UK funders
UK sources of research funding

UK sources of funding range from government funded research councils; individual government departments; non-department government bodies; charities, trusts and foundations.
All significant UK research funders provide information about calls on their own websites - which are the authoritative source for details of funding calls and supporting information.
Some sites also provide other notification services for funding and news, including the use of social media, which may suit some users. Access to these is usually via registration on the funder’s main site.
University staff and students can also access further information in our supporting research: internal documents section.
Guides to major funders (internal staff and students only)
Research Councils UK (RCUK)
Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC)
Biotechnology & Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)
Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC)
Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)
Medical Research Council (MRC)
Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)
Science & Technology Facilities Council (STFC)
Visit this page for information and advice on the UK's £1.5 billion Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF).
This event was held on 26 January 2018 and featured speakers from key funders as well as the research base and industry. Follow this link for access to the programme and slides from the event.
There are over 8800 grant-making trusts and foundations in the UK. The following are examples of some of the larger trusts
Alcohol Education & Research Council - provides a wide range of grants including research and development grants
British Academy - for the humanities and social sciences
British Council - helping to share British expertise and talent
Esmee Fairbairn Trust - funds projects in four major strands arts, education and learning, environment and social change
Joseph Rowntree Foundation - provides research funding for housing, social care and social policy through specific calls
NESTA - (National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts) - innovation in the UK
Nuffield Foundation - improving social well-being through education, research and innovation
The Big Lottery Fund- funds health and social research
The Leverhulme Trust - providing scholarships for research and education.
The Royal Society - the oldest scientific academy in continuous existence, funding various schemes open to the scientific community
The Wellcome Trust - supporting biomedical research and medical humanities.
The following are examples of government sourced or other statutory organisation funding schemes available.
Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) - a statutory levy board with seven sector divisions with funding opportunities
Department for Business & Innovation Skills (BIS) - department for economic growth
Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)
Department for International Development (DFID)
Department of Education for Northern Ireland (DENI)
Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE)
Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW)
Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA)
Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) - UK's experts on digital technologies for education and research
National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) - commissions and funds NHS, social care and public health research
Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA)
Scottish Funding Council (SFC) - promoting further and higher education
Research Professional is a comprehensive online research funding opportunities database and alerting service.
The University has a site licence, so it is freely accessible to everyone on the University campus, or staff and students can login with an account.
Visit our ResearchProfessional.com web page