Parkinson's UK Project Grants

Parkinson's UK Project Grants

Funds core Parkinson's science projects led from the United Kingdom across biological and clinical research questions.

Parkinson's UK Project Grants are the charity's flagship research funding scheme, supporting science that addresses single or small groups of unanswered questions in Parkinson's disease. Eligible topics include understanding the causes of Parkinson's and Parkinson's-like disorders, investigating links between Parkinson's and other conditions, drug discovery, biomarker investigation, cohort studies, and pilot clinical trials. Awards run for a maximum of 36 months, with a ceiling of £400,000 per project; the average award in the 2025 cohort was £260,000. The 2026 round full application deadline of 8 April 2026 has passed; the next round is expected to open in October 2026.

Lead applicants must be based at a UK university, research institute, NHS Trust, or statutory social care organisation. Co-applicants and collaborators may be at international institutions or private companies. All applications must demonstrate involvement of people with lived experience of Parkinson's in the research design, and applicants must address equity, diversity, and inclusion throughout the project. The scheme operates a two-stage process: preproposals are reviewed by three scientific experts before selected applicants are invited to submit full applications, which are then assessed by the College of Experts and lay reviewers.

In the 2025 round, 38 preproposals were submitted, 21 were invited to full application, and 6 projects were funded — an overall success rate of approximately 16 percent. Applications are submitted through Parkinson's UK's online research portal at research.parkinsons.org.uk. The charity holds virtual workshops for prospective applicants before each round opens, with a workshop scheduled for 30 September 2026 ahead of the 2027 cycle.