Researcher FAQs
Our FAQs will help you understand what we do and do not fund, and if your research proposal meets our funding criteria, before you submit your application.
Your Grant Round application FAQs
When will you open your grant round?
Our Grant Round will open on the 23rd of February for pre-submissions.
Please note that we are currently in the process of migrating to a new grant management system. We aim to have this platform online for mid-February. All users will be required to register on the new platform even if they had an account with our old system. Further updates will be provided on our website.
Successful applicants will be notified in early November.
Do you typically reach your application cap of 500?
The 2026 grant round will close when we reach the 500-application cap, or on Thursday the 2nd of April, whichever is first. The 500-application cap has been reached in the previous two funding calls and the expectation is that we will reach it again.
The number of submitted grants will be visible on our website. Please note that your application will only officially be submitted after the approval from your Head of Department and Authorising Officer.
What is your success rate?
Around a third of our applications pass preliminary triage. If your application passes preliminary triage the success rate is approximately 21%. As we fund discovery research into any type of cancer globally, our prestigious funding is extremely competitive. Our overall success rate is around 6%, so it is really important to ensure your application meets our research strategy to increase your chance of success. Please see our exemplar application and top tips from our Scientific Advisory Committee to help you craft a compelling application.
My organization is not on the system, how can I add it?
If your organisation is not registered on our system, the research funding team will need to confirm the details of your organisation before we can register it. Please email the following information to [email protected]
- Legal name of organisation
- Main telephone number
- Central address
- Category of the institution (e.g. university, hospital, research facility, etc)
- Proof of the non-profit status (preferably by providing us with a weblink to text where the non-profit status is referred to)
Can I claim my own salary?
Yes, if you are a post-doctoral researcher with 3-10 years post-doctoral experience at the time of application who is trying to establish independence you can apply for your own salary. For further information, see section 2.4 and 2.5 of the application handbook.
I am a PhD student or a postdoc with less than 3 years’ experience, can I still apply for funding?
No, please note that if you are a PhD student or a researcher with less than 3 years of post-doctoral research experience you are not eligible to apply for our grant funding. Alternatively, your PI can apply to our funding and can name you as a co-applicant or staff member working on the project. For further information, see our application handbook.
Can I use artificial intelligence in my application?
Yes, but we expect all use of generative AI tools in applications to be acknowledged whether this is for the scientific aspects or aid in writing.
Please be careful when using AI tools and never input sensitive information or personal data without formal consent. All AI tools need to be used responsibly in accordance with relevant legal and ethical standards.
Can I resubmit my grant?
Yes, you can resubmit your grant if your application passed preliminary triage in the previous grant round. You may only resubmit a grant once. For further information, see section 2.12 and 2.13 of the application handbook. If your grant did not pass preliminary triage, you can submit an application that is significantly different from your previous research proposal. For further information, see section 2.12 of the application handbook.
Can I claim research costs for a co-applicant at a different institution?
There is no requirement to partner with, or have a collaborator at, another institution to apply. However you can apply for a grant where research will take place at multiple institutions and we fund research anywhere worldwide. If your application is successful, Worldwide Cancer Research only pays the institute of the principal investigator, and a chargeback agreement has to be put in place between the PI institution and the co-applicant’s institution.
What type of refencing should I use in my grant application?
We have no preference for a style of reference such as Harvard or Vancouver. It is up to the discretion of the applicant to choose a referencing style of their preference.
Your funding criteria FAQs
What do we fund?
Our goal is to support research that seeks to answer the difficult questions in cancer biology. We are looking for innovative and truly novel ideas that have the potential to revolutionise our understanding of cancer and how to beat it.
We award project grants of 12 to 36 months in length to support basic, fundamental or translational research into the prevention, diagnosis or treatment of cancer. We do not prioritise any field of research within this; we welcome research that draws on epidemiological, behavioural and clinical data to provide a starting point for a new avenue of research. Multidisciplinary or discipline-hopping projects are encouraged where this helps stimulate innovation.
The research described in your application should be a discrete, hypothesis-driven project achievable within the duration and with the support requested. Do not describe a large programme of work - for example the work of your entire laboratory - and then request a contribution towards it - for example funding one member of the laboratory or part of the consumable costs.
Please see our Research Strategy and application handbook for more details.
What don't we fund?
We do not support clinical research, including clinical trials, patient care, nursing or healthcare delivery research. We also do not support other types of applied cancer research such as policy, public health or psychosocial research.
Proposals that contain a small clinical element as an essential part of a basic or translational research project are often permitted, but you are advised to contact us at [email protected] for advice before submitting your proposal.
Please see our application handbook for more details.
What are we looking for?
To help us fulfil the aims of our Research Strategy, and to ensure we realise our vision, we are looking for projects that meet the following criteria:
Starting new ideas
We are looking for innovative research that takes intellectual risks. To us, that means helping researchers turn their bold idea into reality. And if there’s a risk of failure, we are willing to take it, if the rewards for success are worth it.
We want to see ideas which have the potential to start new lines of research and to tell us something new about cancer and how it could be prevented, diagnosed or treated.
We want to make the most of our supporters’ generous donations by funding standalone research projects. Projects should seek to answer a focused research question, not be an incremental piece of research tied to a larger programme grant.
Exciting and creative
We are looking for ideas that excite. The ones that make us go, “I wish I had thought of that”. We are looking for proposals with a creative approach to answering fundamental questions that could change how we think about cancer. Often these are ideas that other funders may overlook.
Scientific quality
We want to see the most exciting and creative new ideas, but we are also responsible stewards of our supporters’ donations. We need to see robust scientific reasoning and appropriate solid methodology to back it up. The aims of a project should be feasible with the time and resources requested, and with the expertise of the research team.
Transformative impact
We support blue-sky thinking in research and want to direct funding towards projects that could transform an area of cancer research or one day have a major impact on the lives of people with cancer. While impact on cancer patients is a priority for us and our supporters, we recognise that important discoveries take time to bear fruit and that it may be many years before the research leads to lives saved or improved.
Who do we fund?
The principal investigator on the application must be a suitably qualified researcher (minimum of PhD followed by three years research experience, or equivalent qualification or research experience).
Where do we fund?
We award grants to principal investigators based at any not-for-profit research institution anywhere in the world. Check that your institute will accept our grant Terms & Conditions in the application handbook before submitting an application.
How much can I apply for?
The maximum budget allowed is £275,000, but it should be noted that most of the three-year grants we award have a budget of between £200,000 and £250,000.
Discover how to apply
Our application process
Learn more about our annual funding application process at Worldwide Cancer Research and how to apply for ground-breaking cancer research funding.
Read before applying
Our research policies
We have set of research policies that must be adhered to by all grantholders or funding from Worldwide Cancer Research. Find out more here.
