MS Society Skills Development Awards

MS Society Skills Development Awards sit under the Multiple Sclerosis Society UK's research funding for early career researchers working on MS in the UK. Launched in 2022, the route is meant to build researcher capability rather than fund a project in the usual sense, and it now has a documented three-round calendar each year. Awards reach up to GBP 2,000 and can support specialist training courses, placements in another research group, or workshop attendance. The lead applicant must be an early career researcher active in MS research, with the Society's process also pointing to UK university or NHS settings and a lead role through its grant tracker system. Since launch, 18 awards have been funded, with recipients taking placements in Denmark, Spain, France, and Australia and attending courses from NIHR, the British Society of Immunology, Harvard University, IMSVISUAL, and EMBO. The fit is strongest for researchers who can show that a short, tightly scoped activity will improve a specific skill they need next, whether that is a new technique, a statistical method, or time in another lab. The Society has made the scheme deliberately flexible, but the award still works best when the career-development case is direct, the MS research link is clear, and the activity is practical enough to be completed within the small budget.

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