Funding for early stage healthcare-biomedical translational projects
The University of Sheffield, Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, Sheffield Hallam University and Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust form a consortium to advance early stage translational healthcare projects.
MRC Impact Acceleration Account 2022-26: Funding for early stage healthcare-biomedical translational projects
- 2025 Top-Up Awards - OPEN
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The University of Sheffield, Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, Sheffield Hallam University and Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust form a consortium to advance early stage translational healthcare projects.
The MRC IAA monies received are to be used to support projects in the MRC remit (for further details please see the Guidance) to “accelerate the transition from discovery research to translational development projects by supporting preliminary work or feasibility studies to establish the viability of an approach” within a biomedical and healthcare remit. This may include technology or diagnostic assessment.
The funding will enable teams to develop a concept to a point where it is competitive enough to be used in a bid for more substantive follow on translational funding.
We now have a limited amount of funding available to award 'top-up' grants to completed or existing MRC CiC/IAA-funded projects.
Please speak to your KE/Business Manager who can provide the scheme guidance and application form (contact information below).
To be eligible to apply for up to £40k, 6-month top-up funding, previous projects should either be able to demonstrate progress against the original objectives, or that the results indicated a different approach was needed. The proposed top-up work should be essential to realising translational aspirations and increase the likelihood of securing external funding.
Applications should be submitted by Friday 28 March 2025 to be eligible for panel review. Decisions will be communicated by Monday 12 May 2025. Projects should complete by Friday 27 February 2026. Please note that extension requests for these additional top-up awards cannot be considered. - 2025 ECR Commercialisation Fellowships - OPEN
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The Fellowship aims to attract and fund PhD students and Early Career Researchers to engage with the Commercialisation Journey for 3 months (50% FTE) as 'Entrepreneurial Leads' for a project. Successful candidates are expected to complete Stage 1 of the Commercialisation Journey.
The stage training helps Entrepreneurial Leads understand the project opportunity and ambition through developing market awareness, assessing the intellectual property landscape, and investigating the commercial context. Please speak to your KE/Commercialisation Manager who can provide the scheme guidance and application form (contact information below).
The University of Sheffield, Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, Sheffield Hallam University and Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust form a consortium to advance early stage translational healthcare projects.
The MRC IAA monies received are to be used to support projects in the MRC remit (for further details please see the Guidance) to “accelerate the transition from discovery research to translational development projects by supporting preliminary work or feasibility studies to establish the viability of an approach” within a biomedical and healthcare remit. This may include technology or diagnostic assessment.
The funding will enable teams to develop a concept to a point where it is competitive enough to be used in a bid for more substantive follow on translational funding.
- 2023 funding call - CLOSED
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Due to the competitive nature of the funding and staff resources to assist researchers with the generation of their applications, please note there is a project registration deadline of Friday 26 May 2023, and preliminary draft applications must be received by your institutional professional support staff for input by Friday 9 June 2023. The final date for submission of applications is 7 July 2023.
Please get in touch with your institutional contacts listed below to receive the guidance and application forms, available from February 2023. Your project must be registered via the link provided within these documents.
Provisional timeline:
March 2023 Call Opens May - June 2023 Scheduled training sessions (please see schedule below) 26 May 2023 Deadline for applicants to register their project (via the Google form here) 9 June Deadline for receipt of draft applications 7 July Deadline for receipt of final applications July - August 2023 Review of applications September 2023 Panel Meeting October 2023 Funding decisions communicated
Contacts
- Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust
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Dr Keith Pugh, Research & Development Manager, keith.pugh1@nhs.net
Dr Gillian Gatenby, Associate Director for Research & Innovation, gillian.gatenby@nhs.net
- Sheffield Teaching Hospital Trust
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Dr Dipak Patel, Research & Innovation Manager, dipak.patel12@nhs.net
Daniel Lawrence, Research Coordinator (CRIO), daniel.lawrence12@nhs.net
Sarah Jones, Innovation Coordinator, sth.innovation@nhs.net
- Sheffield Hallam University
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Dr Neil Bowden, Innovation Funding Manager, n.bowden@shu.ac.uk
Georgia Hatzigiannidou, Funding Advisor, g.hatzigiannidou@shu.ac.uk
University of Sheffield
- Faculty of Health
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Knowledge Exchange team FH-KE@sheffield.ac.uk
Sue Smith, Commercialisation Manager, sue.smith@sheffield.ac.uk
Alex Wilkinson, Commercialisation Manager - Insigneo, a.wilkinson@sheffield.ac.uk
- Faculty of Engineering
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Knowledge Exchange team FE-KE@sheffield.ac.uk
Sam Trotter, Commercialisation Manager, s.j.trotter@sheffield.ac.uk
Alex Wilkinson, Commercialisation Manager - Insigneo, alex.wilkinson@sheffield.ac.uk
- Faculty of Science
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Knowledge Exchange team FS-KE@sheffield.ac.uk
Maria Fernanda Velazquez de la Paz (Life Sciences), Commercialisation Manager
Joe Gaunt (Physical Sciences), Commercialisation Manager, j.gaunt@sheffield.ac.uk
Previous Panel Members
The MRC IAA panel includes expert internal and external reviewers. Previous expert reviewers have included:
External:
- Prof Edward Draper, Entrepreneur in Residence
- Dr Clare Lankester, Regulatory Expert in Residence
- Dr Andy Merritt, Director of Academic Engagement, LifeArc
- Dr Michael Murray, Entrepreneur in Residence.
Internal:
- Dr Richard Mead, Faculty KE and Innovation Lead, Medicine, Dentistry & Health, University of Sheffield
- Dr Gillian Gatenby, Associate Director for Research & Innovation, Sheffield Children’s Hospital
- Prof Jon Wheat, Associate Dean, Research and Innovation, College of Health, Wellbeing and Life Sciences, Sheffield Hallam University
- Dr Steven Wood, Head of Scientific Computing, Sheffield Teaching Hospital.
Useful information