Mq: Transforming Mental Health

Charity Number: 1139916

Annual Expenditure: £2.7M

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £2.67 million
  • Success Rate: Not publicly disclosed
  • Decision Time: Approximately 6-8 months (Fellows Award)
  • Grant Range: £50,000 - £250,000
  • Geographic Focus: Global (excluding mainland China and countries under UK financial sanctions)

Contact Details

Website: www.mqmentalhealth.org

Email: info@mqmentalhealth.org

Phone: 0300 030 8100

Grant Enquiries: grants@mqmentalhealth.org

Fellows Award Enquiries: fellows@mqmentalhealth.org

Grants Portal: mq.flexigrant.com

Overview

MQ: Transforming Mental Health was founded in 2013 with initial funding from the Wellcome Trust. Since inception, MQ has invested over £30 million in mental health research, supporting more than 65 research projects across six continents at 40 institutions globally. In 2024, MQ invested £2.67 million supporting 39 projects across nine countries. MQ is the UK's leading mental health research charity, with a mission to create a world where mental illnesses are understood, effectively treated, and ultimately prevented. The charity takes a bio-psycho-social approach to mental health research, spanning neuroscience, clinical research, data science, developmental science, social science, psychology, and behavioural science. In 2023, MQ received the Charity Governance Award, along with a Prestige Award and an Inside Out Award for best use of technology, recognising their governance excellence during challenging times.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programmes

1. Fellows Award

  • Amount: Up to £250,000 over three years
  • Target: Early career researchers (3-7 years post-doctoral experience)
  • Application: Via Flexi-Grant portal, annual application cycle
  • Deadline: Expression of Interest (November-December), Full Application (April)
  • Special Stream: EMDR Fellowship (North America only, up to $332,500)

2. Scholarships Programme

  • Amount: Not publicly disclosed
  • Target: Researchers who have recently completed their PhDs
  • Status: Launched in 2024, six researchers funded in first cohort
  • Application: Contact MQ for details

3. Transdisciplinary Research Grants

  • Amount: Up to £50,000
  • Duration: 6 months
  • Target: Researchers outside psychiatry, psychology, and neuroscience
  • Application: Two-stage process (Expression of Interest, then Full Application)
  • Partnership: Developed and funded by Wellcome

4. Data Science Awards

  • Amount: Up to £50,000
  • Duration: 6-24 months
  • Focus: Projects using data science to improve mental health understanding and treatment
  • Status: Programme funding varies by year

Priority Areas

MQ's research programme focuses on four core areas:

  1. Supporting Future Generations: Strong emphasis on children and young people's mental health (31.8% of grant portfolio), prevention and early intervention
  2. Improving Current Treatments: Depression, anxiety, psychosis, OCD, eating disorders, suicide and self-harm
  3. Promoting Research Leadership: Building capacity in the mental health research workforce
  4. Utilizing Mental Health Data: Data science approaches to mental health research

Specific Priority Topics:

  • Mental health of children, adolescents, and young people
  • Digital technologies and mental health
  • Eating disorders
  • Suicide and self-harm prevention
  • Mental health across the lifespan
  • Vulnerable populations (ethnic minorities, financially insecure, frontline workers)

Required Approach:

  • Interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research
  • Patient and public involvement (PPIE-P) throughout all stages
  • Research conducted 'with' or 'by' people with lived experience, not 'to' or 'for' them

What They Don't Fund

  • Fellows Award: Previous applicants are automatically excluded from reapplication
  • Fellows Award: Applicants holding other substantial research funding (>£100,000/year)
  • Geographic restrictions: Mainland China and countries under UK financial sanctions
  • MQ does not fund clinical trials exclusively; they favour bio-psycho-social approaches
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Governance and Leadership

Board of Trustees:

  • Chair: Dr Shahzad Malik, General Partner at Advent Life Sciences (since 2017)
  • John A. Herrmann Jr.: Chairman of MQ Foundation
  • Professor Ann John: Professor of Public Health and Psychiatry, Swansea University
  • Professor Rory O'Connor: Professor of Health Psychology, University of Glasgow
  • Sarah Woolnough: CEO of The King's Fund
  • James Palmer CBE: Partner at Herbert Smith Freehills
  • Fabrizio Campelli: Head of Corporate Bank at Deutsche Bank
  • Michael J. Horvitz: Chairman of Parkland Management Company

Leadership:

  • CEO: Chris Martin (interim, joined from The Mix digital mental health charity)
  • Former CEO Lea Milligan (2020-2024) was described as “an inspirational leader and incredibly clear strategic thinker”

Key Quotes:

  • Dr Shahzad Malik (Chair): “The board remains clear that MQ is exceptionally placed to meet a fundamental gap in mental health research needs.”
  • Chris Martin (CEO): “Technology is the key to creating cost-effective, tangible impact in a time of existential challenge to our sector.”
  • Lea Milligan (former CEO): “MQ exists to build a brighter future, where mental health conditions are understood, effectively treated and maybe even prevented.”

Additional Bodies:

  • Science Council: Interdisciplinary scientific advisors
  • Lived Experience Expert Network (LEE Network): Global community of people with lived experience
  • Data Science Group: Experts focused on improving data use in mental health research

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

All Applications: Submit via Flexi-Grant portal (mq.flexigrant.com)

Fellows Award Process:

  1. Webinar: 15 September (attend to understand requirements)
  2. Expression of Interest: 3 November - 12 December (800-word project summary)
  3. Full Application: 3 April (detailed application with multiple sections including applicant details, scientific abstract, patient involvement, grants/publications)
  4. Decision Notification: No later than 15 June
  5. Research Commencement: Winter following award

Transdisciplinary Grants Process:

  1. Stage 1 - Expression of Interest: Brief application via Flexi-Grant
  2. Stage 2 - Full Application: Invited applicants only, reviewed by Funding Committee including lived experience and academic experts

Decision Timeline

  • Fellows Award: Approximately 6-8 months from Expression of Interest to final decision
  • Transdisciplinary Grants: Timing varies by funding round
  • Data Science Awards: Varies by programme cycle

Assessment Criteria

Applications undergo rigorous review assessing:

  • Methodology and scientific rigour
  • Interdisciplinary/transdisciplinary approach
  • Research environment and institutional support
  • Impact potential
  • Patient and public involvement plans
  • Applicant's track record (research results, publications, career achievements)

Review Process: Three-stage selection involving staff review, Research Committee assessment, external peer reviewers, and interviews with Committee and public/patient representatives

Success Rates

Success rates are not publicly disclosed. However:

  • Fellows Award is described as “highly competitive”
  • 30 Fellowships awarded in first 10 years (approximately 3 per year)
  • Seven Fellows awarded in 2023 (£2.2 million investment)
  • Programme has expanded over time with new funding streams

Reapplication Policy

Fellows Award: Previous applicants are automatically excluded from future applications. This is a strict, one-time opportunity policy.

Other Programmes: Reapplication policies not specified; contact grants@mqmentalhealth.org for clarification.

Application Success Factors

What MQ Looks For

  1. Outstanding Track Record: “MQ is looking for applicants who have made an outstanding start to their research career as demonstrated by their research results, publications and career track record to date.”
  1. Interdisciplinary Innovation: Strong emphasis on bringing together different disciplines and novel approaches to mental health research. Transdisciplinary grants specifically seek “bold and novel ideas and methods from their discipline to mental health science.”
  1. Meaningful PPIE-P: Applications must demonstrate “a clear plan to involve people with lived experience throughout the research process” with evidence of understanding how to “meaningfully and practically embed PPI into the project.”
  1. Relevance to Mental Health: Projects must “address a question relevant to mental health, such as the understanding, diagnosis, treatment or prevention of mental illness.”
  1. Career Development Potential: For early career researchers, demonstrate how the award will support establishing independence and leadership in the field.

Examples of Recently Funded Projects

2023 Fellows:

  • Dr Suhas Ganesh (Central Institute of Psychiatry, India): Examining genetic and environmental predictors of treatment-emergent metabolic abnormalities in schizophrenia
  • Dr Gareth Griffith (University of Bristol): Improving study designs to better understand why people die by suicide
  • Dr Moritz Herle (King's College London): Understanding why people with eating disorders are at greater risk of suicide

2024 Transdisciplinary Grants:

  • Dr Tom Bashford (University of Cambridge): Exploring how digital tools can improve communication and offer timely mental health support
  • Dr Carly Wood (University of Essex): Reviewing social and therapeutic horticulture for reducing depression and anxiety

High-Impact Past Fellows:

  • Dr Susanne Ahmari (USA): Identified brain activity related to obsessive behaviours, first step towards new OCD treatments
  • Dr Claire Gillan (Ireland): Created AI-based tool to predict antidepressant effectiveness for individuals
  • Dr Ethel Nakimuli-Mpungu (Uganda): Developed successful intervention for remote communities living with HIV and depression

Strategic Guidance

From Application Guidance: Getting a major grant application together “takes a very long time – often much longer than you might expect – with many people saying it took them more than a year to get their application together.”

Networking Advice: “There are lots of people out there who would be happy to give you some tips/advice/share a past application or feedback with you, particularly those who have been successful at your institution or through professional networks.”

Focus on Gaps: MQ specifically notes that “only £9 is spent on research per person affected by mental illness, which is 25 times less than in cancer research” – demonstrating their commitment to addressing underfunded areas.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  1. One Shot Only: For the Fellows Award, you have only one opportunity to apply – previous applicants are permanently excluded. Ensure your application is as strong as possible before submission.
  1. Start Early: Major applications take over a year to prepare. Begin planning well in advance of deadlines, particularly for the Fellows Award.
  1. Embed Lived Experience: Patient and public involvement is not optional. Demonstrate genuine, meaningful engagement with people with lived experience at every stage of your research.
  1. Think Interdisciplinary: MQ actively seeks projects that bring together different disciplines. If you're from outside traditional mental health fields (for Transdisciplinary Grants), emphasise how your unique perspective addresses mental health challenges.
  1. Prioritise Youth Mental Health: With 31.8% of their portfolio focused on children and young people, proposals addressing prevention and early intervention in youth populations are strategically aligned with MQ's priorities.
  1. Demonstrate Outstanding Track Record: For Fellows, publication record and research achievements are critical. The competition is “highly competitive” with approximately 3-7 awards per year globally.
  1. Align with Strategic Focus Areas: Strongest proposals will address gaps in: depression, anxiety, psychosis, eating disorders, suicide prevention, digital technologies, or data science approaches to mental health.

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