Fund for Cures UK, Ltd.

Fund for Cures UK, Ltd. is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 1185863).

Fund for Cures UK, Ltd. is a registered charity whose mission is to advance promising new scientific and medical discoveries into treatments and cures. It provides financial capital, industry-experienced guidance and business management to move basic drug discoveries into the clinical realm. Its programmes include a rare disease research centre and national hub for a UK-wide grants programme that supports scientists and medical researchers at UK universities, as well as the Harrington UK Rare Disease award for individual researchers around the UK. Its annual giving was £647,479, and its size line describes a two-year grant of £100,000 guaranteed, with the opportunity to qualify for an additional up to £400,000.

Priority Areas

Fund for Cures UK advances promising scientific and medical discoveries into treatments and cures, with its rare-disease award moving preclinical projects from academic labs towards clinical practice and patients. It supports MD or PhD researchers working at accredited academic medical centres, universities or research institutions, with a single principal investigator responsible for the project. Its stated interests include novel approaches to rare diseases, especially neurological disorders, developmental disorders and rare cancers, while also welcoming other rare genetic indications with high unmet need. Support combines grant funding with expert therapeutics-development assistance and project management. The charity’s wider UK work supports scientists and medical researchers at UK universities to advance research into the nature, causes, diagnosis, prevention, treatment and cure of disease.

Themes

• Neurological disorders
• Developmental disorders
• Rare cancers
• Other rare genetic diseases

Geographic Focus

UK; US; Canada; anywhere in the world.

For the Oxford-Harrington Rare Disease Scholar Award, applicants submit an online application; new applicants register before applying.

Deadlines: Applications must be submitted by the published deadline.

Application windows:

• Oxford-Harrington Rare Disease Scholar Award: Opens in January, closes in March

Who can apply:

• Oxford-Harrington Rare Disease Scholar Award
  • MD or PhD (or equivalent) researchers in the UK, US, and Canada operating their own independent lab
  • Faculty position at an accredited academic medical center, university or research institution in the UK, US, or Canada, and conduct the majority of their research at that institution
  • A project must have a single Principal Investigator (PI), who is responsible for project oversight and financial management. The PI may engage collaborators, core labs, or commercial Contract Research Organizations (CROs) to execute any portion of the project.
• Harrington UK Rare Disease
  • Investigators may apply from accredited academic medical centers, research institutions or universities in the United Kingdom (UK).
  • Applications must be written in English.

Applying again: Harrington UK Rare Disease: Past recipients of Harrington awards may submit new and distinct proposals, but may not seek additional support for previously funded projects.

What the charity says:

• The panel values proposals demonstrating rigorous science, innovation and potential for clinical impact.
• Projects with novel, validated targets are of particular interest.
• The programme considers potential to develop a commercial program.
• A strong intellectual-property or protection strategy is a key consideration.
• Therapeutic programmes with clear potential for rapid, safe clinical translation and advancement towards patients are considered.
• Later-stage pre-clinical applications built on well-validated or clinically-validated technologies are key considerations.