The Humane Research Trust is a registered charity that supports scientists to find ways to replace animals in medical research.

The Trust’s Fellowships provide support to early career researchers to enable them to develop their career while using animal-free techniques to advance human health. Fellowships are suitable for applicants who are pioneering research methods to replace the use of animals and animal-derived biomaterials in their research of human diseases. This includes projects to:

• Develop a novel animal-free model or technique to replace animals in research; this could be in vitro, ex vivo, in silico or a combination of these.
• Apply an existing animal-free in vitro, ex vivo, or in silico model to further the applicant’s innovative research or test a new research hypothesis.

Grants are open to PhD-qualified early career researchers who are ready to establish their own independent animal-free research programme. Applicants must be based at a UK university or research institution. In addition, they must be able to demonstrate that they played a leading role in delivering previous research projects, and be the first author on at least one peer-reviewed output (published or in press).

Applicants can apply for up to £450,000 and the duration of the fellowship is up to five years. It is anticipated that the Trust will fund one fellowship.

There is a two-stage application process consisting of a mandatory outline proposal followed by an invited full application.

Outline applications must be submitted by the deadline of 21 December 2025.