Welcome to the Brain Research UK funding portal
This system enables users to apply for and manage Brain Research UK funding online.
Log in or register to start an application, access an application in progress, or access your existing Brain Research UK funding award.
Funding opportunities
Our funding awards are available to UK-based researchers through open, national competition in our annual calls. We offer two types of funding: project grants and post-doctoral fellowships. We no longer offer PhD studentships, other than to those with a medical degree, who may apply through the post-doctoral fellowship scheme.
Funding is currently restricted to research addressing the fundamental mechanisms and therapy of:
Headache and facial pain
Primary tumours of the brain and spinal cord
Acquired brain and spinal cord injury
Project grants
Brain Research UK project grants provide funding of up to £400,000 for translational research projects under the three priority themes outlined above. We particularly encourage applications from early career researchers, and applications for collaborative projects.
Our 2026 project grant call is now open for preliminary applications. The submission deadline is 12 noon on 04 September 2026.
Post-doctoral fellowships
Our post-doctoral fellowship scheme offers salary funding and research costs for post-doctoral candidates working towards independence, as well as for prospective clinical academic PhD students.
The current round of fellowship applications is now closed. All applicants have been informed whether they have been invited for interview. Interviews will be held in person in London on 16 July 2026.
Contact
Visit our website for further information about current and future funding opportunities: Brain Research UK research funding
Please email tom.simpson@brainresearchuk.org.uk if you have any queries concerning our research funding or if you would like to be notified of future funding opportunities.