Year one of our research strategy: Catalysing a Cure

Last year, we launched our brand-new research strategy: Catalysing a Cure. With this new strategy we said we would invest in high-value science that meets our strategic priorities of validating therapeutic targets, accelerating the development of new treatments and improving translation of discoveries in the lab to the clinic.

This week (26 November 2024) marked two years since Doddie’s death from MND and we announced that since the foundation was set up in 2017, we have so far committed more than £18 million to MND research.

Today, 28 November 2024, we are excited to launch our one year research strategy report. This report details how, from April 2023-March 2024, we have put words into action and done exactly what we said we would do.

Invest

We have invested an outstanding £3 million into the very best cutting-edge translational research projects. We set up our Research Review Committee of experts from academia, industry and with lived experience of MND and funded ten new research projects. We have also established two new funding programmes – our Advancing Treatments and Catalyst Awards – to ensure we meet our research strategy goal of validating therapeutic targets and accelerating translation to the clinic.

Partner

To help us achieve our vision, we partnered with those who can help us. We pooled our resources with other funders, generating bigger funding levels to invest in more impactful research together.

Influence 

We want to influence the scientific and political agenda, so we can boost investment for translational MND research. Our first year saw us do this through our Advancing Treatments Award – the first annual award focused on this type of MND research in the UK.

Involve

We put people affected by MND at the centre of everything we do. Our research strategy ensures that their needs and priorities are put at the heart of our activities. One year on, we have recruited five people affected by MND to our Research Review Committee as well as having people living with MND attend our Scientific Advisory Board meetings and Grant Review Panel meetings, to make sure those affected by MND are heard and given the opportunity to input on the research projects we fund.

The huge things we have achieved during the first year of our five-year research strategy are only possible with the support and hard work of our supporters. 

People with MND do not have time to wait. We are committed to driving MND research forward by acting with urgency to fund the best research and bring us closer to achieving our vision of a world without MND.

Read our full one year report here and find out how you can help us achieve our vision of a world without MND here.