Children with Cancer UK 2022 Research Grant Call for Proposals

Grants of up to £350,000 are available for projects to accelerate the discovery and development of novel and innovative approaches to improve the cancer pathway for childhood and young adult cancers.

Children with Cancer UK is the leading national charity engaged in supporting children and young adults affected by cancer and funding research to improve the diagnosis, treatment and long-term care of children with cancer. The Children with Cancer UK research strategy focuses on two main aims: developing improved treatments with less toxic side effects and better understanding how cancer develops, to be able to prevent it in the future.

The 2022 Research Grant Call – the first since 2019 – is inviting proposals for research into improvements of the cancer pathway for childhood and young adult cancers. Funding of up to £350,000 over three years is available for projects to accelerate the discovery and development of novel and innovative approaches that are likely to lead to improvements in the diagnosis and treatment of cancers affecting children and young adults. Proposals should focus on key questions in any area of cancer research which primarily addresses the needs of children and young adults with cancer and into improved quality of ongoing life.

Projects should align with the main priorities of the Children with Cancer UK Research Strategy 2022-2027, which include:

• The development of more effective treatments including immunotherapies and tailored treatments which target cancer-specific molecular changes targeted with reduced toxicity.
• The identification of improved diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers to allow accurate diagnosis and disease monitoring.
• The early identification and mitigation of treatment related toxicity.
• The further understanding of cellular and molecular oncogenesis.

The Research Project Grants predominantly fund basic scientific research, with particular attention given to promising and innovative research to provide proof of concept studies which complement the funding of major clinical trials. Grants may support stand-alone projects, research that is part of a wider project or trial, or research that is likely to lead to a further, larger grant application.

Project proposals could include, for example:

• Development of novel therapeutic approaches and mitigation of treatment related toxicity.
• Understanding the mechanisms through which cancer develops.
• Advancement of approaches to diagnosis and identification of markers to monitor disease progression.
• Improvements in the knowledge of treatment late effects, quality of life and survivorship.

Proposals must be submitted by established researchers (scientists, clinicians or health care workers) based at recognised academic institutions (university, hospital or research institute) in the UK. The Principal Investigator must have a tenured or tenure-track academic appointment, or hold an honorary academic contract at a recognised academic institution and must have a minimum of five years’ post-doctoral experience.

International collaborations will be considered where the Principal Investigator is employed at a UK research institution.

The maximum funding request is £350,000 for projects involving a single institution. Collaborations involving more than one institution may apply for larger grant awards, however most grants will be less than the maximum.

There is a two-stage application process: a preliminary proposal followed by a full proposal for selected applicants.

Preliminary proposals for the 2022 Call for Proposals must be submitted by the deadline on 14 November 2022 (17:00).

(This report was the subject of a RESEARCHconnect Newsflash.)