Recurring funding

NIHR (National Institute for Health and Care Research)

NIHR Global Health Research Professorships (recurring annually):

The NIHR Global Health Research Professorships aim to support senior researchers on track to become a future global health research leader, and methodologists working to improve health outcomes in LMICs.

Eligibility: Open to senior researchers in health, public health, and social care. Applicants can be based in LMICs and in the UK. Applicants must participate in obligatory internal coordinated bid as limits apply on applications per institution. 

Funding Available: 5-year award of up to £2 million plus an extensive support package

NIHR Research on Interventions for Global Health Transformation (RIGHT) (recurring):

The NIHR RIGHT programme aims to fund research that develops and evaluates interdisciplinary applied health research in low and middle income countries (LMICs) on areas of unmet need where a strategic and targeted investment can result in a transformative impact. RIGHT runs one or two funding calls a year on commissioned topics in applied health research.

Eligibility: Funding awards can be led by a Principal Investigator (Lead Applicant) employed by an LMIC Higher Education Institution (HEI) or Research Institute; or by a Principal Investigator employed by a UK HEI or Research Institute (UK Joint Lead Applicant) to jointly lead with a Principal Investigator employed by an LMIC HEI or Research Institute (LMIC Joint Lead Applicant). Applications must include a lead, co-applicant or joint lead applicant from a country eligible for Official Development Assistance (ODA) funding and relevant to the research proposal.

Funding Available: £1-5 million (maximum of £5 million) for research with a duration of 3-5 years

NIHR Global Health Research – Researcher-led bands 1 to 3 (recurring annually):

The NIHR Global Health Research programme aims to fund health research that addresses locally prioritized evidence needs and promotes equity in LMICs.

Eligibility: Researchers in health and social care, focusing on SDG 3 goals.

Funding Available: Varies by project band.

NIHR Global Advanced Fellowship (recurring annually):

The NIHR Global Advanced Fellowship awards support postdoctoral researchers in LMICs and the UK working in applied global health research. The scheme aims to support postdoctoral researchers on the path to becoming leaders in global health research for LMICs. This is an annual scheme that is anticipated to launch around the same time each year.

Eligibility: Early- to mid-career researchers in applied global health.

Funding Available: Up to £750,000 over 2 to 5 years

Medical Research Council (MRC)

MRC Applied Global Health Research (next round opens March 2025):

The MRC Applied Global Health Research programme aims to support applied research that will address global health challenges and inequities. The scheme will fund impactful research that can directly influence health policy and practice in LMICs.

Eligibility: Researchers in the UK and LMICs working in partnerships. Applications of all sizes will be considered, including large research projects and small to medium-scale applications.

Funding Available: £150,000 - £2,000,000

MRC Developmental Pathway Funding Scheme (DPFS) (recurring):

The MRC DPFS aims to support translational research for novel therapeutics, diagnostics, and medical devices to address global health issues. project can start and finish at any stage on the developmental pathway from early development, through pre-clinical refinement and testing to early-phase clinical studies and trials (up to phase 2a)

Eligibility: Academic-led projects addressing significant health needs.

Funding Available: Total fund £30,000,000 there is no limit on the amount of funding an application can apply for

Academy of Medical Sciences

Academy of Medical Sciences Networking Grants (recurring):

If you are in the early stages of establishing an international research partnership, you may wish to consider applying to the Academy of Medical Sciences Networking Grants call. 

They support collaborations between researchers in the UK and other countries, including researchers in low- and middle-income countries. Global health topics are within remit and the awards can be used to hold networking events, forge new links and generate innovative transdisciplinary research ideas aimed at strengthening global research capacity. 

Eligibility: Researchers collaborating with UK-based academics. 

The scheme has two funding streams: one for a selection of developed countries, and another for a selection of countries on the DAC list of ODA) recipients, to include the Least Developed Countries. 

Funding Available: Up to £25,000 over one year. 

British Academy

British Academy Global Professorships (recurring annually):

The British Academy’s Global Professorships are large investigator-led awards to attract internationally recognised established scholars to work in the United Kingdom, to undertake new, coherent and cutting-edge research projects. With the Global Professorships, the Academy is looking to support researchers that are proposing ambitious, beyond the state-of-the-art research that breaks new ground to work in the UK for up to four years.

Eligibility: Mid-career to senior scholars in social sciences and humanities from outside the UK.

Funding Available: up to £900,000 per award

Royal Society

Royal Society International Exchanges (recurring):

The Royal Society International Exchanges aim to fund collaborations between UK-based scientists and international counterparts to advance natural sciences research. The scheme will consider applicants who want to stimulate new research collaborations with leading scientists overseas through one-off or bilateral travel.

Eligibility: UK-based scientists working in natural sciences fields.

Funding Available: Various amounts.

Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (RSTMH)

RSTMH Early Career Grants Programme (recurring annually):

The RSTMH Early Career Grants aim to support next generation of tropical medicine and global health professionals growing their skills and networks, improving confidence and enabling the development and dissemination of interesting and innovative outcomes in tropical medicine and global health.

Eligibility: Early-career researchers and global health professionals based anywhere in the world, who have not had research funding in their own name before

Funding Available: up to £5,000, 1-year durations

RSTMH Student Essay Competition (recurring):

The RSTMH Essay Competition aims to recognize outstanding essays on global health topics by full-time students studying global health.

Eligibility: Full-time students worldwide studying global health or related degrees.

Funding Available: £200, plus a year's free student membership to RSTMH

TORCH (The Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities)

TORCH Global Visiting Professorship Scheme (recurring annually):

The TORCH Global Visiting Professorship aims to support visiting academics from global majority countries to spend a term at Oxford, hosted by All Souls College.

Eligibility: Academics with university posts in their home country, excluding those already near Oxford.

Funding Available: Not specified.

Global Health Innovative Technology (GHIT) Fund

GHIT Fund: Screening Platform (recurring)

The GHIT Fund Screening Platform aims to develop new medicines, vaccines, and diagnostics to address infectious diseases in developing countries.

Eligibility: Researchers focusing on diseases like malaria, TB, and Chagas.

Funding Available: Projects should be completed within two years.