A prize fund of £200,000 is available to recently established independent researchers conducting research to better understand factors that influence children’s health and their later physical and mental health.

The Medical Research Foundation Emerging Leaders Prize awards a total fund of £200,000 to recognise outstanding researchers in the early stages of research independence who have already had an impact in their field and have demonstrated their potential to be research leaders of the future.

The prize focuses on a different field of scientific research every year and is intended to support the career development and further work of the award winners by funding activities such as personalised leadership training, development of research collaborations, the purchase of equipment or technology, or direct research costs.

The theme of the 2026 Emerging Leaders Prize is ‘Early Origins of Health and Disease’, which has been selected to recognise researchers working to better understand – or develop interventions to improve – the early factors in children’s lives which can influence their later physical and mental health.

The prize fund is awarded as a top prize of £100,000 and a number of awards for runner-up and highly commended candidates.

Areas of research could include, but are not limited to, developing knowledge or contributing to impact in the follow areas:

• Parental preconception health and its influence on child outcomes.
• The impact of pregnancy, perinatal health and the in utero environment on child development.
• The relationship between health and nutrition in the early years and later disease risk.

The award is open to clinicians, scientists and allied health professionals at UK HEIs, hospitals or research institutes. Applicants should have recently transitioned to an independent research position and be able to demonstrate productivity across their past career and an upward trajectory.

Researchers can be working in a variety of relevant disciplines, including biomedical, social and clinical science, but should clearly demonstrate a track record of research which links specific factors in the early years to later health and disease outcomes.

As a broad guideline, expected impacts include the generation of new knowledge, developing capacity in the field, contribution to policy development and implementation or developing new methodologies, interventions and skills for the research and medical community in the field.