Motor Neuron Disease (MND) Research

Applications for our 2023 Project Awards have now closed. Please sign up to our mailing list at the bottom of this page to hear about future opportunities.

In 2023, we funded 33% of the proposals that we received in this award round.

Our 2023 Project Awards will support the early-stage development of new treatments to slow, stop or reverse MND disease progression. We will also consider the development of treatments to better manage the symptoms of MND, where they could transform the lives of people living with the condition.

Our Project Awards aim to help researchers build data packages that will attract onward investment and strategic partnerships to accelerate promising treatments through further testing and towards commercialisation.

Scope

We will support projects that aim to robustly validate therapeutic targets and/or develop novel or repositioned pharmacological interventions through preclinical development including efficacy testing, PK/PD, ADME/toxicology, target engagement and other IND-enabling studies. 

We will prioritise projects with the potential to be effective across a broad range of people living with MND. All projects should incorporate biomarker and patient stratification strategies where relevant, and have a clear plan for commercialisation and onward development towards the clinic.

Out-of-scope research includes early discovery research to identify novel targets, clinical trials and health and social care research.

Eligibility and Funding

Lead applicants should be based in a UK academic institution or small start-up biotech company. Collaborators can be based anywhere else in the world and can include contract research organisations. Industry partners are encouraged and projects that leverage additional sources of funding or in-kind support will be viewed favourably.

Eligible costs include research staff costs, consumables and conference/publication costs. Requests for additional costs such as equipment will be considered where necessary. The Foundation does not cover indirect costs of research.

Awards are for a maximum of £500k for up to 5 years. Projects exceeding £300k or 3 years should be milestone-gated with clear go/no-go decisions built in. Please note, the average size of our previous and ongoing awards is £250k.

We are happy to explore co-funding projects with other funders. Applicants must be able to demonstrate that funding for the total cost of the project has been secured.

The total fund available for this grant round is ~£1.5m.

Application Process and Timeline

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

• Friday 12th May, 5pm - Deadline for Expression of Interest (EoI)
• Early June - Successful EoIs are invited to Full Application stage
• Monday 21st August, midday - Deadline for Full Applications
• October - Anticipated Award decision
• November - Earliest start date

Assessment Criteria

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

• Strategic fit and potential impact for people with MND
• Scientific robustness of the proposal including strength of existing evidence, methodology proposed and level of scientific innovation
• If animal use is proposed and justified, the appropriateness of number of animals and chosen models
• Suitability of the applicant(s) to carry out the research
• Potential of the project to rapidly translate towards the clinic
• Appropriateness of patient and public involvement, such as whether the ask of people affected by MND in the proposal is reasonable
• Appropriateness of mitigation of risks associated with the project
• Cost effectiveness, justification of funds requested and feasibility of the approach within the proposed budget and timescale

To register for an account and start your application for a Project Award, visit Flexi-Grant.

If you are interested in submitting an application, we encourage you to get in touch with us to discuss your proposal first.

Applications for our Autumn 2023 Catalyst Awards have now closed. Please sign up to our mailing list at the bottom of this page to hear about future opportunities.

As part of our commitment to investing in innovative new approaches, we are offering Catalyst Awards for a maximum of £100k for up to 1 year. 

Scope

We will support projects that aim to gather proof-of-principle data for innovative new approaches and enable researchers to bring early-stage promising ideas to life. Successful projects will generate preliminary data that will unlock further investment opportunities.

Projects should have the ultimate aim of slowing, stopping, or reversing the progression of MND. We will also consider projects aimed at developing treatments to better manage the symptoms of MND, where they could transform the lives of people living with the disease.

All Catalyst Awards must align to one or more of our strategic priorities. Examples of the type of research that would fall into these categories are outlined below but please note, this list is not exhaustive.

• Validate therapeutic targets
  • Identification of novel targets that could be investigated for MND; correlation of target to disease state; demonstration of effective disease rescue; confirmation of therapeutic tractability. Please note, projects with high translational potential will be prioritised.
• Accelerate new treatments
  • Drug development and pre-clinical studies including PK, PD, target engagement, ADME and toxicology analysis in relevant models.
• Improve translation
  • Innovative ideas to improve the translation of new treatments from lab to clinic, including but not limited to: investigation into novel patient stratification approaches; identification and characterisation of novel biomarkers for the diagnosis or monitoring of MND; research to enable earlier detection of MND such as identification of high-risk groups or screening tools.

Applicants must demonstrate how their proposal aligns to one or more of our strategic priorities, and have a clear plan for follow-on funding if their project is successful.

Eligibility and Funding

Lead applicants must be based in a UK academic institution. Collaborators can be based anywhere in the world. 

Catalyst Awards are a maximum of £100k for up to 1 year.

Eligible costs include research staff costs and consumables. Other costs may be considered if the applicant has discussed it with the Foundation prior to the application being made. The Foundation does not cover the indirect costs of research.

Application Process and Key Dates

All applications are to be made using our online grant management system, Flexi-Grant. The application form will be available from Friday 1st September and applications must be submitted by midday on Friday 24th November. We anticipate making awards in January 2024.

Applicants are encouraged to get in touch with the Research Team (research@myname5doddie.co.uk) before submitting an application to ensure that proposals are in scope.

Assessment Criteria

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

• Strategic alignment with one (or more) of the Foundation’s strategic priorities
• Potential of the project to impact people living with MND positively, or if the research is at an early stage, potential to lead to follow-on research that will impact people living with MND will be considered
• Scientific robustness and innovation
• 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
• Potential to secure follow-on funding if the project is successful, and for the follow-on research to rapidly translate towards the clinic
• Cost-effectiveness, justification of funds requested and feasibility of the approach within the proposed budget and timescale

We will prioritise research related to the mechanisms that underpin the development and progression of MND in most people with the disease.