Small molecule high throughput screen using AstraZeneca facilities

Overview Opportunity status: Open Funders: Grant Total fund: £1,000,000 Maximum award: £270,000 Publication date: 10 September 2025 Opening date: 10 September 2025 9:00 am UK time Closing date: 29 January 2026 4:00 pm UK time What you will apply for Apply for funding to run a high throughput screen (HTS) using AstraZeneca’s compound library and screening robots. There are two funding opportunities per year and these rounds are open to all targets. The thematic focus for this round is mental health or dementia (including Parkinson’s and Huntington’s), and applications in either area will receive a strategic uplift at ranking. Who can apply To lead a project, you must be based at an eligible organisation. For applicants who do not have a contract of employment for the duration of the proposed project, by submitting an application the research organisation confirms, if successful: contracts will be extended beyond the end date of the project all necessary support for the project and the applicants will be provided, including mentorship and career development for early career researchers Who is not eligible to apply Research applications led by commercial entities are not eligible. Applications may not include collaborations with additional commercial parties. You are also not eligible to apply as a project lead if you are based at an international research organisation. This does not include MRC Unit The Gambia or MRC / UVRI Uganda Research Unit at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, which are eligible to apply as project lead. Equality, diversity and inclusion We are for all funding applicants. We encourage applications from a diverse range of researchers. We support people to work in a way that suits their personal circumstances. This includes: career breaks support for people with caring responsibilities flexible working alternative working patterns UKRI can offer during the application and assessment process. What we're looking for Scope The small molecule HTS using AstraZeneca facilities funding opportunity aims to support academic researchers in discovering potential starting points for small molecule medicinal drugs. Academic researchers will benefit from access to over two million molecules in AstraZeneca’s compound library, as well as its state-of-the-art high-throughput screening facilities. The Medical Research Council (MRC) will provide funding to support up to four projects per year. Projects will be prioritised for funding and for time slots within the facility. The timeframe for commencement of the studies will vary, but the expectation is within six months of the funding decision. AstraZeneca may offer to fund a project in its entirety if it determines that route is most appropriate for that study. If offered, these will be taken forward through direct collaboration with the company without further MRC involvement. Applicants who do not wish to accept this offer may continue to seek MRC support through the initiative. AstraZeneca will provide technical input to support assay optimisation, investigation of alternative readout technologies and a pilot HTS screen, prior to transfer of the assay to the HTS platform. Depending on the results of the optimisation, a compound set of between 100,000 and 1,000,000 from the library may be screened. Minimum assay development guidelines There are minimum assay development guidelines which, when considered as a whole, will need to provide evidence that a screen could be conducted. Funds are provided to complete the assay development, so a less well-developed assay is not a barrier to your application being competitive. Duration The duration of this award is typically 15 months, with a minimum of 12 months and a maximum of 18 months. Funding available The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £270,000 (£250,000 cost to MRC). We will fund 100% FEC of the work conducted at AstraZeneca. We will fund 80% FEC of any work conducted at the research organisation or related to staff costs, subsistence and travel. What we will fund We will fund costs related to staff and consumables at AstraZeneca for the optimisation and execution of the HTS. These include: £20,000 (100% FEC Exceptions) for optimisation and establishment of an HTS £150,000 (100% FEC Exceptions) for execution of the HTS cost of travel, accommodation and subsistence for a host institution researcher to work at AstraZeneca in Cambridge for three months (80% FEC) costs for elements of the screening cascade that cannot be undertaken at AstraZeneca and must be undertaken at the host organisation (80% FEC) minimal percentage of full-time equivalent for the project lead (80% FEC) What we will not fund We will not fund conference attendance. Supporting skills and talent This funding opportunity encourages a researcher from the host institution to embed themselves at the AstraZeneca facilities in Cambridge for up to three months total to help establish the assay and conduct the HTS. The three months can be split into shorter chunks. Any application not requesting funding to support a visit should state why it is not viable, although this will not affect the evaluation of the merits of the project. We encourage you to follow the principles of TR&I and the related policies. Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I) UKRI is committed to ensuring effective international collaboration in research and innovation with integrity and within strong ethical frameworks. TRUSTED Research and Innovation (TR&I) is a UKRI work programme designed to help protect all those working in our collaborative international sector by enabling partnerships to be as open as possible, and as secure as necessary. Our set out UKRI’s expectations of organisations funded by UKRI in relation to due diligence for international collaboration. As such, applicants for UKRI funding may be asked to demonstrate how their proposed projects will comply with our approach and expectations towards TR&I, identifying potential risks and the relevant controls you will put in place to help proportionately reduce these risks. See guidance, including where applicants can find additional support. How to apply We are running this funding opportunity on the UKRI Funding Service. Ensure your organisation is registered. You cannot apply on Je-S. The project lead is responsible for the application process, but all team members should contribute. If the lead research organisation is an NHS organisation, check it is available in the Funding Service. There may be additional steps to set up before you can apply. Only the lead organisation can submit an application to UKRI. To apply Confirm you are the project lead. Sign in or create a Funding Service account. To create an account, select your organisation, verify your email address, and set a password. If your organisation is not listed, email us. Please allow at least 10 working days for your organisation to be added to the Funding Service. Create an organisation Administration Account if you need to manage a grant. Other steps include: selecting Start application, answering questions directly in the text boxes, saving progress, and submitting through your research office. Follow the instructions in the How to apply section on this page. Where indicated, you can also demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Images and references When including images, provide a descriptive caption or legend for each image. Images should be kept to essential information and be mindful of word limits. References can be included within the word count of the appropriate question section and should be easily identifiable and persistent. General guidance Guidance for using hyperlinks: Applications should be self-contained and links should point directly to reference information. Don’t rely on links for assessment. Deadline We must receive your application by 29 January 2026 at 4:00 pm UK time. You will not be able to apply after this time. Personal data Processing personal data MRC, as part of UKRI, will collect personal information to manage your Funding Service account and the registration of your funding applications. Data will be handled in line with UK data protection legislation. Personal data may be shared with AstraZeneca for assessment purposes. See the policy for details. Sensitive information If you or a core team member need to tell us something confidential, email with the subject line including the opportunity title and your funding service number. Typical examples of confidential information include unavailability dates, declarations of interest, or other information that should not be shared in the applicant section. Contact UKRI for guidance on handling personal data. Institutional matched funding There is no requirement for matched funding beyond any 20% FEC contribution. Project partners are expected to contribute, either cash or in-kind. Publication of outcomes MRC, as part of UKRI, will publish the outcomes of this funding opportunity. If your application is successful, some personal information may be published. Summary Word limit: 550 Provide a plain-English summary describing the proposed work, including context, challenges, aims and objectives, and potential applications and benefits. It should be suitable for a broad audience and may be public. Core team List key team members and their roles from the following options: project lead (PL), project co-lead (UK) (PcL), specialist, professional enabling staff, research and innovation associate, technician, or researcher co-lead (RcL). Only one person should be listed as project lead. If more than one project lead is listed, the application may fail at the checking stage. #J-18808-Ljbffr