Small molecule high throughput screen using AstraZeneca facilities (Grant)

Apply for funding to run a high throughput screen (HTS) using AstraZeneca’s compound library and screening robots. There are two funding opportunities per year, that are open to all targets. Demand management Demand management is being applied to this funding opportunity. Further details are provided in the ‘who can apply’ section. Scope The small molecule HTS using AstraZeneca facilities funding opportunity aims to support academic researchers in discovering potential starting points for small molecule medicinal drugs. Academic researchers will benefit from unprecedented access to over two million molecules in AstraZeneca’s compound library, as well as its state-of-the-art high-throughput screening facilities. Medical Research Council (MRC) will provide funding to support up to four projects per year. As capacity is limited, projects will be prioritised for funding and for time slots within the facility. The timeframe for commencement of the studies will vary, although the expectation is within six months of the funding decision. AstraZeneca may offer to fund a project in its entirety if, based on the application, it considers that route to be the most appropriate funding mechanism for that individual study. In such cases, these will be taken forward through direct collaboration with the company without any further MRC involvement. Applicants who do not wish to accept this offer may continue to seek MRC support through the initiative. AstraZeneca will provide technical input to support assay optimisation, investigation of alternative readout technologies and pilot HTS screen, prior to transfer of the assay to the HTS platform. Depending on the results of the optimisation, a compound set of between 100,000 and 1 million of the library will be screened. Minimum assay development guidelines There are a number of minimum assay development guidelines which when considered as a whole will need to provide evidence that a screen could be conducted. Funds are provided to complete the assay development, so a less well-developed assay is not a barrier to your application being competitive. Duration The duration of this award is typically 15 months. However, the duration can be from 12 (minimum) to a maximum of 18 months. Funding available he full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £270,000 (£250,000 cost to MRC). We will fund 100% FEC of the work conducted at AstraZeneca. We will fund 80% FEC of any work conducted at the research organisation or related to staff costs, subsistence and travel. What we will fund We will fund costs related to staff and consumables incurred at AstraZeneca for the optimisation and execution of the HTS. These include: • £20,000 (100% FEC exceptions) for optimisation and establishment of an HTS • £150,000 (100% FEC exceptions) for execution of the HTS • cost of travel, accommodation and subsistence for a host institution researcher to work at AstraZeneca in Cambridge for three months (80% FEC) • costs for elements of the screening cascade that cannot be undertaken at AstraZeneca and must be undertaken at the host organisation (80% FEC) • minimal percentage of full-time equivalent for the project lead (80% FEC) What we will not fund We will not fund conference attendance. Supporting skills and talent This funding opportunity highly encourages a researcher from the host institution to embed themselves at the AstraZeneca facilities in Cambridge for a period of up to three months total. This will help with the establishment of the assay and conducting the HTS. The three months can be split into shorter chunks based on requirements of the project. Any application not requesting funding to support a visit to the AstraZeneca facility should state why it is not viable. However, this will not affect the evaluation of the merits of the project. It is understood that not all researchers can accommodate a prolonged period away from home. We encourage you to follow the principles of the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers and the Technician Commitment . Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I) UKRI is committed in ensuring that effective international collaboration in research and innovation takes place with integrity and within strong ethical frameworks. Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I) is a UKRI work programme designed to help protect all those working in our thriving and collaborative international sector by enabling partnerships to be as open as possible, and as secure as necessary. Our TR&I Principles set out UKRI’s expectations of organisations funded by UKRI in relation to due diligence for international collaboration. As such, applicants for UKRI funding may be asked to demonstrate how their proposed projects will comply with our approach and expectation towards TR&I, identifying potential risks and the relevant controls you will put in place to help proportionately reduce these risks. See further guidance and information about TR&I , including where app

This opportunity is open to organisations with standard eligibility. Check if your organisation is eligible . Who is eligible to apply To be eligible to apply for this funding opportunity you must show that you will direct the project and be actively engaged in the work. For applicants who do not have a contract of employment for the duration of the proposed project, by submitting an application the research organisation is confirming, if it is successful: • contracts will be extended beyond the end date of the project • all necessary support for the project and the applicants will be provided, including mentorship and career development for early career researchers Demand management You can only submit one application as project lead to this funding opportunity. Resubmissions We will not accept uninvited resubmission of applications that were submitted after 1 April 2026 to Medical Research Council (MRC), the rest of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) or any other funder. An uninvited resubmission is an application that was previously unsuccessful and has been submitted again without being invited by MRC. This includes applications that are unchanged, minimally revised, or substantially the same as the original submission. Uninvited resubmissions will be rejected. You should contact us if you are unsure whether your application is a resubmission. Find contacts in the ‘contact details’ section. Who is not eligible to apply Research applications that are led by commercial entities are not eligible. Applications may not include collaborations with additional commercial parties. You are also not eligible to apply for this funding opportunity as a project lead if you are based at an international research organisation. This does not include MRC Unit The Gambia or MRC/UVRI Uganda Research Unit at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine that are eligible to apply as project lead. Equality, diversity and inclusion We are committed to achieving equality of opportunity for all funding applicants. We encourage applications from a diverse range of researchers. We support people to work in a way that suits their personal circumstances. This includes: • career breaks • support for people with caring responsibilities • flexible working • alternative working patterns UKRI can offer disability and accessibility support for UKRI applicants and grant holders during the application and assessment process.

Click here to start an application on the UKRI Funding Service: https://funding-service.ukri.org/OPP1345/apply/1371 We are running this funding opportunity on the new UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service so please ensure that your organisation is registered. You cannot apply on the Joint Electronic Submissions (Je-S) system. The project lead is responsible for completing the application process on the Funding Service, but we expect all team members and project partners to contribute to the application. Only the lead research organisation can submit an application to UKRI. If the lead research organisation is an NHS organisation, check it is available in the Funding Service. You are encouraged to check this early as there may be additional steps for the organisation to be set up before you can apply. To apply Select ‘Start application’ near the beginning of this Funding finder page. • Confirm you are the project lead. • Sign in or create a Funding Service account. To create an account, select your organisation, verify your email address, and set a password. • Answer questions directly in the text boxes. You can save your answers and come back to complete them or work offline and return to copy and paste your answers. If we need you to upload a document, follow the upload instructions in the Funding Service. All questions and assessment criteria are listed in the How to apply section on this Funding finder page. • Allow enough time to check your application in ‘read-only’ view before sending to your research office. • Send the completed application to your research office for checking. They will return it to you if it needs editing. • Your research office will submit the completed and checked application to UKRI. Please be aware that research office and finance teams undertake checks on hosting arrangements and financial eligibility. The ultimate responsibility for ensuring compliance with all opportunity requirements lies with the applicant. Where indicated, you can also demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. When including images, you must: • provide a descriptive caption or legend for each image immediately underneath it in the text box (this must be outside the image and counts towards your word limit) • insert each new image on a new line • use files smaller than 5MB and in JPEG, JPG, JPE, JFI, JIF, JFIF, PNG, GIF, BMP or WEBP format Images should only be used to convey important visual information that cannot easily be put into words. The following are not permitted, and your application will be rejected if you include: • sentences or paragraphs of text • tables • excessive quantities of images A few words are permitted where the image would lack clarity without the contextual words, such as a diagram, where text labels are required for an axis or graph column. For more guidance on the Funding Service, see: • how applicants use the Funding Service • how research offices use the Funding Service • how re