Advancing Treatments Award

Overview

We’re turning the tide on MND. Our Advancing Treatments Award backs the early-stage development of new treatments designed to slow, stop, or reverse the progression of MND and better manage symptoms. Our aim with this award is to help you build the data packages needed to attract onward investment and strategic partnerships. Awards are for a maximum of £500k for up to 5 years.

Scope

We’re investing in two key areas of our research strategy: validating therapeutic targets and accelerating new treatments.* If your project fits one of these priorities, we want to hear about it.

1. Validating therapeutic targets
   For projects focusing on validating therapeutic targets, we need to know that your target is the right one. You’ll need to show us the biological rationale: why this target is important, how it differs from what’s been tried before, and that it’s safe. We’re looking for projects that prove that target modulation results in pathway modification and rescues the disease phenotype. Successful projects should also define target engagement and downstream pharmacodynamic biomarkers.
2. Accelerating new treatments
   For projects focusing on accelerating new treatments, we’ll support you with the development of new pharmacological interventions and studies to demonstrate their efficacy in pre-clinical models. Your project must assess target engagement and build a robust body of evidence using relevant models or approaches. We will also support safety and pharmacokinetic studies for human dose prediction. Successful studies will consider the development of biomarker and patient stratification approaches.

For more information, please read our guidance on implementing the Guiding Principles for Drug Discovery and Development in ALS.

* The Advancing Treatment Award does not fund the following research areas: early discovery research aimed at identifying novel targets, clinical trials, and health and social care research. If your project falls into one of these categories, it might be a better fit for one of our other funding opportunities.

Eligibility

• Lead applicants should be based in a UK academic institution

• Collaborators can be based anywhere in the world

• Sub-contracting to contract research organisations is permitted

• Industry partners are encouraged, but pharmaceutical and biotech companies will not be eligible for grant funding

Funding

• Awards are for a maximum of £500k for up to 5 years, unless otherwise pre-agreed with the Foundation
• Projects exceeding £300k or 3 years must be milestone-gated with clear Go/No Go decisions built in

A maximum of £2 million is available for this grant round, depending on suitable quality applications. Eligible expenses can include:

• Costs for research staff including PhD studentship stipends and tuition fees; salaries of research staff including (but not limited to) postdoctoral research associates, technicians and statisticians; fellowships.
  • Applicants should cost in necessary employer contributions, annual salary increments and London allowance, if required.
  • The Foundation will pay salaries based on the scales in operation at the institution in which the research will take place. Applicants should consult the appropriate administrative authority at their institution to determine the salaries to be requested.
  • The Foundation will not pay salary contributions for researchers with permanent positions named on the funding applications. In cases where a principal investigator or co-applicants' salary is dependent on grant funding, we would require a letter from the Institute confirming this.
• Consumables
• Expenses related to professional development and training
• Travel expenses for conferences
• Open access costs for publications

Requests for funding to cover other items, such as equipment, must be pre-approved by the Foundation before application. Please note that the Foundation does not cover indirect research costs.

Application process and timeline

All applications will be made using our online grant management system, Flexi-grant. Key dates are outlined below:

The Advancing Treatment Award will reopen for applications in 2027. All applications will be made using our online grant management system, Flexi-grant. If you’re interested in applying for an Advancing Treatments Award, we encourage you to get in touch and discuss your proposal first. Please contact research@myname5doddie.co.uk.

Find out more about our review processes and research policies here.

Previous success rate

• In 2025, our Advancing Treatments Award received eleven expressions of interest. Six were invited to the full application stage and three projects were awarded funding.
• In 2024, our Advancing Treatments Award received eight expressions of interest. Seven were invited to the full application stage and five projects were awarded funding.
• In 2023, our Advancing Treatments Award (previously “Project Award”) received nine expressions of interest. Five were invited to the full application stage and three projects were awarded funding.

Assessment criteria

Applications will be assessed by our independent Translational Research Review Committee according to the following criteria:

• Level of scientific innovation
• Scientific robustness of the proposal including strength of existing evidence and methodology proposed
• For high-risk projects, appropriate plans are built in to mitigate unnecessary risks e.g. clear decision points with pre-agreed criteria, input from experts who may not be directly involved in the project, etc.
• Good communication of research with non-scientific audiences (lay summary)
• Strategic fit and alignment to Guiding Principles for Drug Discovery and Development in ALS.
• Potential to positively impact people living with MND
• If animal use is proposed and justified, the appropriateness of the number of animals and chosen models
• Suitability of the applicant(s) to carry out the research
• The potential of the project to rapidly translate towards the clinic
• Cost-effectiveness, justification of funds requested and feasibility of the approach within the proposed budget and timescale

The Translational Research Review Committee will recommend projects for funding to the Foundation’s Board of Trustees, who will make the final decision on which projects should be funded.

All information provided in the application form will be treated with confidentiality. Please see our Application Terms and Conditions for further information.

Previously funded projects