BHF Project Grants

BHF Project Grants

Funds cardiovascular project grants for discovery science in the United Kingdom.

The British Heart Foundation's Project Grant is the organisation's core mechanism for funding discrete cardiovascular research projects at UK institutions. The scheme has no closing dates; applications are accepted at any time and reviewed by the Project Grants Committee, which convenes four times per year. Decisions are issued within six months of submission. Awards are capped at £500,000 per project and run for up to four years in exceptional circumstances, though most projects are shorter. Fundable costs include staff salaries for technicians, research assistants, and postdoctoral researchers; research consumables; essential equipment; and conference travel up to £1,000 per year. Projects requiring more than £500,000 must use the separate Special Project Grant route.

Principal investigators must be post-doctoral researchers at any career stage based at an established UK research institution. PhD students may not lead an application. The research must fall within the BHF's cardiovascular and circulatory science mission, covering basic, translational, and clinical research. Applications are submitted as a single PDF (maximum 20 MB, Arial 12pt font) through the online portal at researchgrants.bhf.org.uk. The application requires a research background and hypothesis, detailed methodology, power calculations, and the PI's six most relevant prior publications and grants.

Because the scheme is continuous rather than deadline-driven, competitive applicants typically aim for submission at least six months before a desired start date to allow time for committee review. Peer review is external, and the committee assesses scientific quality, feasibility, and fit with BHF priorities. The BHF spends approximately £100 million per year on research, making it one of the largest non-governmental funders of cardiovascular research in the United Kingdom. Multiple BHF grants can be held simultaneously provided each covers distinct scientific questions.