Alzheimer’s Research UK is a UK charity dedicated to funding world-class research to find preventions, treatments and a cure for dementia.

Alzheimer’s Research UK has launched an opportunity to bring together leading researchers, clinicians, and innovators worldwide to tackle some of the most urgent and complex questions in dementia research that have the potential to accelerate progress towards a cure. The opportunity is run alongside Gates Ventures and in collaboration with research partners Robertson Foundation and Alzheimer’s Disease Data Initiative, with support from Q Charitable Trust.

The awards will last for two years with potential follow-on funding for an additional three years to seek answers to the following questions:

1. Can we better predict and stage disease progression in dementia?
2. What are the relative contributions of different brain changes to the development of dementia?
3. Why are some high-risk populations resilient to dementia?

The awards are not intended to fund research that could be funded through existing mechanisms; instead, they are intended to support large-scale, multidisciplinary projects that foster innovation, spark collaboration across borders, and drive paradigm-shifting breakthroughs that could transform the lives of people worldwide affected by the condition.

Eligible teams must bring together complementary expertise and attract new thinking to dementia research. The funders encourage the formation of new collaborations that integrate expertise from diverse and potentially unconventional disciplines.

Lead Applicants do not need to be based in a UK academic/research institution, but must comply with Alzheimer’s Research UK’s existing policies and funding conditions. International collaborations are highly encouraged.

The Lead Applicant must be based at a research institution which is appropriately accredited or registered in the country in which it is based. Applications cannot be led from commercial entities.

This call will follow a staged process:

• Stage 1 (Expression of Interest): Up to £50,000 will be awarded to approximately 10 research teams to support team-building and further development of their proposals.
• Stage 2 (Full Application): Approximately four teams will be selected for a two-year award from a £6 million funding pool.
• Follow-on Funding: At the end of the two-year period, at least one team demonstrating the most promising progress and a clear path to answering the research question will be eligible for a major follow-on award over an additional three years.

Funding will cover direct costs related to the proposed activities, including salaries (research, technical, students etc), equipment, animal costs and running costs (consumables, travel etc).

An information webinar will be held on Tuesday 11 November at 9:00-10:00 and Thursday 13 November at 17:00-18:00. The webinars will provide more information about the programme, including further details of the questions being proposed, the eligibility criteria and the application process, followed by a Q&A session.

To accommodate prospective applicants across different time zones two timeslots will be available to attend. The content of each webinar will be the same so there is no need to attend both sessions. For those unable to attend, the Information Webinars will be recorded and key content uploaded to the Dementia Frontiers Fund website after the sessions.

Interested applicants should email their intention to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) by 17 December 2025. The Alzheimer’s Research UK team will provide an EOI form and any other relevant documents subject to satisfactory completion of an eligibility questionnaire.

EOI should be submitted by the 7 January 2026 (12:00) deadline.