The Rank Prize Funds

Charity Number: 1183866

Annual Expenditure: £0.9M

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £862,000 (2023 expenditure)
  • Success Rate: Not publicly disclosed
  • Decision Time: Varies by grant program
  • Grant Range: £400/week (undergraduate grants) - £100,000 (biennial prizes)
  • Geographic Focus: United Kingdom

Contact Details

Address: 19-21 Garden Walk, London, EC2A 3EQ

Website: http://www.rankprize.org/

Email: enquiries@rankprize.org

Phone: 020 7834 7731

Office Hours: Monday-Friday, 09:00-17:00

Overview

The Rank Prize Funds was endowed by industrialist and philanthropist J. Arthur Rank and his wife Nell via the Rank Foundation on 16 February 1972. The charity (registered number 1183866) had total expenditure of £861,978 in 2023 and focuses exclusively on two scientific disciplines that were fundamental to Lord Rank's business interests: nutrition and optoelectronics. The organization's mission is to recognize, reward, and encourage researchers at all stages of their careers through prestigious biennial prizes worth £100,000 each, alongside multiple grant programs supporting early-career scientists. The Committees and Trustees seek to identify individuals who have made significant contributions where “an initial idea has been carried through to practical applications that have benefited or will benefit humanity.” The charity is led by Chair Stuart Cowen and governed by eight trustees representing diverse scientific expertise.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

1. Lord Selborne PhD Scholarship (alternates annually between Nutrition and Optoelectronics)

  • Full three-year PhD funding matched to UKRI rates (stipend + tuition fees)
  • Additional £5,000/year for consumables and £1,000/year for conferences
  • Named after former Chairman Lord Selborne (1940-2021)
  • Supports next generation of researchers in vision science or nutrition

2. New Lecturer Grant (Nutrition only)

  • Amount: Up to £25,000 for projects completed within two years
  • Eligibility: UK-based lecturers/researchers/fellows within first two years of appointment, typically 3-9 years post-PhD (allowances for career breaks)
  • Coverage: Direct research costs only (no indirect/overhead costs or salary)
  • Application Deadline: September 15, 2025 (23:59)
  • Areas: Human nutrition, animal nutrition (distinct from husbandry), or crop science

3. Undergraduate Vacation Grant (Nutrition and Optoelectronics)

  • Amount: £400/week for up to 8 weeks + up to £500 for consumables
  • Purpose: Summer research lab experience for undergraduates
  • Application Deadline: January 20, 2025 (23:59)
  • Post-Award: Student submits video report; supervisor submits written report within one month

4. Forum Grant (Nutrition)

  • Amount: Up to £10,000
  • Coverage: Travel, food, and accommodation for groups of up to 20 scientists
  • Duration: One or two-day forums
  • Application Deadline: July 28, 2025 (23:59)
  • Requirement: Forums must occur before August 31, 2026; outcomes report due within one month

5. Rank Lecture Grant (Nutrition and Optoelectronics)

  • Purpose: Sponsorship for keynote presentations at prestigious conferences
  • Currently Sponsored: Nutrition Society, Diabetes UK, Photon, European Conference on Visual Perception
  • Status: Open for applications (amount not publicly disclosed)

6. Biennial Prizes (Nutrition and Optoelectronics)

  • Amount: £100,000 per prize
  • Frequency: Awarded biennially (every two years)
  • Recent Winners (2024): Professors Mike Lean and Roy Taylor (Nutrition - diabetes remission); Professors Donald T. Miller, Austin Roorda, David R. Williams, and Dr. Junzhong Liang (Optoelectronics - adaptive optics for retinal imaging)

Priority Areas

Nutrition Focus:

  • Human nutrition research
  • Animal nutrition (distinct from animal husbandry)
  • Crop science
  • Dietary approaches to disease prevention and management
  • Plant genetics and metabolism for enhanced nutritional qualities

Optoelectronics Focus:

  • Interface between optics and electronics
  • Vision science
  • Adaptive optics technologies
  • Optical device engineering
  • Photonics applications

What They Don't Fund

  • Indirect costs or institutional overheads
  • Applicant salary costs (for most grants)
  • Research conducted outside the UK
  • Projects outside nutrition and optoelectronics fields
  • Work that is part of normal degree course requirements
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Governance and Leadership

Chair

Stuart Cowen - Chair of Rank Prize and Director of the Rank Foundation, bringing extensive experience in grant-making through family and corporate trusts and foundations.

Board of Trustees

Professor Donal D. C. Bradley (CBE FRS FInstP FIET FRSA) - Vice President for Research and Distinguished Professor, Materials Physics & Device Engineering at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST); renowned for research on soluble semiconductor materials physics

Andrew Cowen - Grandchild of Lord Rank; Chairman of the Biopharma Group, specializing in stabilization process development for large molecule therapeutics

Professor Dame Julia Higgins (DBE FRS FREng) - Emeritus Professor of Polymer Science at Imperial College London; advanced understanding of molecular structure in polymers through scattering techniques

Dr Claire Madden-Smith - Executive with expertise in translating scientific innovation into commercial services; Non-executive Director and strategic consultant in pharmaceutical and private equity sectors

Professor John Mathers (PhD Hon FafN) - Professor of Human Nutrition at Newcastle University; Editor-in-Chief of the British Journal of Nutrition; research focuses on eating patterns and age-related disease risks

Carol Taylor - Eldest grandchild of Lord Rank; previously served on Macmillan Cancer Support committees; active with Riding for the Disabled (RDA)

Professor Sir William Wakeham (FREng, FInst P, FIET, FIChemE, DSc, PhD, D.Ed.) - Emeritus Professor at University of Southampton; Visiting Professor at Imperial College London; expert in transport processes and thermodynamics

The organization also maintains separate committees for Nutrition and Optoelectronics that guide prize awards and grant decisions in their respective fields.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

Applications are submitted through online application forms available on the Rank Prize website. Different grant programs have different application requirements:

  • New Lecturer Grant: Requires position details with contract end dates, departmental support letter from head/director, research proposal, and evidence of eligibility as independent investigator
  • Forum Grant: Applications welcomed from institutions or individual research groups in the UK
  • Undergraduate Vacation Grant: Online application form; project must have clearly defined objective within Rank Prize's charitable objectives

All applicants must be based at UK institutions. Employment contracts must extend beyond the grant end date. Terms and conditions documents are available for each grant program.

Decision Timeline

Decision timelines vary by grant program and are not publicly disclosed. The organization operates on a rolling basis for some grants (Rank Lecture Grant currently open) and fixed deadlines for others.

Key Deadlines for 2025:

  • January 20, 2025: Undergraduate Vacation Grant
  • July 28, 2025: Forum Grant
  • September 15, 2025: New Lecturer Grant

Post-award requirements typically include outcome reports due within one month of project completion.

Success Rates

Success rates and application statistics are not publicly disclosed by the Rank Prize Funds.

Reapplication Policy

The organization does not publicly disclose its reapplication policy for unsuccessful applicants. Contact the organization directly at enquiries@rankprize.org for clarification.

Application Success Factors

Key Selection Criteria

The Committees and Trustees seek researchers who have made or will make “significant contributions to the sciences where an initial idea has been carried through to practical applications that have benefited or will benefit humanity.” The organization celebrates “breakthrough ideas that become practical applications that can make a difference to all our lives.”

Advice from Successful Applicants

Interdisciplinary Review: Successful applicants recommend having proposals reviewed by colleagues across different disciplines within nutrition and crop science. Considering perspectives from other disciplines helps strengthen applications and prepares candidates for interview panels with diverse expertise.

Feasibility is Critical: Clearly demonstrate that you have the skills, resources, time, and institutional support necessary to complete the proposed research within the grant period.

Early Career Stage: For New Lecturer Grants, the program specifically targets researchers establishing themselves as independent investigators, typically 3-9 years post-PhD and within the first two years of their lecturer-level appointment.

Institutional Support: Strong departmental backing is essential - applications require confirmation from department heads that facilities and support will be available.

Recent Funded Projects

2024 Prize Winners: Research on dietary approaches to type 2 diabetes remission (Professors Mike Lean and Roy Taylor) and adaptive optics for high-resolution retinal imaging (Miller, Roorda, Williams, Liang)

2023 New Lecturer Grant Winners: Various early-career researchers in nutrition working to establish independent research programs

Recent Forum Topics: The Eatwell Guide, food insecurity's effects on nutrition and health

Language and Terminology

The organization emphasizes:

  • “Practical applications that benefit humanity”
  • “Breakthrough ideas”
  • “Scientific excellence”
  • “Supporting researchers at all stages of their careers”
  • “Independent investigators”
  • “Translation from theory to practice”

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  1. Disciplinary Focus is Absolute: Only apply if your work falls squarely within nutrition (human, animal, crop science) or optoelectronics/vision science. The Rank Prize Funds does not support research outside these two specific areas.
  1. Translation to Practice Matters: Demonstrate clear pathways from fundamental research to practical applications that benefit humanity. The organization prioritizes work that moves beyond theoretical contributions.
  1. Career Stage Alignment is Critical: Different grants target different career stages. Ensure you meet the specific eligibility criteria (e.g., within 2 years of lecturer appointment for New Lecturer Grant, undergraduate status for vacation grants).
  1. UK Focus Required: All grants require UK residency or UK-based institutional affiliation. International collaborations are acceptable, but the lead applicant must be UK-based.
  1. Get Interdisciplinary Feedback: Before submission, have your proposal reviewed by colleagues from related but distinct disciplines. Multi-disciplinary review strengthens applications for evaluation by diverse expert panels.
  1. Demonstrate Institutional Support: Strong letters from department heads and clear evidence of facility access and organizational backing are essential for successful applications.
  1. Contact for Clarification: The organization welcomes inquiries during office hours (Mon-Fri, 09:00-17:00). Don't hesitate to contact them about eligibility questions before investing time in an application.

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