Translational Hub

Among the various Alzheimer’s Research UK grant schemes, some are designed to fund critical experiments to enable a successful application to other translational vehicles:

• Pilot Projects
• UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) Translational Awards (for researchers from the UK DRI)

Alzheimer’s Research UK also spearheaded the Early Detection of Neurodegenerative Diseases (EDoN), an international initiative aiming to develop a digital tool for early detection of the diseases that cause dementia.

The UK-based Drug Discovery Alliance runs in tandem with the Dementia Consortium - a global initiative - making sure we leave no stone unturned in our search for new treatments.

The Drug Discovery Alliance is an initiative funded exclusively by Alzheimer’s Research UK; it works with our own in-house drug discovery experts on specific areas of dementia, while the Dementia Consortium takes the ideas submitted by university researchers directly to pharmaceutical companies, who co-fund these projects.

By investing in multiple initiatives, we can help sustain a strong pipeline of potential new drugs for dementia. This will increase the likelihood of finding successful treatments that can transform lives.

Alzheimer’s Research UK is a partner in the formation of two consortia, the Dementia Consortium and Psychiatry Consortium.  These operate similarly and are collaborative enterprises jointly funded by the charity, pharma partners and participating Contract Research Organisations (CROs). 

The Dementia Consortium funds projects looking for novel targets in the areas of neurodegeneration and the diseases that cause dementia, whereas the Psychiatry Consortium has a focus on the psychiatric component of dementia.

Academics may apply to the consortia for project funding, receiving funding for work packages in their own laboratories and for translational work carried out by CROs.