MRC New Investigator Research Grant: Applicant-Led

MRC New Investigator Research Grant

Supports early-career United Kingdom researchers with grants to establish independent innovation pathways.

The MRC New Investigator Research Grant is a continuously open funding scheme designed for early-career researchers at the transition point from postdoctoral work or equivalent to independent research leadership. Eligible applicants include postdoctoral researchers, lecturers, junior research fellows, and holders of early-career training fellowships who can demonstrate the skills and experience to operate as the sole intellectual leader of a research project. Applicants must not have previously led a research team, must not have held substantial prior multi-year grants, must not have applied for this award twice before, and must not have an active UKRI fellowship application under simultaneous consideration. The scheme opened with no closing date on 7 April 2026, with first interviews anticipated in November to December 2026.

Award size has no upper limit; applicants must justify the budget against project scope. UKRI funds 80% of full economic costs (fEC) with 100% for permitted exceptions, and projects may run up to five years, with a typical minimum of three years. Up to 50% of the applicant's contracted working time may be supported from the grant. The scheme funds discovery and early translational research within MRC remit, covering disease mechanisms, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention — the same scientific scope as the main Research Grant. Projects are submitted via the UKRI Funding Service through a multi-stage assessment: shortlisting, expert review, and interview, with shortlisting decisions returned within ten days of the panel meeting.

Institutional support from the host research organisation must be secured before submission. Applicants who succeed will be expected to demonstrate in their application both scientific ambition and a credible personal career trajectory toward independence. The scheme is the main MRC route for postdocs and junior faculty seeking to establish their first independent programme, and the interview stage provides direct access to MRC scientific board feedback regardless of outcome.