How we decide which projects to fund

Using your donations to start new cancer cures

You help us start new cancer cures by giving scientists the time and tools they need to find new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer. Discover how we allocate our funds and decide which research projects to support.

The steps we take to fund the right projects.

Scientists come to us with their innovative research ideas

Every year, we ask researchers around the world to send us their most exciting and creative ideas that could transform our understanding of cancer and how to beat it. They must outline what they hope to achieve with their research and provide detailed scientific explanations of how they will do it. They also provide us with a breakdown of the costs involved so that we can make sure that we make the most of your donations.

See what type of research we fund

Ideas are assessed by world leading cancer researchers.

We want to make the most of our generous supporters’ donations. That’s why 24 of the world’s best cancer researchers - our Scientific Advisory Committee - decide which of the projects meet the aims stated in our Research Strategy. The remaining projects are then sent to external experts in cancer research for "peer review".

This is a very important stage that ensures every application is reviewed by experts in the relevant field of cancer research. Importantly, all these reviewers are independent of Worldwide Cancer Research, to remove any potential bias or conflict of interest.

Our Scientific Advisory Committee

Scientists come to us with their innovative research ideas

We hold our Bold Ideas Gathering to select the final projects.

Here, the Scientific Advisory Committee get together in one room to discuss the 50 or so ideas left on the table. They discuss each application in detail, considering the comments provided from the peer reviewers. After a long day, the Committee is then ready to make its recommendation for the big ideas that we should fund.

See projects we've funded

Ideas are assessed by world leading cancer researchers.

We work with partners to help funding go further.

To make sure we fund as many of the best projects as we possibly can, we go out of our way to set up partnerships with other charities who can help cover some of the costs. This way of combining resources means that more research gets done and more first steps are taken towards new cures for cancer.

We have co-funded projects in partnership with Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund, Leukaemia UK, Guts UK, The Brain Tumour Charity, Kidney Research UK, Asociación española contra el cáncer, French Foundation for Cancer Research (Fondation-ARC), Pancreatic Cancer UK, Prostate Cancer Research, the Irish Cancer Society and Cancer Australia. Without their support, these projects may never have been funded.