Grants
Pilot Projects
Grant amount:
Up to £70,000.
Grant deadline:
4 October 2023
The Pilot project scheme is meant for novel research ideas that if successful would lead to a Major project or programme application to Alzheimer’s Research UK or other funding body.
This scheme also provides funds for small, translational research projects that show potential for collaboration with the Alzheimer's Research UK Drug Discovery Alliance.
Provided to cover salaries (research, technical, students etc), equipment, animal costs and running costs (consumables, travel etc).
Duration: Up to two years.
Deadlines
Applications open
July 2023
Deadline
Wed 4 October 2023, 5pm
Funding outcome
Mid-Feb 2024
The lead applicant and point of contact must be based in a UK academic/research institution. However, the application can include researchers or institutions outside the UK. Co-applicants from small and medium enterprises are permitted.
The Lead Applicant is expected to have a contract (fixed term or tenure) which covers the proposed duration of the grant. Alzheimer's Research UK can contribute to salaries of co-applicants that do not have tenure or fixed term contracts but not to Lead Applicant salaries.
If the Lead Applicant does not hold a tenure appointment, the application must include a co-applicant that does.
If the project requires ethical approval and/or Home Office licences, the award is dependent upon the requisite approvals being granted.
Applicants seeking to obtain preliminary data before a collaboration with one or more of Alzheimer's Research UK’s Drug Discovery Institutes are required to hold early discussions with either one of the DDI Chief Scientific Officers (CSOs) regarding the suitability of the target and the data that is necessary to obtain before further work is initiated. A letter of support for the PPG work plan will be required of the collaborating DDI CSO(s) with the application.
This scheme is not designed to cover bridging funds for staff between posts/funding.
See our Eligibility Guidelines for further information.
Applications are made via our grant application website.
Grant schemes only appear on this website when the round is open and we are accepting new applications.
Alzheimer’s Research UK is a member of the Association of Medical Research Charities and follows their guidelines for best practice in peer review. Grants are awarded entirely on scientific merit in relation to Alzheimer’s Research UK’s remit and on the basis of open competition. The quality of the application and applicants is the key determinant of outcome, although the strength of the dementia research environment within the institution is also considered.
Triage
Grant Review Board (GRB) members are asked to read a subset of applications related to their area of expertise and provide a score based on whether an application should proceed to the next stage of review.
Lay review
Applications for research studies that involve human subjects require lay review. Applicants are requested to complete a lay summary of their application which is sent to lay review volunteers for comments. The comments made by lay reviewers are fed back to the applicant for rebuttal and are also made available to the GRB members.
Discussion in meeting
Each application is allocated to two GRB members, based roughly on their areas of expertise. The two members will present the application to the rest of the board, including any relevant information from external reviews or applicant responses. A short discussion will follow before the GRB score the application. Applications for each grant scheme are ranked by their average score and recommendations for funding are made.
Trustee meeting
Those applications recommended for funding by the GRB are presented to the trustees for final approval.
Success rate
In the last three years Alzheimer’s Research UK has received 162 applications for Pilot Project grants. 37 of these projects were awarded funding.
The terms and conditions of grant differ for each grant scheme and contracts are drawn up individually once the grants have been awarded.
View an example award letter and contract for the Pilot Project Grant.
All grant holders are expected to report on the progress of their project on a regular basis. Read more about our reporting requirements on the measuring impact page.
For more information about any of the grant schemes or the application process please contact the Research Team research@alzheimersresearchuk.org or 0300 111 5555
All applications submitted to Alzheimer’s Research UK are subject to the policies found in Research guidelines and policies. Please ensure you familiarise yourself with these policies and contact research@alzheimersresearchuk.org with any queries.