Sarcoma UK is the national charity for all types of sarcoma. Our research programme funds high quality research to understand more about sarcoma, find new treatments and ultimately identify a cure for these cancers.
Our research programme has been running since 2009 with over £4.3 million invested across 64 projects to date. Since the launch of our studentship programme in 2016 we have proudly supported thirteen PhD students in laboratories across the UK. Read more about the projects we’ve funded.
We support a wide range of sarcoma research and are flexible in being able to offer funding for a variety of laboratory, clinical and studentship projects.
We currently have the following grants available:
Improving Sarcoma Diagnosis – deadline 14th July 2022
Our Improving Sarcoma Diagnosis call invites applications focussing on any area of improving sarcoma diagnosis. We invite applications which aim to make the diagnosis of sarcoma faster, earlier, or more accurate. Research submitted for this funding should be focussed on primary diagnosis; projects mainly exploring relapse and/or recurrence will be considered out of scope. Projects with the potential to have patient impact or clinical implementation within the next five years will be prioritized. A total budget of £250,000 will be available, as well as additional funding from the Sarah Burkeman Trust, see below).
Grant types available
- Small grants, up to £50,000 – pump-priming ideas for innovative, small studies, or add-on funding to a larger project already underway
- Large grants, up to £150,000 – a substantive research project, which must support a member of staff as a directly-incurred cost.
Key dates and application process
- Deadline for application submission: 12pm, Thursday 14th July 2022
- Applicant response to peer and lay review: late October 2022
- Strategic review and final decisions on awards: December 2022
How to apply
Open Grant Round – deadline 29th September 2022
Our Open Grant Round invites applications across all areas of sarcoma research, including laboratory and clinical research, and for PhD studentships. A total budget of £800,000 will be available, as well as additional funding from the Sarah Burkeman Trust (see below).
- Small Grants, £50,000 – for pump-priming ideas, providing proof of concept, or funding additional research to a larger project already underway.
- Large Grants, £150,000, to support a substantive piece of work.
- PhD studentships, £120,000, for new PhD studentships in lab-based science, to attract high-calibre graduates who will go on to develop a career in sarcoma research.
Key dates and application process
- Deadline for application submission: 12pm, Thursday 29th September 2022
- Applicant response to peer and lay review: late January 2023
- Strategic review and final decisions on awards: March 2023
How to apply
Small and Large grants:
Sarcoma UK is pleased to be working with the Sarah Burkeman Trust, a charitable foundation set up in memory of Sarah Burkeman, who sadly passed away from sarcoma in 2016.
Additional funding available from the Sarah Burkeman Trust
- Gynaecological sarcomas
- Sarcomas that can particularly affect young people
- Poorly differentiated sarcomas
- Research focussed on early diagnosis
- Immunotherapy
Other calls coming soon:
Research Workshop Scheme – open Autumn 2022
This call is currently closed, but check back regularly for updates.
Sarcoma UK’s Research Workshop Scheme offers funding to facilitate meetings, promote research ideas and give sarcoma researchers the space to meet, discuss ideas, brainstorm questions and plan research applications. The overall aim is to increase funded sarcoma research, improve patient care and increase treatment options.
We offer up to £3,000 per application via this funding scheme. This may be used to facilitate meetings, promote research ideas and give sarcoma researchers the space to meet, discuss ideas, brainstorm questions and plan research applications.
Things to note
All our grants are rigorously peer reviewed and assessed by people affected by sarcoma. Find out more about how we’ll assess your application and project success rates.
The Principal Investigator and the proposed project must be based in the UK at a Higher Education Institution (HEI), Research Institute or NHS.
We allow only one resubmission of a previously unsuccessful proposal, unless you have been explicitly invited to resubmit for a second time. For all resubmissions we encourage a full explanation of the revisions made to the proposal from its previous iteration.
Email research@sarcoma.org.uk to be added to our mailing list, or with any questions about our research programme.
