MS Society Project Awards
Offers long-form support for United Kingdom multiple sclerosis projects through hypothesis-driven grants.
⚠This may reflect a past cycle — verify the current call on the funder's site.
The Multiple Sclerosis Society UK is the largest charitable funder of MS research in the United Kingdom, having invested over GBP 260 million in research since 1956. The MS Society Project Awards are the flagship annual grant mechanism for established researchers pursuing hypothesis-driven MS science. Project Awards carry no upper or lower funding limit, though value-for-money is a formal peer-review criterion; durations extend up to 36 months. Eligible costs include research and technical staff salaries, consumables, animal and human tissue costs, equipment, and conference travel; lead applicant and co-applicant salaries cannot be claimed. The 2026 round opened in October 2025, with a deadline of 12 noon on 10 February 2026; funding outcomes will be communicated to applicants in August 2026. The success rate in 2025 was 21% (3 of 14 funded) and 29% in 2024.
Eligibility is restricted to scientists based at recognized UK universities or NHS institutions who hold the principal investigator role on the proposed project. Collaborations with non-UK research groups are permitted, but the project lead must be UK-based. Both established and junior researchers may apply as lead applicant. All applications must be hypothesis-driven; the MS Society does not fund service delivery or activities outside the scope of its 2025–2029 Research Strategy. Applications are submitted through the Symplectic Grant Tracker platform at research.mssociety.org.uk, and all proposals undergo dual peer review by world-leading MS researchers and lay reviewers drawn from the MS Society Research Network, consistent with the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC) peer-review principles.
The next Project Awards round is expected to open in October 2026, restoring the standard annual cycle following the one-round-only 2026 period caused by the Grant Tracker system transition. Applicants positioning for the 2027 round should ensure their research aligns with the MS Society's 2025–2029 Research Strategy and should plan to contact research@mssociety.org.uk well ahead of the October 2026 opening to clarify any eligibility questions. The Society particularly welcomes applications that address its ten top MS research priorities developed with people affected by MS.
Hypothesis-driven research on MS biology, treatment, symptom relief, and care. 2026 round had no specific thematic restriction.
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