The Research Infrastructure Fund

This grant programme is open to registered or exempt charities and provides capital funding to support innovation in medical research. Reflecting the Trust’s focus on translational research, the available funding will be allocated to support investment in equipment and facilities needed to accelerate internationally competitive research in UK universities and/or NHS organisations.

The programme is open to applications in any discipline or disease area, but applicants will be required to demonstrate how the proposed investment in research infrastructure will translate into improvements in healthcare for patients.

It is likely that 2-3 awards will be made each year, depending on the availability of resources and the scale of selected projects. In previous years, the value of individual awards to support research infrastructure has typically been in the range of £150,000-£500,000.

Applications may be to fund research equipment or facilities in their entirety, or for a contribution towards the funding of a larger project. Priority will be given to projects where the Trust’s support has the potential to make a significant and distinctive contribution to accelerating research.

This programme is available to registered or exempt charities operating within the United Kingdom and is for capital projects only. Organisations which are also eligible to apply for the Trust’s Innovation and Improvement in Health and Care Fund should note that it is not permitted to apply to both funds in the same calendar year.

It is not possible for the Trust to make donations to:

1. Overseas organisations, or organisations based in the UK who are seeking support for a project overseas
2. Religious, faith-based, or belief organisations
3. Organisations that have received capital funding from the Trust within in the last two years or hold an active capital grant from the Trust

The programme will only fund capital costs and will not cover any staff costs. The Trust will not make contributions to large capital campaigns for “bricks and mortar” projects unless they relate to specific facilities or pieces of equipment to support translational research.

The programme is open to UK universities and NHS organisations. Applications will also be accepted from UK-registered charities which work in partnership with universities and the NHS to support translational research.

Applications must be led by a clearly identified Principal Applicant. The Applicant may be at any stage of their research career but must have sufficient track record to demonstrate their ability to deliver the project and to lead the development of the research supported by any equipment or facilities funded by the Trust.

Applications may relate to research in any discipline or disease area but will need to demonstrate:

1. the organisation’s track record in internationally competitive research
2. how the application relates to the organisation’s research strategy
3. the organisation’s commitment to support the maintenance and future development of equipment or facilities funded by the Trust.

There is a two-stage application process.

Preliminary proposals should be submitted to the Trust by noon on Friday, 28^th February 2025. All proposals must be submitted using the online application form available on the Trust’s website. Proposals submitted by other means will not be considered.

The Trustees will consider and short-list proposals at their summer meeting, which is usually held in May or June.

Applicants whose proposals are shortlisted will be invited to make a full application by noon on Friday 15^th August 2025. These shortlisted applications will then be considered by the Trustees at their autumn meeting, which is usually held in October or November. The Trust will normally seek advice from independent reviewers as part of the assessment process for full applications. Where appropriate, the Trust may also wish to visit the applicant organisation.

Preliminary proposals must be submitted using the online application form and include the Trust’s budget template.

In completing the form, applicants will be expected to explain clearly and convincingly:

• how the requested funding would be used to accelerate translational research
• how the resulting research will translate into improvements in healthcare for patients
• why the relevant area of research is important
• how the proposed investment in research equipment or facilities relates to the organisation’s research strategy
• the leadership of the project, including the track record of the Principal Applicant
• the expected cost of the project using the Trust’s budget template
• the organisation’s fundraising plan and the expected timescale for the project.

Shortlisted organisations will be invited to submit a full application. There is no set format for full applications, but submissions must not exceed 10 sides of A4 with a minimum font size of 11 and a minimum margin size of 2 cm. Applicants may attach annexes to the document (for example to provide additional data supporting the research case, or additional information on the costings or building plans).

Annexes must not exceed 5 sides of A4 in total.

The application should update, and where appropriate expand, the research case for the proposed investment and how this will translate into improvements in healthcare. It should also set out:

• the indicators the organisation will use to assess the success of the project, and when it expects these measures to be achieved
• updated costings for the project
• how the project will be funded, including details of cash and in-kind contributions from the organisation’s own resources, progress in securing other external funding and the fundraising pipeline
• projected cashflow from research and clinical sources showing how the research and translation supported by the proposed investment will be sustained
• the timetable and key milestones for the project
• the key risks and mitigations considered in developing the project plan.

The Board of Trustees will be familiar with each proposal from the early stages of the process. The full application should nevertheless stand on its own and provide the Trustees with a comprehensive picture of the project, its financing, and the justification for the Trust providing support

The application should also provide the name, organisation, and email of two scientific referees whom the applicant feels would be suitable to comment on the application. The referees suggested by the applicant must not include colleagues from the same organisation(s) or those with whom the Principal Applicant has collaborated in the last five years.

It will be for the Trust to decide whether it approaches some or all the individuals proposed. It is the Trust’s policy to seek opinions from whichever authorities it considers to be most appropriate, and it cannot accept requests from applicants to proscribe certain referees.

Substantial demand for the Trust’s limited resources means that applications are competitive. Submitting a preliminary proposal and/or a full application does not guarantee either shortlisting or the award of funding.

Applicants should contact the Trust should they have any further questions at [email protected].