Deadline: 06-Oct-2026
The Research Innovation Awards support bold and innovative research projects that could transform prostate cancer diagnosis, treatment, and care. The scheme welcomes fundamental, clinical, translational, interdisciplinary, and international research with a clear potential to improve health and wellbeing outcomes for men affected by or at high risk of prostate cancer.
About the Research Innovation Awards
The Research Innovation Awards are designed to fund novel and potentially game-changing research across the prostate cancer research spectrum.
The scheme supports projects that can generate meaningful advances in understanding, diagnosing, treating, or managing prostate cancer.
Research may cover:
- Fundamental prostate cancer research.
- Clinical research.
- Translational research.
- Research spanning basic and clinical science.
- Proof-of-principle studies.
- Hypothesis-led pilot projects.
- Innovative approaches adapted from other cancers or diseases.
- Interdisciplinary research.
- International research collaborations.
The central requirement is a clear potential for the research to ultimately benefit men affected by prostate cancer or those at high risk of developing the disease.
Research Areas and Priorities
Applications should present a genuinely innovative research idea rather than incremental research.
Projects may:
- Introduce new approaches to prostate cancer diagnosis.
- Explore innovative treatments or therapeutic strategies.
- Develop new approaches to disease understanding.
- Translate discoveries from other cancer types to prostate cancer.
- Apply approaches developed in other diseases to prostate cancer.
- Generate new proof-of-principle evidence.
- Test novel hypotheses.
- Combine expertise from multiple scientific or clinical disciplines.
Interdisciplinary and international collaborations are encouraged where they strengthen the proposed research and improve its potential impact.
Funding Available
The Research Innovation Awards have no fixed financial limit.
Applicants should request the amount genuinely required to complete the proposed research rather than designing a project around a predetermined funding ceiling.
Previous funding rounds have had an overall budget of approximately £3 million.
Typical project durations are:
- Three to five years for larger research projects.
- Up to 24 months for highly innovative pilot projects.
- Highly innovative pilot projects would usually request less than £100,000.
- Proposals expected to cost more than £750,000 should be discussed with the funder in advance to confirm eligibility.
Value for money forms part of the final assessment. Applicants should therefore provide a realistic and proportionate budget that clearly relates to the proposed research activities.
Who Is Eligible?
Applications are open to established researchers working within recognised academic or clinical institutions in the United Kingdom.
Lead Applicants must generally:
- Hold a tenured or tenure-track academic appointment, or
- For clinical applicants, hold an honorary academic contract with a recognised academic institution.
Researchers on fixed-term contracts may also be eligible under specific conditions.
Fixed-Term Researchers and Postdoctoral Researchers
Lecturers employed on fixed-term contracts can apply as Lead Applicants if:
- Their contract extends for at least six months beyond the end of the proposed project, or
- Their host institution has agreed to provide a permanent position after the project.
Postdoctoral researchers holding competitively awarded external fellowships may also apply as Lead Applicants under the same employment-duration or institutional commitment requirements.
Early-Career and Experienced Researchers
The scheme provides eligibility routes for researchers at different career stages.
Researchers with more than:
- 10 years of postdoctoral experience for non-clinical applicants, or
- 5 years of postdoctoral experience for clinical applicants
may apply as independent Lead Applicants.
Experienced Early Career Researchers may also apply as Lead Applicants when a senior academic is included as a Joint Lead Applicant.
For this scheme, an Experienced Early Career Researcher means:
- A non-clinical researcher with 5–10 years of postdoctoral experience, or
- A clinical researcher with 0–5 years of postdoctoral experience,
provided the researcher has completed their PhD before the grant begins.
UK and International Collaboration
Research must be conducted predominantly in the United Kingdom.
Projects may include a period of research outside the UK where an overseas Co-Applicant or Collaborator is involved.
However:
- The overall research programme must remain predominantly UK-based.
- Funding is not paid directly to non-UK institutions.
- Payments are made only in British pounds (GBP).
International collaboration should therefore provide a clear scientific or research benefit to the proposed project.
Institutional Requirements
Grants can only be awarded to institutions that have official policies covering:
- Anti-bullying.
- Scientific integrity.
Applicants should confirm that their host institution meets these requirements before submitting an application.
How to Develop a Strong Application
Applicants should structure their proposal around the scientific importance, innovation, feasibility, and potential impact of the research.
A strong application should:
- Define the research problem: Clearly explain the prostate cancer challenge the project will address.
- Present the innovation: Explain what is genuinely new or potentially transformative about the research.
- Describe the methodology: Provide a clear and credible approach for testing the research question or hypothesis.
- Demonstrate feasibility: Show that the research team and host institution have the necessary expertise and environment.
- Explain potential impact: Clearly connect the proposed research to potential improvements in prostate cancer diagnosis, treatment, or patient outcomes.
- Justify collaboration: Explain the specific contribution of interdisciplinary or international partners where applicable.
- Prepare a realistic budget: Request only the funding required to deliver the proposed work.
- Define the timeline: Set out achievable milestones and expected research outputs.
Pilot and Proof-of-Principle Projects
The scheme welcomes smaller-scale projects where innovative ideas require initial evidence before larger research programmes can be developed.
Pilot projects may focus on:
- Establishing proof of principle.
- Testing a novel hypothesis.
- Generating preliminary data.
- Exploring an innovative research approach.
- Producing evidence to support future larger-scale research.
Highly innovative pilot projects would normally run for up to 24 months and request less than £100,000.
What Makes a Project Competitive?
A strong proposal should demonstrate:
- Scientific novelty.
- Potential to change current approaches to prostate cancer.
- A clear research hypothesis or question.
- Strong scientific or clinical rationale.
- Appropriate methodology.
- Potential benefit to men.
- Appropriate expertise within the research team.
- Strong collaboration where relevant.
- A realistic and proportionate budget.
- Clear value for money.
- Potential for future translation or impact.
What Is Not Eligible?
Applications will not be accepted where they:
- Fall outside the funder’s Research Strategy.
- Primarily seek substantial equipment or infrastructure.
- Are led primarily from outside the UK.
- Are submitted by commercial organisations.
- Are incomplete or incorrectly completed.
- Solely support a PhD studentship.
- Solely support a Clinical Fellowship.
Applicants should ensure that the proposed project is primarily a research programme aligned with the Research Strategy and not simply a request for infrastructure, equipment, or individual training support.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Applicants should avoid:
- Presenting incremental research without a clear innovative element.
- Failing to demonstrate potential benefit to men.
- Requesting an unrealistic or poorly justified budget.
- Making the project primarily dependent on overseas research.
- Failing to establish UK-based research leadership.
- Submitting incomplete application materials.
- Using the award primarily for major equipment or infrastructure.
- Proposing a project that falls outside the Research Strategy.
- Failing to discuss proposals exceeding £750,000 with the funder in advance.
Why the Research Innovation Awards Matter
Prostate cancer research requires new approaches that can improve how the disease is detected, understood, treated, and managed.
The Research Innovation Awards provide an opportunity for UK-based academic and clinical researchers to test bold ideas with the potential for significant long-term impact.
The scheme’s flexibility also allows researchers to pursue both major multi-year research programmes and smaller proof-of-principle studies, provided the work demonstrates strong innovation and potential benefit to men.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the Research Innovation Awards?
They are research awards supporting bold and innovative projects with the potential to transform prostate cancer diagnosis, treatment, and care.
How much funding is available?
There is no fixed financial limit. Applicants should request the amount genuinely required for the proposed research. Previous rounds have had an overall budget of approximately £3 million.
How long can projects run?
Typical projects are expected to run for three to five years. Highly innovative pilot projects would usually run for up to 24 months.
Can early-career researchers apply?
Yes. Experienced Early Career Researchers can apply as Lead Applicants when a senior academic is included as a Joint Lead Applicant and the relevant postdoctoral experience requirements are met.
Can international researchers participate?
International collaboration is permitted, but the research must be conducted predominantly in the UK. Funding is not paid directly to non-UK institutions.
Can the funding be used to purchase major equipment?
No. Applications primarily intended to purchase substantial equipment or infrastructure are not eligible.
Can the award fund a PhD studentship or Clinical Fellowship?
No. Applications solely intended to support a PhD studentship or Clinical Fellowship are not eligible under this scheme.
Conclusion
The Research Innovation Awards provide an opportunity for UK-based academic and clinical researchers to develop ambitious research with the potential to significantly improve prostate cancer diagnosis, treatment, and patient outcomes. The scheme prioritises genuine innovation, scientific quality, feasibility, and eventual benefit to men, while welcoming interdisciplinary collaboration, international partnerships, and smaller proof-of-principle studies.
For more information, visit Prostate Cancer UK.