Discovery Programme Award

Discovery Programme Award — B outline)

Supports United Kingdom cancer science programmes with multi-stage funding for innovation in disease biology.

Cancer Research UK's Discovery Programme Award provides long-term support for established researchers to pursue ambitious, creative programmes of cancer biology research centred on a core overarching scientific vision explored through connected aims. Awards of up to £2.5m are available over five years, covering postdoctoral researchers, technical staff, PhD students (stipend and fees), running costs, and essential equipment. The scheme explicitly welcomes multidisciplinary approaches — including imaging, radiotherapy physics, and novel technologies — and supports basic and early-stage translational work such as disease-specific studies and preclinical therapeutic development. The five-year rolling success rate (FY2020–2025) is 36%, making it one of CRUK's more competitive programme instruments.

Eligibility is restricted to scientists, clinicians, or healthcare workers based at UK universities, medical schools, hospitals, or research institutions whose post is fully funded by a Higher Education Funding Council, the NHS, or an equivalent body for the complete award duration. The award cannot fund any part of the applicant's own salary. Investigators who receive core CRUK institute funding — including from the Francis Crick Institute — may not apply as lead applicant but may participate as co-investigator. The scheme reviews applications twice per year via Flexi-Grant; the upcoming Cycle B outline deadline is 29 September 2026, followed by shortlisting in November 2026, full application in January 2027, expert panel interviews in March–April 2027, and a Discovery Research Committee decision in June 2027.

This is a closed scheme: applicants must email discovery@cancer.org.uk before submitting an outline application. Regional research managers (Dr Divneet Kaur, Dr Hannah Reeves, Dr Sowmiya Palani) are available for pre-submission guidance. Successful teams typically frame proposals around a clear programme-level vision rather than a collection of unrelated projects, demonstrating why five years of sustained investment — rather than a series of shorter project grants — is scientifically necessary.