Apply for a grant

Pilot grants call coming soon! 

We’re excited to announce our plan for a pilot grants funding call in the new year, which will allow researchers to apply for up to £50,000 over two years. These grants will give researchers the opportunity to bring a new research idea to life and help create meaningful change for those affected by bowel cancer.

Background  

Although bowel cancer is the second biggest cancer killer in the UK, it doesn’t have to be — it is treatable and curable, especially if diagnosed early. Currently, however, fewer than 40% of people are diagnosed at stages 1 and 2 when bowel cancer is most treatable and curable. We want to secure a future where as many people as possible receive a diagnosis at the earliest possible stage.  

Remit and eligibility 

Proposals must address one of the areas highlighted in Goal 1 of our Research Strategy, which focuses on removing barriers to early and timely diagnosis: 

• Stratify populations based on their risk of developing bowel cancer, with a focus on people with high-risk conditions   

• Improve the sensitivity, acceptability, and coverage of bowel cancer screening tests   

• Enhance the diagnosis of bowel cancer and how the right treatment options are chosen   

Applicants don’t need any preliminary data to apply. These pilot grants will give researchers the means to collect initial data to form the basis of a larger grant application. The pilot project must be designed so that it gives results which show whether a bigger project is possible. 

The Lead Applicant must be based in a recognised academic or clinical institution in the UK. They must be in a tenured position, or hold a contract with the host that extends beyond the lifetime of the grant.  

Funding guidelines 

All costs must be fully justified within the application.  

Funding can cover salaries, excluding that of the Lead Applicant. Funding can also cover consumables that are direct costs of the project (including animal costs). We won't cover the costs of tenured staff members on grants, nor those whose salaries are already covered by other means. 

If you’re seeking salary costs for the Lead Applicant, please contact our Research Team to discuss this. 

We won’t accept applications that are:  

• For further education (e.g., MSc/PhD and course fees) 

• For Clinical Research Training Fellowships  

• For work that will be primarily undertaken outside the UK 

• For ‘top up’ funding for specific projects already supported by other funding bodies 

Patient involvement 

At Bowel Cancer UK, people affected by bowel cancer are at the heart of everything we do, and they help to assess applications we receive to our funding calls. They look at whether the research is relevant to patients and their families, and how lived experience has been incorporated into the project. 

Applicants are therefore strongly encouraged to actively involve patient representatives from the outset to help shape and deliver their research project.  

If you'd like us to connect you with patient representatives through our Research Network, please complete the request form on our website. 

How to apply 

Further details on the application and assessment process, including timelines, will follow closer to the time of the call launch. 

Contact Us

If you have any questions or would like to discuss an application with the Research team, please email [email protected].

To keep up to date about our future funding calls, sign up for grant round notifications. 

Application success rates

• 2025 Project grants call: 29%, 14 applications received
• 2024 Project grants call: 25%, 12 applications received
• 2023 Pilot grants call: 55%, 9 applications received

Recently funded projects

Further information

• Learn more about the projects we currently fund
• Read our FAQs on applying for a grant with us
• Find out more about involving patients in your research