Action Medical Research

Charity Number: 208701

Annual Expenditure: £8.0M
Throughout England And Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland

Contact Info

Website: www.action.org.uk

Phone: 01403 210406

Email: info@action.org.uk

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £4.24 million (charitable activities expenditure, 2024)
  • Success Rate: 33-40% (for full applications)
  • Decision Time: 9-10 months (from outline to award)
  • Grant Range: Up to £200,000 (£250,000 for co-funded awards)
  • Geographic Focus: UK-wide

Contact Details

Website: www.action.org.uk

Email: info@action.org.uk

Phone: 01403 210406

Grant enquiries: applications@action.org.uk

Overview

Founded in 1952 by Duncan Guthrie following his daughter's polio diagnosis, Action Medical Research (charity number 208701) has grown into the UK's leading charity dedicated to funding vital research to help sick and disabled babies, children and young people. Over 70 years, the charity has invested over £137 million in medical breakthroughs, including pioneering the first oral polio vaccine, developing ultrasound scanning in pregnancy, and fighting meningitis. With total income of £8.18 million (2024), the organization currently has over £11 million invested in the work of 190 top researchers working on 55 projects across the UK. The charity prides itself on funding innovative, high-standard research validated through rigorous peer review, with emphasis on clinical research or research at the interface between clinical and basic science that can be translated into clinical solutions in the short to medium term.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Project Grants: Up to £200,000 for up to 36 months

  • Application method: Two-stage process (outline followed by invited full applications)
  • Rolling basis: No - fixed annual deadlines
  • Around 10 projects funded per round

Co-Funded Programmes:

  • Action LifeArc Joint Call: Up to £200,000
  • Action DEBRA UK: Up to £200,000 for epidermolysis bullosa research
  • Action Borne: Up to £250,000 for stillbirth and premature birth research
  • Action Cystic Fibrosis Trust: Up to £200,000 for cystic fibrosis research

Priority Areas

Action Medical Research funds research across the breadth of child health, including:

  • Clinical research with short to medium-term translational potential
  • Problems affecting pregnancy, childbirth, babies, children and young people
  • Medical engineering (equipment and techniques for improved diagnosis, therapy and assistive technology)
  • Brain injury and neuroprotection
  • Cancer (particularly brain tumours)
  • Rare diseases
  • Preterm birth prevention
  • Epilepsy and autism
  • Life-threatening infections
  • Cystic fibrosis
  • Heart conditions
  • Asthma

Applicants welcomed from: medical graduates, clinicians, bioengineers, research nurses, physiotherapists and allied health professionals.

What They Don't Fund

Educational and Administrative Costs:

  • Higher education course fees (though Research Training Fellows may independently register for PhDs)
  • Course fees for degrees, subsistence costs, or apprenticeship levy
  • Indirect costs including administrative or institutional overheads
  • Conference attendance costs (separate applications accepted for current grantholders)
  • Advertising, recruitment, or visa costs

Research Type Exclusions:

  • Complementary/alternative medicine
  • Very basic research with little likelihood of clinical impact in the short to medium term
  • Human reproductive cloning (illegal in the UK)

Other Exclusions:

  • 'Top up' funding for work supported by other funding bodies
  • General appeals from other charities
  • Salary costs for existing salaried positions
  • Standard laboratory equipment

Governance and Leadership

Management Team

Julie Buckler - Chief Executive

On funding rare diseases: “Funding research into rare diseases, such as epidermolysis bullosa simplex (EBS), is important.”

Dr. Sarah Wagstaffe-Jones - Director of Research

Kabba Njie - Director of Finance, IT & Operations

Lewis Coghlin - Director of Fundraising

Sarah Moss - Director of Communications

Board of Trustees

Chair: Luke Bordewich (Chair since January 2021, Trustee since January 2015)

Managing Director at Deutsche Numis. Described as a “keen volunteer fundraiser.”

Honorary Treasurer: Richard Wild (Trustee since November 2017)

Group Head of Anti-Financial Crimes Compliance at Unicredit. Chairs Investment and Audit Committee.

Notable Trustees:

  • Professor David Edwards: Professor of Paediatrics and Neonatal Medicine, King's College London (Trustee since January 2016)
  • Professor David Rowitch: Head of Paediatrics, University of Cambridge
  • Professor Stephanie Schorge: Head of Neuroscience, UCL
  • Bhavin Patel: Partner at Apollo Management International
  • Kathy Harvey: Extensive HR and corporate governance background
  • Karen Last: Independent financial advisor
  • Clare Ferguson: Credit risk and banking experience
  • Rajat Sharma: Co-founder and Director, VAR Capital Ltd (Trustee since November 2022)
  • Richard (surname not provided): Head of Operations and Planning, Google Consumer Electronic Division; chairs Risk Management Committee (Trustee since April 2019)

The Board meets four times annually and provides medical, financial and business expertise on a voluntary basis. Trustees receive no remuneration, payments or benefits from the charity.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

Two-Stage Process:

Stage 1: Outline Application

  • Deadline: Fixed annual deadline (e.g., 11 February 2025 at 5pm)
  • Online form submission
  • Reviewed by Scientific Advisory Panel
  • Only one application per research team per grant round

Stage 2: Full Application (by invitation only)

  • Invitations sent: April
  • Full application deadline: Approximately June (e.g., 3 June 2025)
  • External peer review
  • Scientific Advisory Panel assessment
  • Final approval by Council

Decision Timeline

From outline submission to award: 9-10 months

  • Outline deadline: February
  • Full application invitations: April
  • Full application deadline: June
  • External peer review and panel assessment: Summer/Autumn
  • Decisions: November
  • Awards: December/January
  • Projects must start within 6 months of award

Success Rates

Recent Statistics:

2024 Round: 33% success rate

  • 81 outline applications received
  • 42 invited to submit full applications (52% of outlines)
  • 41 full applications received
  • 13 awards made (33% of full applications)

2022 Round: 33% success rate

  • Similar invitation and award pattern

Action LifeArc Joint Calls:

  • 2022/2023: 36% success rate (4 awards from 11 full applications)
  • 2021/2022: 40% success rate (4 awards from 10 full applications)

Applications are “very competitive” according to the charity.

Reapplication Policy

A research team can only submit one grant application per grant round. The charity does not explicitly state reapplication restrictions for unsuccessful applicants in subsequent rounds. Contact applications@action.org.uk for specific guidance on resubmissions.

Application Success Factors

Key Advice from Action Medical Research

Quality and Alignment:

  • “Applications should be of high quality as the scheme is very competitive and will be assessed by rigorous peer review”
  • Ensure proposals align with Action's remit and the specific call aims
  • "Outlines will be reviewed by their Scientific Advisory Panel and those that best match the call aims and Action's remit will be invited to submit a full application"

Research Approach:

  • Emphasis on “clinical research or research at the interface between clinical and basic science”
  • Focus on research that can be “translated into clinical solutions in the short to medium term”
  • Action “prides itself that their research is both innovative and of a high standard”

Practical Guidance:

  • Contact your research office first for help with costings and proposal writing
  • Allow sufficient time for your organization's submission process
  • Ensure Principal Investigator has permanent position (or fixed-term contract extending 6+ months beyond project with full institutional support)
  • Prepare for “precisely formulated research line” with clear clinical impact

Recent Funded Projects (Examples)

  • Improving pain assessment in babies after surgery
  • Cystic fibrosis: predicting long-term health outcomes for children with inconclusive diagnosis
  • Polycystic ovary syndrome: investigating food supplements for teenagers
  • Combining virtual reality and brain scans to understand social brain processing in autistic children
  • Brain injury at birth: testing melatonin or cooling therapy to protect newborn brains
  • Developing treatments for children with epidermolysis bullosa simplex (co-funded with DEBRA UK)
  • Research to diagnose and treat life-threatening infections
  • Projects to help children with epilepsy and autism
  • Prevention of brain injury in babies born prematurely

Common Characteristics of Funded Research

  • Clear child health focus
  • Translational potential (bench to bedside)
  • Innovative methodology
  • High scientific quality
  • Specific, achievable objectives within 3 years
  • Strong research team with appropriate expertise
  • Institutional support clearly demonstrated

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  1. Target child health with clinical impact: Action exclusively funds research benefiting babies, children and young people. Ensure your research has clear potential for translation into clinical practice within the short to medium term - basic research without this connection will not be funded.
  1. Competitive but achievable: With success rates of 33-40% at full application stage and approximately 52% of outlines invited forward, the scheme is competitive but not prohibitively so. Quality applications with strong fit to remit have good prospects.
  1. Plan for long timeline: Budget 9-10 months from outline submission to award notification. Projects must commence within 6 months of award, so timeline planning is essential.
  1. Institutional support is critical: Early career researchers and fixed-term contract holders must demonstrate strong institutional backing. Engage your research office early for costings and proposal development support.
  1. One shot per round: Each research team can only submit one application per grant round, so choose your strongest, best-aligned project. Focus on quality over quantity.
  1. Emphasize innovation and rigour: Action values research that is “both innovative and of a high standard as judged by rigorous peer review.” Demonstrate methodological excellence and novel approaches.
  1. Consider co-funding opportunities: Joint calls with DEBRA UK, Borne, Cystic Fibrosis Trust, and LifeArc may offer additional routes to funding for eligible projects. The Borne partnership offers higher maximum awards (£250,000).

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References