Major Projects

Major Projects

Funds major dementia research programs in the United Kingdom through multi-year grants.

Alzheimer's Research UK (ARUK) Major Projects is the organization's flagship investigator-led grant, providing up to £750,000 in total funding over a maximum of five years to support substantial dementia research programs. The award covers postdoctoral and technical staff salaries, experimental running costs, equipment, and collaborative travel, with flexible timing across the grant period. The 2026 cycle opens in July 2026 with an October 2026 deadline and Spring 2027 award decisions; applications are submitted through ARUK's Flexigrant portal. ARUK maintains over 100 active grants and has committed significant philanthropic resources to dementia research across the translational pipeline.

Eligibility requires the lead applicant to hold a position at a UK academic or research institution under a fixed-term or tenure-status contract covering the full grant duration. Co-applicants without tenure may participate but cannot serve as lead. International collaborators and industry partners are permitted, providing opportunities for cross-sector and international research teams to anchor a project at a UK institution. Ethical approval and, where applicable, Home Office licences must be obtained for the research to proceed; awards are conditional on these approvals being granted.

Major Projects sit above Pilot Projects in ARUK's grant hierarchy and are appropriate for research programs with sufficient preliminary data to justify multi-year, multi-staff investment. Strong applications present a focused scientific question in dementia, a clear experimental plan, well-defined milestones, and an appropriately sized and qualified team. The program does not restrict applications to specific disease subtypes or therapeutic modalities within dementia, giving investigators latitude to propose work across basic, translational, and clinical-research domains.