LifeArc Rare Disease Clinical Trials Programme

LifeArc's Rare Disease Clinical Trials Programme sits under the foundation's rare disease work and funds clinical-stage trial projects rather than early discovery. It is open for applications on a rolling basis and is built for projects that can move toward patient impact within a five-year horizon. The programme allows requests of up to £5 million per proposal. Eligible applicants include not-for-profit institutions, academic institutes, healthcare organisations, public sector research establishments, and SMEs, whether based in the UK or internationally. LifeArc particularly encourages proposals in rare neurodegenerative disease, rare respiratory conditions, and childhood cancer, while still accepting any rare disease if the case is strong. Applicants are expected to show scientific rationale, GMP manufacturing capability, and a serious patient engagement plan. The application route is hands-on rather than fully self-serve. LifeArc asks prospective applicants to make informal initial contact before submitting a full proposal, which means the programme rewards teams that already have a clinical package, a manufacturing path, and a convincing route to patient benefit. Projects that are still defining the trial concept or patient story are likely to be too early for this call.

Each grant below is a distinct funding opportunity with its own eligibility, scope, and deliverables.