Discovery Network Award

Overview

People living with MND do not have time to wait. To kickstart the search for new treatments, we’ve launched our Discovery Network: a funding opportunity for interdisciplinary and collaborative teams to advance our understanding of the underlying biology of MND and identify new therapeutic targets. First launched in 2024, you can find details of our first round of funding here. Awards available are for a maximum of £1 million over 3 years.

Our Discovery Network is closely aligned with the UK MND Research Institute. As a researcher, you’ll therefore have access to a national ecosystem of expertise; a key component in strengthening our translational pipeline.

Scope

Each team in our Discovery Network focuses on a specific high-impact area of MND biology by building on the expertise, knowledge, and tools accessible within their team.

Examples of areas of MND biology include, but are not limited to:

• Autophagy
• Ageing
• The immune system
• Lysosomal function
• Mitochondrial function
• Protein homeostasis
• RNA metabolism
• Vesicle transport

We welcome proposals in emerging areas of research. If you have the scientific evidence to support a new path, we want to hear about it. Successful teams will provide the data that links their focus directly to how MND starts or progresses, outlining the potential for new therapeutic targets.

To gain new insights, we expect your team to use a range of innovative techniques, methodologies, and multidisciplinary expertise. This may include new approaches in omics technologies, functional genomics, imaging, complex cell models, artificial intelligence, and data-driven research.

We encourage the use of a range of models including human iPSCs, animal models (where absolutely needed), human tissue samples, and high-quality patient datasets.

Application process and timeline

The Discovery Network will not reopen for applications in 2026, but we encourage prospective applicants to get in touch with us early and take advantage of this gap year to form strong teams before the 2027 award round.

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

Previous success rate

In 2024, we received 21 expressions of interest. Eight were invited to the full application stage and four projects were awarded funding.

Assessment criteria

Applications will be assessed by our Discovery Network Advisory Board according to the following criteria:

• Scientific merit of the study including ambition of the aims and objectives, proposed methodology, resources and equipment, and level of scientific innovation
• Technical feasibility of the project plan, and likelihood of study aims and objectives being reached
• Potential impact of the project based on its ability to reveal promising new targets for future MND treatments
• Suitability of the team to carry out the research. This includes access to relevant expertise, capabilities, and how well the different groups and aims come together to form a coherent collaborative whole
• Ability of the team to bring valuable tools, capabilities, or resources to the Discovery Network
• Commitment of the team to open science and collaboration
• A cost-effective and realistic budget

Our acknowledgements

The Discovery Network is modelled off of a framework borne out of the Milken Institute which has been applied in Parkinson’s Diseases and Bipolar Disorder research. We would like to extend our thanks to the team at BD² for sharing their knowledge and expertise with us, and in doing so, helping us establish this programme.

Previously funded projects

More

Our Director of Research, Jessica Lee, introduced the Discovery Network 2024 round and application details in the video below.