Therapeutic Catalyst Grant
Cancer Research UK Therapeutic Catalyst Awards were launched in late 2021 and have been a great success. The scheme operates as a collaborative venture between research scientists and drug discoverers within Cancer Research Horizons to accelerate the translation of novel ideas for therapeutic discovery. Awards can be up to £250,000 to support a 12–18-month proposal.
Next expression of interest deadline: 6 June 2025
Photo: N/AQ&A drop-in session with Cancer Research Horizons
The next Q&A drop-in session with Cancer Research Horizons will be held on 29 April 2025, 12:30 - 13:30h, online.
During this session, you will get the chance to ask any questions on the grants or other opportunities to work with Cancer Research Horizons.
No registration is needed, just follow the link to join the session!
Cancer Research Horizons is Cancer Research UK’s drug discovery engine. Cancer Research Horizons collaborates with researchers to translate lab discoveries into effective treatments for cancer patients. The Therapeutic Catalyst supports exploratory drug discovery efforts to validate and de-risk targets and technologies and position them for onward investment and progression. This provides you with the opportunity to take your research idea from bench to patients with a single funder and partner. Funded projects run collaboratively between academic and Cancer Research Horizons drug discovery laboratories (Therapeutic Innovation), with joint decision-making and accountability for project progression.
Key information
Cancer Research Horizons is seeking early drug discovery projects with strong therapeutic potential to deliver patient benefit. This scheme aims to de-risk early projects to facilitate further drug discovery research, funding, or partnering.
Eligibility
You should:
- be an academic researcher based at any university or research institute world-wide
- have your own lab
Funding awarded
Successful projects will receive up to £250k for up to 18 months.
This funding covers experimental activities in the applying laboratory/ies, and resources externally from the applying academic laboratory including any outsourced activities. Funding can be provided for staff time (research or technical) and any associated running expenses.
Deadlines
There are 3 rounds of applications per year held in February, June and October. Next expression of interest deadline: 6 June 2025.
Scientific remit
Cancer Research Horizons invite applications for early drug discovery proposals from across all cancer indications and modalities. Some examples of projects we might fund include the following areas:
- deconvolution and validation of novel targets and pathways
- novel therapeutic approaches to validated targets
- identification of novel cancer therapeutics or targets by developing platforms, assays and screens
- drug discovery feasibility and progressing more advanced assets
Not in remit
The following types of projects are not within the remit of this scheme and will not be progressed:
- drug repositioning/repurposing approaches or novel therapeutic combinations
- target identification proposals based solely on the use of gene silencing or editing methods in commercially available tumour cell lines
- preclinical development studies to initiate clinical trials
- drug product toxicology, formulation and delivery
- development of technology to address an area in early detection, diagnostic field or prevention
- hit finding activities
- basic biological research relating to cancer
- exploratory studies to uncover the underpinning mechanisms of resistance to therapies
Application Process and Timelines
Information on how to apply
FAQ
What makes a successful application
Successful applications are based on high impact scientific discoveries with a clear route of translation to benefit cancer patients (e.g. robust proof of concept, strong disease positioning hypothesis, innovative models for target validation or identification, etc).
The proposed project must reach an inflection point within the 18-month window, with validation of the hypothesis and positioning of the project for potential onward investment.
Successful applications are fully collaborative in nature, making the most of expertise based in your own research laboratory and Cancer Research Horizons drug discovery laboratories.
How does the full application process work:
At the proposal stage, you will be assigned a scientist from Therapeutic Innovation to support you throughout your project, working with you to build and pitch the proposal. These scientists bring significant expertise and serve as a single point of contact to manage all the internal (Cancer Research Horizons drug discovery) and external resources required to deliver your project.
What if my project is not in the remit of the Therapeutic Catalyst scheme
We can also offer additional expertise, resources, and capabilities from across Cancer Research Horizons, Cancer Research UK, and our wider investigator network to help your project progress more effectively. Additionally, if appropriate, Cancer Research Horizons can support you in identifying and engaging with potential commercial partners or other options to accelerate the project toward patient benefit.