you can view the detailed call guidelines here.

The available fund for financial year 2024/25 is £400k. UK members of the DMT Academy are able to apply for up to £5k for a clearly defined activity or series of activities which:

  • are linked to the aims of the DMT Academy and/or one or more of our key priorities for research, as set out in our strategic framework;
  • considers relevant aspects of our key principles for research which are:
    • involvement, engagement and creating real impact;
    • capacity building and career/professional development;
    • equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI).

Community Organisations  – We welcome applications from community organisation working with older people. The Ignition Fund in conjunction with the Capability Development Programme can be used to help you with the development of your organisation.  The Capability Development Programme offers free online To community organisations to develop capacity, resilience, effectiveness and strategy.  

The funds can be combined with other sources of funding or be used as seed funding.

If you are successful in receiving an Ignition Fund award, then we will ask that you contribute to the development of the Academy by providing a short article or other resource which will be helpful to other Academy members.

To be eligible to apply, you must meet the following criteria:

AND

  • You must also be based at a UK university or other eligible research organisation. The Trust has no specific geographical link and will consider applications from anywhere within the UK.

OR

  • Represent a Community Organisation working with older people who has also attended* a Capability Development Programme Webinar (*either yourself or a colleague must have attended)

Only one application for an Ignition Fund award can be made per financial year[1], regardless of the outcome of that application.

[1] April to March each year

Applicants are asked to define the proposed activity and briefly outline the costs (maximum £5,000) with appropriate justification. The award is intended to be flexible, and some examples of how the funds could be used include, but are not limited to, the following:

Clinical and academic researchers:

  • Developing initiatives that connect researchers and community organisations, such as pre-funding relationship development.
  • Carrying out patient, carer and/or public involvement and engagement (PPIE)-related activities in advance of developing a research funding application (i.e. to test a research question has validity in the community, gain feedback from relevant stakeholders etc.).
  • Seed funding to foster industry collaborations.
  • Bringing a range of stakeholders together through initiatives such as the development of communities of practice or place-based hubs to drive evidence-based good practice and/or policy change.
  • Establishing local networks to develop leaders in ageing research through capacity building.
  • A short secondment of a researcher to a community organisation or company to work on a question with them/learn more about the sector/share skills and knowledge etc.
  • Developing hubs to promote community cohesiveness to tackle an issue such as health inequalities in coastal, rural or other under-served communities.
  • Facilitating visits to other laboratories or institutions to learn new techniques or to host visiting researchers from other institutions.
  • Developing new skills and knowledge through courses, workshops and conferences.
  • Developing transferable skills such as writing, presentations, social media, leadership or management skills.

Once awarded, the grant will be paid in full in advance. We will, however, require you to contribute to the development of the Academy by providing a short article or other resource which is useful to other members of the Academy to show how the funds have been used.

This fund will not cover the cost of Open Access fees. If you are a current or previous DMT grant holder and need help with Open Access fees for publications directly related to your DMT award, please contact [email protected] as we have an alternative arrangement for meeting this expenditure.

The fund cannot be used to fund or subsidise the costs of Masters or PhD degrees/projects/studentships.

Requests for conference costs will only be considered where you are presenting or contributing a poster. If you are a PhD student, you  may apply to cover such costs if you are in your final year of study.

If you are applying for seed funding  for a piece of research, please do  not include conference fees. There is a separate mechanism to support DMT awardees with such costs, details of which will be provided to you at the appropriate time.

Community Organisations:

  • Meeting with your local authority, commissioner or researchers to explain more about the work of your organisation;
  • Stakeholder engagement to demonstrate your impact or share best practice;
  • Focus groups with your beneficiaries to co-produce the services you offer;
  • Meetings to bring together other local organisations to collectively address a problem affecting older people.

To support the development of your organisation we also offer free training via our Capability Development Programme.

The application process will consist of the submission of an application form and review by the Trust’s Grants Team.

Applications are open year-round and can be submitted at any time; however, completed and submitted applications will be considered by the assessment panel on the following dates:

DeadlinePanel assessment
5pm 23 August 2024Week commencing 2 September 2024
5pm 6 December 2024Week commencing 16 December 2024
5pm 28 March 2025Week commencing 14 April 2025

We aim to advise you of the outcome within three weeks of the assessment panel meeting.

Only one application for an Ignition Fund award can be made per financial year, regardless of the outcome of that application

We will continue to advertise the call through our LinkedIn account and our Academy Newsletter. To join the Academy visit our website.

If you have any queries relating to the call, please email [email protected] and our Team will be able to assist you.

Once you have read our eligibility Q&A, the call guidelines and our Funding FAQs, you can start your application on our Grants Management Portal.

Joint MRC-DMT predoctoral clinical research training fellowship

If your browser doesn’t open the drop-down boxes below, you can view the scheme details on the UKRI website.

We are collaborating with Medical Research Council (MRC) to jointly fund their predoctoral clinical research training fellowship scheme which provides registered healthcare professionals with funding to undertake a PhD.

Each year, up to one clinical research training fellowship will be awarded jointly by the Dunhill Medical Trust and MRC.

You must:

  • be a registered healthcare professional
  • be at an appropriate point in your training to undertake a PhD
  • show plans to pursue a research career

The scheme will fund your salary and project costs for three years and will fund 100% of the justified costs.

This is an ongoing funding opportunity. Application rounds close every January, April and September.

Applications are welcomed from across all areas of MRC’s remit to improve human health.

This may range from basic studies with relevance to mechanisms of disease, to translational and developmental clinical research.

It is expected that your clinical work will help to inform and strengthen your research work.

MRC’s science areas include:

  • infections and immunity
  • molecular and cellular medicine
  • population and systems medicine
  • neurosciences and mental health
  • translation
  • global health
  • methodology
  • public health

Explore MRC’s areas of scientific remit.

To be considered for joint funding from the Dunhill Medical Trust, applications should address one or more of the following priority research themes outlined in our 2020-25 strategic framework:

  • have the potential to prevent, delay or reduce future health and social care requirements, in particular, improve the ability to maintain functional independence for older adults.
  • improve our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of ageing and age-related disease;
  • target the social determinants of healthy life expectancy;
  • improve quality of life for older people, in particular:
    • in developing and delivering suitable living environments;
    • addressing the issues of age-related vision, hearing and oral health;
  • have the potential to prevent, delay or reduce future health and social care requirements, in particular, improve the ability to maintain functional independence for older adults.

Applications are also welcomed which include interdisciplinary approaches or research which will address global health issues and be of benefit to those living in low and middle-income countries.

You can apply if you’re a registered healthcare professional. This includes, but is not limited to:

  • nurses
  • midwives
  • allied health professionals
  • healthcare scientists
  • pharmacists
  • clinical psychologists
  • doctors
  • dentists
  • general practitioners
  • veterinarians

To be eligible for this funding opportunity you must:

  • be able to demonstrate ownership of your project and show ambition to follow a clinical academic career
  • be at an appropriate point in your clinical training to study for a PhD, with clear plans for completing your speciality training
  • want to request a minimum of 24 months funding full-time equivalent to complete your PhD
  • have the support of an eligible research organisation
  • intend to be clinically active during or after the award

You do not need to have registered for a PhD at the time of your fellowship application.
If you have spent more than one year on a PhD course in a full-time capacity, you must explain in your application why you are a suitable candidate.

If you have spent significantly more time than one year on your PhD course, your application will be considered only in exceptional circumstances.

You do not need to have held a position that includes formal research time, for example, an academic foundation or an academic clinical fellowship.

Visit the UKRI website for further details on eligibility.

This fellowship provides:

  • a salary appropriate to your level of training, up to but not including NHS consultant level
  • tuition fees at standard home student rate (set by the research organisation) or supervisors’ time
  • up to £25,000 each year to cover consumables, equipment and travel

Supervisor costs can only be requested if you are not requesting tuition fees, and are only supported in exceptional circumstances when well justified, the request should not exceed 5% of their time (or a total of 5% FTE across all supervisors if more than one).

Staff costs will only be funded in exceptional circumstances where the delivery of the project requires additional staff costs, these must be requested within the £25,000 each year limit.

You may be able to request extra funding for:

  • the cost of training at an overseas or second centre or industry placement
  • the purchase and maintenance cost of animals, excluding experimental costs, related consumables or project licences
  • the costs associated with healthy volunteer studies, where costs for patient studies would be met by local clinical research networks
  • the costs associated with an experimental intervention or challenge in humans and human medical imaging (such as magnetic resonance imaging), where costs cannot be met by local clinical research networks

Only these costs can be applied for above the £25,000 each year limit.

If you are requesting costs above the £25,000 each year limit you should be mindful of the scope and aims of the fellowship, with the proposed project demonstrating an appropriate level of ambition.

Funds will not be provided for:

  • estates and indirect costs
  • publication costs
  • costs for mentors

Current round timetable:

  • 23 October 2024 9:00am – the call is open to applications
  • 15 January 2025 4:00pm – deadline for application submission
  • 21 May 2025 – shortlisting decision meeting
  • 2 to 3 July 2025 – funding decision meeting
  • Applicants will be informed of funding decision within 10 working days of funding decision meeting.

Future rounds of the scheme will be open to applications on the following dates:

  • 16 January 2025 to 9 April 2025
  • 10 April 2025 to 3 September 2025
  • 4 September 2025 to 14 January 2026

For further information and to apply, please see UKRI’s website.

Please email any queries relating to the scheme to MRC or if you have specific queries relating to joint funding by the Dunhill Medical Trust, feel free to contact [email protected].

British Geriatrics Society / Dunhill Medical Trust Joint Doctoral Training Fellowship

If your browser doesn’t open the drop-down boxes below, you can view the scheme details here.

The Dunhill Medical Trust (DMT) has again partnered with the British Geriatrics Society (BGS) to co-fund one Doctoral Training Fellowship to support front-line health professionals with an interest in developing a career in ageing-related research.

The focus of your proposed research must be aligned to understanding and treating age-related diseases and frailty, and/or improving the health and social care of older people, with an emphasis on projects that address one or more of the priority research themes highlighted on page 15 of the DMT’s 2020-25 strategic framework. We are particularly interested in research with the potential to improve the health and social care of older people within 5 years of the end of the grant.

Please note that projects with a specific focus on cancer will not be eligible for funding.

The Fellowship is intended to be flexible and may be undertaken on either a full-time or part-time basis. Full-time Fellowships will be awarded for a maximum period of 3 years, whereas part-time Fellowships can be awarded for a maximum of 6 years.

The scheme is open to all front-line healthcare professionals working with older people, including allied health professionals, doctors and nurses.

The successful candidate will need to become a member of the BGS – if not already a member – for the duration of the Fellowship as a condition of award*. We encourage all those working in the field of older people’s care and ageing-related research to consider joining the BGS.

* For membership queries please contact the British Geriatrics Society via [email protected]

Applicants can apply for up to £300,000. We welcome applications that can be part funded by the host institution either financially* or in-kind through the provision of services, facilities and/or tuition fee waiver. The award will be expected to cover:

  • an individual’s salary (at the appropriate grade on the relevant pay scale), plus on-costs
  • tuition fees for a PhD
  • an additional amount to cover consumables, training, travel costs to present their work etc.

Full details on eligible costs will be included in the call guidelines, but for now you may find it helpful to read the “What costs will you cover?” section of our general Funding FAQs.

* This may be internal university funds or funding from industry or other trusts, foundations or charities etc.

Current round timetable:

  • Call open to applications – Mid-December 2024
  • Deadline for submission of applications – Mid-March 2025
  • Peer and Panel review and shortlisting – April-September 2025
  • Interviews for shortlisted candidates – Mid-September 2025 (exact date to be confirmed)
  • Ratification of the Panel’s funding recommendation at DMT Research Grants Committee meeting – Mid-October 2025
  • Shortlisted candidates notified of the outcome of their application – Mid-November 2025

Please note that this timetable may be subject to some changes prior to the publication of the finalised call guidelines.

Full details will be provided in the call guidelines, which will be available once the call opens.

Before applying, prospective applicants should complete the general eligibility quiz on our website. The Dunhill Medical Trust Terms and Conditions for Research Grants will also apply and please ensure you have read our general Funding FAQs.

To subscribe to receive news and updates from us, please add your details to the ‘Join our community’ section of our “Contact us” page. You can also follow us on LinkedIn.

If you have any queries relating to the call, please feel free to email us at [email protected].

Academy of Medical Sciences Starter Grants for Clinical Lecturers

If your browser doesn’t open the drop-down boxes below, you can view the scheme details on the Academy of Medical Sciences website.

Clinical Lecturer posts provide a salary but often do not come with the funding to support the costs of research. This scheme is designed to help bridge this gap by providing Clinical Lecturers with access to research funds for up to two years.

As one of the supporters of the scheme, we’re looking for health and social care professionals to apply their knowledge and skills to improve the quality of life, functional capacity and well-being for older people now, or create the context for change to prevent, delay or reduce health and social care requirements for older people in the future.

The grants are intended as start-up funding and as such are not intended for applicants who have already obtained substantial funding through, for example, Clinician Scientist Fellowships, New Investigator Awards or large project grants.

The maximum grant available is £30,000. This can be spread over one to two years to contribute towards directly incurred research costs, including (but not limited to) consumables, access charges, access to data sets, essential software and licences, and equipment.

Grants cannot be used to pay for your personal salary costs or to employ research assistants, PhD students or postdoctoral staff. 

This scheme is targeted at those who are in the earlier years of their Clinical Lecturer appointment. You should not already have obtained substantial funding from other sources, for example a Clinician Scientist Fellowship, New Investigator Award or large project grant.

All eligible applicants must:

1.   Have a PhD or MD.

2.   Hold a medical, dental or veterinary undergraduate degree and be registered with the General Medical Council, General Dental Council or Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.

3.   Hold a clinical contract at a UK institution.

If you are a clinician in human or dental medicine, you must also:

1.   Be a research-active Clinical Lecturer

2.   Hold a National Training Number (NTN) or NTN(A)

3.   Be within higher specialty training.

4.   Have undertaken a substantial period of research equivalent to a PhD or research MD, if you have qualified abroad with an MD.

5.   Note the following eligibility criteria relating to the timing of your Certificate of Completion (CCT):

  • Your CCT date must fall after your proposed project start date. The earliest possible project start date will be September of the same year (for rounds closing to applications in March) or March of the following year (for rounds closing to applications in September).
  • Clinical Lectureships in Primary Care and Dentistry are primarily awarded post-CCT and we welcome applications from these groups. However, for all other specialities candidates are not eligible to apply if they have already attained their CCT. 

Senior Clinical Lecturers and Clinical Psychologists are not eligible for this scheme.

The eligibility criteria for dentistry applicants are currently being reviewed. We would encourage you to get in contact with [email protected] if you would like to discuss your eligibility to the scheme.

If you are a clinician in veterinary medicine, you must be either:

1.   A research-active Veterinary Specialist in Training (Resident/Senior Clinical Training Scholar) within an approved Specialist Training Programme with secured and protected research time throughout the proposed project.

Or:

2.   A research-active Veterinary Clinician or Veterinary Pathologist with Veterinary Specialist Board qualification or eligibility and within the three-year (probationary) period of your first University appointment and with secured and protected research time throughout the proposed project. If your position is that of a Senior Lecturer but are still within the three-year probationary period then you are still eligible for this scheme.

The eligibility criteria for veterinary applicants are currently being reviewed. We would encourage you to get in contact with [email protected] if you would like to discuss your eligibility to the scheme.

Additional information:

The Academy recognises the challenges clinicians face when managing a clinical and a research career with family and caring commitments. During the review process, prior career breaks will be taken into account when evaluating a candidate’s research output and progress.

However, please note successful applicants cannot reapply and unsuccessful applicants are limited to one resubmission.

Please review the scheme FAQ document on the Academy’s webpage for full details on eligibility. Alternatively, please contact the grants team if you have any other queries about the scheme at [email protected]

The maximum grant available is £30,000. Starter Grant holders are also eligible for the Academy’s one-to-one mentoring scheme and are encouraged to contact the Academy regarding this.

Round 32 of the scheme is now open to applications until 5 September 16.00 BST.

Application outcomes will be communicated by the Academy of Medical Sciences in late February 2025.

We will provide any further information regarding the call on this webpage, as well as through our X / LinkedIn accounts and to our mailing list subscribers. To subscribe to receive news and updates from us, please add your details to the ‘Join our community’ section of our “Contact us” page. 

Please also feel free to email any queries relating to the call to [email protected]

2024/25 DMT Academy Excellence Awards

If your browser doesn’t open the drop-down boxes below, you can view the finalised call guidelines here.

The 2024/25 Excellence Awards are now open for nominations. Once you have read the guidelines for the awards, you can visit the “Members-only content and awards” page of the Academy to start your nomination (please note that if you are not an Academy member you will need to apply to join the Academy in order to access this page). The deadline for nominations is 5pm on 4th November 2024.

Building on the success of the first round Excellence Awards, awarded at our 2024 Annual Symposium in memory of Professor Stuart Parker, we are delighted to be running another round of the scheme.

Members of the DMT Academy may self-nominate or nominate another member, and explain in the nomination form how they have:

  • Demonstrated research excellence, commensurate with experience and taking into account the impacts of COVID-19 on research activity.
  • Influenced ageing-related policy / practice at a local, regional and/or national level.
  • Demonstrated a commitment to capacity building and/or mentoring in ageing-related research, and contributed to a positive research culture.
  • Promoted patient, carer and/or public involvement and engagement (PPIE) in ageing-related research.
  • Promoted equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in ageing-related research.

An unsuccessful candidate from a previous award round must entirely amend any previously submitted unsuccessful nominations prior to submission (i.e. duplicate submissions, sections of the form and/or letters will not be eligible). Previous winners are not eligible to be nominated for the same award again. However, past “Rising Star” awardees may be nominated for the “Senior Leader” award if they subsequently fit the criteria for the award. For guidance on what made a good nomination last year, read this news post.

Two awards of £40k per year for three years (£120k in total per award) will be made to:

  • One early to mid-career “rising star” in ageing related research.
  • One “senior leader” in ageing-related research.

The awards are intended to be flexible and can be used to support ageing-related research activities and/or career development – some examples of how the funds can be used are provided in Section 2.3 of the award guidelines.

The deadline for nominations is 5pm on 4th November 2024.

Following panel review and shortlisting, shortlisted nominees will be invited to attend an interview on 15th or 16th January 2025.

If successful, award-holders will be invited to attend and speak at the formal announcement of the award at the Trust’s 2025 Annual Symposium event. Award-holders will also be expected to participate, from time to time, in Academy training or other activities, for example panel review within their areas of expertise. Full details of the nomination process and timeline are provided in Section 3 of the award guidelines.

You can download the correct PDF template nomination form from our website:

Please note, however, that these PDF versions are only provided for planning purposes – only nominations made before the deadline via the online Grants Management Portal will be accepted.

Applications are now closed. If you wish to join the DMT Academy, you can apply here.

Implementing evidence-based interventions to support older adults’ independence

If your browser doesn’t open the drop-down boxes below, you can view the finalised call guidelines here.

An important theme highlighted in our 2020 – 2025 Strategic Framework is to support research with the potential to improve older adults’ independence and thus to prevent, delay or reduce future health and social care requirements.  

The Chief Medical Officer for England’s 2023 Annual Report, Health in an Ageing Society, emphasised the importance of improving older adults’ quality of life, rather than focusing purely on extending lifespan. Key to this is helping older adults to maintain their ability to live life on their own terms and take part in activities which are important to them – something that benefits everyone: individuals, families, communities and indeed health and social care services.  

The Chief Medical Officer for Scotland’s 2023 report highlighted the importance of delivering value in health and care. So in this funding call, we are not wishing to simply ‘seed’ more research into new activities and interventions. Instead we aim to support proposals which can help facilitate the longer-term adoption of existing, evidence-based interventions to support older adults’ independence. 

Above all, everyone deserves a healthy older age, but too many older people are being left out and left behind. The Chief Medical Officer for Wales highlighted the concerning levels of avoidable mortality in deprived communities that could be addressed through prevention or timely treatment. We are therefore particularly keen to support proposals which are addressing needs in under-served communities. This could include, but is not limited to, ethnically diverse groups, those from lower socio-economic backgrounds / communities and/or those in under-served geographic regions (including coastal and rural locations). 

Full details of the call are provided in the call guidelines.

Mindful of the substantial number of interventions which have already been developed to support older adults’ independence – many of which are already well-evidenced – our aim for this funding call is to support research proposals which seek to implement and evaluate existing evidence-based service / programme interventions at greater scale, including generating evidence on financial mechanisms and their financial sustainability, to help secure their longer-term adoption.  

Proposals must be focused on services / programmes / interventions for which robust evidence of effectiveness already exists, and which are ready to be implemented and evaluated at greater scale. The proposal must describe how the intervention(s) can directly support older adults’ independence and reduce future health and social care requirements and/or costs. 

We welcome proposals focused on interventions which could be implemented and adopted in a range of settings / contexts. 

The call guidelines provide examples of the work that could be supported through the call. Please note that all programmes of work must include the generation of evidence on the economic impacts / implications / sustainability of the intervention(s), and that the approach being taken to generate this economic evidence / data will be developed in collaboration with the partner(s) / organisation(s) which aim to adopt the intervention(s). 

All proposals, regardless of the work being proposed, must outline clear and realistic plans for the longer-term sustainability of the intervention(s) following the funding. 

In addition, all proposals should be aligned with the Trust’s key principles for research as detailed on page 9 of our 2020 – 2025 Strategic Framework. 

The following are not considered eligible: 

  • Newly developed interventions without existing evidence of effectiveness. 
  • Drugs, medicines and other pharmacological treatments. 
  • Interventions specifically focused on the care and/or treatment of cancer patients. Interventions which focus on other specific conditions and/or patient groups are eligible, as long as they are targeted at older people. 
  • The purchase and distribution of standalone healthcare products, technologies, aids etc. that are not delivered as part of a wider service / programme. 
  • A service / programme that has already been adopted or commissioned but requires continued funding. 

Full details of what we are expecting proposals to demonstrate, and the eligibility / assessment criteria, are provided in the call guidelines. 

Principal Investigators (lead applicants) must be based at a UK university or other UKRI-eligible research organisation. Prospective lead applicants from local authorities will have to demonstrate that there is suitable research infrastructure in place and that they are based in a research-active organisation that can deliver research-related activities. Solid links to and/or support from researchers from local universities and/or other eligible research organisations will be expected. In all cases, lead institutions will be bound by the Dunhill Medical Trust Terms and Conditions for Research. The Trust has no specific geographical link and will consider applications from anywhere within the UK.  

If you are the Principal Investigator on a current / active grant from the Trust, or a Co-applicant on more than one current / active grant from us, then you may not be eligible to apply to this funding call – please contact us directly if you are unsure or would like to discuss this further. 

Proposals must involve a partner(s) / organisation(s) (e.g. commissioners, local authorities, third sector organisations etc.) which could support the longer-term adoption of the intervention(s) following the end of the awarded programme. At least one such partner / representative must be involved in the formal expression of interest conversation (see the full guidelines for more details) and be named within the proposed team. 

We encourage proposals with co-applicants and collaborators both from within and beyond academia, including people with lived experience of issues relevant to the proposal, as well as community organisations, providers of health and social care services and industry / commercial partners. There are no restrictions on the number of individuals / organisations within the proposed team. Please note that lone applicants are ineligible to apply.  

In addition, where appropriate, we actively encourage multidisciplinary and multi-professional teams and, whilst the work being proposed must take place within the UK, contributions from international collaborators are permitted where clearly justified. 

We plan to allocate £2.4M to the call, although more may be available if we receive enough applications of a suitably high quality. Applicants can apply for up to £1.2M for a maximum of four years, and we welcome proposals that include part funding or in-kind contributions from other sources. Given the nature of the programmes we are looking to support, we expect that the full value of most proposals (taking into account any part-funding or in-kind contributions) will be at least £500k. 

As a member of the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC), the Trust will pay the directly incurred costs of research for research institutions and may pay some directly allocated research costs in specific cases. However, if applicable, we will expect funding to be allocated within the proposed budget to compensate any involved community partner organisation(s) for their contribution to the work at their full economic cost. Details of eligible costs are included in section 2.5 of the call guidelines.  

Any awards would be made to and administered by the Principal Investigator’s institution (the lead institution).  

The application process will consist of two stages:  

  1. Expression of interest stage
  2. Full application stage 

The expression of interest stage is open until 5pm on 6th of September 2024. 

During this time, prospective applicants must have a formal expression of interest conversation with the Trust’s triage panel. Details on how to arrange a conversation, and what this will involve, are included in the full call guidelines. Please note that expression of interest conversations must be booked at least 48 hours in advance. 

The Trust’s triage panel will consider proposals based on the expression of interest conversation, and according to the assessment criteria outlined in section 4.2 of the call guidelines. Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their expression of interest conversation during week commencing 9th September 2024, with successful applicants being invited to submit a full application form, via our online Grants Management Portal, by the deadline of 5pm on Tuesday 29th October 2024. 

Once submitted, full applications will undergo external peer review based on the assessment criteria outlined in section 5.2 of the call guidelines. Applicants will then be given between 9th – 13th December 2024 to respond to specific feedback provided by the peer reviewers. 

Applications will then be assessed by an expert panel, who will meet to consider applications in early February 2025. Interviews for applicants will be held on 26th and 27th February 2025, following which applicants will be notified of the outcome of their applications by late March / early April 2025.

We held a webinar on Wednesday 17th July (11am – 12.30pm) to introduce the call and offer prospective applicants the opportunity to ask questions.

You can download the webinar slides and can also watch the recording on YouTube.

Finally, you can also access the webinar attendee list at this link. This includes any details that attendees shared in the chat regarding their work / interests and potential proposal ideas – so do take a look if you would like to connect with other potential partners.

We will continue to advertise the call through our X / Twitter and LinkedIn accounts and to our mailing list subscribers. To subscribe to receive news and updates from us, please add your details to the ‘Join our community’ section of our “Contact us” page. 

Prospective applicants should read our general Funding FAQs and complete our eligibility quiz. Our Terms and Conditions for Research Grants will also apply. 

Once you have read the call guidelines and confirmed your eligibility for funding, you can book an expression of interest conversation. Please refer to the “Timetable and deadlines” section above and section 4 of the call guidelines for details on what this conversation entails and how to arrange it. 

Please email any queries relating to the call to [email protected] and our Grants Team will be able to assist you. 

DMT Proleptic Post-doctoral Fellowship Scheme

If your browser doesn’t open the dropdown boxes below, you can view the detailed call guidelines here.

Before being eligible to nominate a candidate, Heads of Department/Centre or Institute Directors must contact the Trust’s Grants Team to arrange an informal conversation to discuss the Fellowship opportunity.

As part of our 2020-25 strategic framework, we are committed to providing targeted support both to institutions which have demonstrated a long-term commitment to ageing-related research, but also to early career researchers, to ensure we continue to build and maintain research capacity in this important area. We are also signatories of the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers, and following publication of our Concordat action plan, piloted a scheme of Proleptic Fellowships for post-doctoral researchers in a small group of institutions which had previously been recipients of our Multiple PhD Studentship awards. Following the success of the pilot in 2022/23, we are delighted to be opening the scheme up to all eligible research institutions nationally.

The focus of the proposed research must address one or more of the following priority research themes outlined in our 2020-25 strategic framework:

  • improve our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of ageing and age-related disease;
  • target the social determinants of healthy life expectancy;
  • improve quality of life for older people, in particular:
    • in developing and delivering suitable living environments;
    • addressing the issues of age-related vision, hearing and oral health;
  • have the potential to prevent, delay or reduce future health and social care requirements, in particular, improve the ability to maintain functional independence for older adults.

Please note that research with a specific focus on cancer will not be eligible for funding.

All proposals, regardless of topic, should be aligned with the Trust’s key principles for research as detailed on page nine of our 2020-25 strategic framework. In particular:

  • Patient, carer and/or public involvement (PPI) should be considered in all aspects of the proposed study and its development.
  • Equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) should be considered in all aspects of the proposed study and its development.
  • A commitment to capacity-building and researcher career-development in ageing-related research during and beyond the lifetime of the proposed Fellowship – in line with our action plan in support of the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers – should be demonstrated, with practical examples.
  • Where appropriate, proposals should demonstrate a multidisciplinary approach to the proposed research.

This scheme is for post-doctoral researchers with three to ten years’ post-doctoral research experience, who are currently without a permanent position, but have demonstrated excellence and a capacity for independent work and are considered future leaders in ageing-related research. When considering research experience and eligibility, we will take into account any career breaks, parental leave and/or the impacts of COVID-19.

Please note that only one candidate per Department/Centre/Institute may be nominated to apply. Heads of Department/Centre or Institute Directors must contact the Trust’s Grants Team to arrange an informal conversation before nominating a candidate.

Funding has been made available to support at least two awards (of three to five years in duration full-time, and up to six to ten years part-time) on a co-funded basis with the respective host institution(s).

It is expected that funding from the Trust will taper over time so that, by the end of the Fellowship, host Departments/Centres/Institutes are fully funding the Fellow and have committed to providing them with a permanent academic position[1], subject to satisfactory performance.

[1] For example, for a three-year Fellowship: Year 1: Trust funds 100%, Year 2: Trust funds 67%, Year 3: Trust funds 33%, Year 4: Institution funds 100%. For a five-year Fellowship: Year 1: Trust funds 100%, Year 2: Trust funds 80%, Year 3: Trust Funds 60%, Year 4: Trust funds 40%, Year 5: Trust funds 20%, Year 6: Institution funds 100%. It is expected that the tapering will apply to the Fellow’s gross salary, and that the Departments/Centres/Institutes will also contribute to other aspects of the budget, such as running expenses, equipment and other costs.

  • Deadline for Heads of Department/Centre or Institute Directors to nominate a candidate – Friday 31st May 2024 (5pm)
  • Eligible candidates invited to online application stage – w/c 3rd June 2024
  • Deadline for submission of online applications – Friday 2nd August 2024 (5pm)
  • Peer review and Panel review/shortlisting of applications – August – December 2024
  • Candidates notified of the outcome of their application and, if shortlisted, invitation to attend an interview – w/c 6th January 2025
  • Interviews held by our Panel – w/c 20th January 2025
  • Ratification of the Panel’s recommendation as to which applicants should be funded – 4th February 2025
  • Shortlisted applicants notified of the outcome of their interview – Mid-March 2025

We will continue to advertise the call through our Twitter / X account and to our mailing list subscribers. To subscribe to receive news and updates from us, please add your details to the ‘Join our community’ section of our “Contact us” page.

Prospective applicants are asked to read our Funding FAQs and eligibility Q&A on our website. Our Terms and Conditions for Research Grants will also apply.

If you have any queries relating to the call, please email [email protected] and our Grants Team will be able to assist you.

Once you have read our eligibility Q&A, the call guidelines and our Funding FAQs, you can start your application on our Grants Management Portal.

You can also find funded post-doctoral and PhD studentship opportunities offered by DMT Academy members on our DMT Academy Jobs Board.

For other ageing-related funding opportunities from UK Ageing Research Funders’ Forum (UKARFF) members, go to the UKARFF news page.

Apply now

If you’ve read the call details, checked the deadlines and completed the eligibility Q&A, you’re ready to apply. We use an online Grants Management System. Where the scheme is co-funded, though, do please check whether our funding partner is taking the lead on the applications process. If that is the case, you will need to apply via their system so do check the call details carefully.

Step 1

Check our deadlines

View full details in the “open calls and deadlines” section on this page (above). Just click on the dropdown box for the call in which you are interested.

Check

Step 2

Eligibility Q&A

Please answer the questions in the eligibility quiz before starting your application. You will be asked to confirm formally that you have done so within the electronic application system. If you need any advice or are unsure how to respond to any of these questions, please do contact us.

View Q&A

Step 3

Provide an ORCID iD

This step does not apply to community grant applicants.

In common with many other funders, we require all lead applicants for Research Project Grants to provide an ORCID iD when completing an application form in our Grants Management Portal.

If you don’t have an ORCID iD, you can register for one. Through ORCID,  researchers can allow funders, publishers and research organisations to access the information in their ORCID profile during grant and manuscript submission. Currently, we use your ORCID profile to auto-populate the following questions on the application form:

  • Degrees and professional qualifications.  In ORCID this is called “Education”.
  • Postgraduate career (please provide details of your last 3 positions, starting with the most recent).  In ORCID this is called “Employment”.
  • Current/most recent externally funded grants you have held as the lead applicant. In ORCID, this is called “Funding”.
  • Peer-reviewed publications (please list your (relevant) publications from the last 10 years).  In ORCID, this is called “Works”.

There is no option to input these mandatory pieces of data directly into our application form so it is essential that your ORCID profile is up to date to enable the application form to be auto-populated.

ORCID has published a range of help including a suite of videos to help you with common issues such as changing your password, editing your personal details and updating your publication list.

Step 4

Apply online

We operate an online application system. The software we have chosen for this is Flexigrant® from Fluent Technology. If you are an academic or clinical researcher, you may be familiar with the system, which is also used by a number of other funders.

If you wish to apply for a grant, you will first need to create an account in the system.

Apply now