UK Research and Innovation (Medical Research Council)

Small molecule high throughput screen using AstraZeneca facilities

MRC funding for academic researchers to run a high throughput screen using AstraZeneca's compound library of about two million molecules and its screening robots, to find starting points for small molecule medicines against any target. Projects can cost up to £270,000 full economic cost (£250,000 from MRC), typically over 15 months, with AstraZeneca providing technical input and a host researcher encouraged to spend up to three months at its Cambridge facility. Open to UK research organisations with standard UKRI eligibility; commercially led projects are not eligible. MRC expects to fund up to four projects a year across two rounds; this round closes on 28 January 2027.

Apply on the funder’s site

You could get: £1 – £270,000
Deadline: 102 days left; 28 January
Effort: Heavy; budgets, references, often several stages

Who can apply

Open to organisations with standard UKRI eligibility, which UKRI lists as higher education providers, research institutes, public sector research establishments, NHS bodies, independent research organisations and Catapult centres (named on UKRI's list of eligible research organisations)
The project lead must direct the project and be actively engaged in the work, and can submit only one application as project lead
Applicants without a contract covering the project need their research organisation to confirm, if successful, that their contract will extend beyond the project end and that support (including mentorship for early career researchers) will be provided
Commercially led projects and projects with additional commercial collaborators are not eligible; AstraZeneca is a de facto partner on every award
Leads at international research organisations cannot apply, except MRC Unit The Gambia and MRC/UVRI Uganda Research Unit

What it funds

High throughput screens using AstraZeneca's compound library and screening facilities to find potential starting points for small molecule medicines, open to all targets:

Assay optimisation and HTS set-up at AstraZeneca (£20,000, at 100% FEC)
Executing the HTS at AstraZeneca (£150,000, at 100% FEC), screening a set of 100,000 to 1 million compounds
Travel, accommodation and subsistence for a host researcher to work at AstraZeneca in Cambridge for up to three months (80% FEC)
Elements of the screening cascade that must be done at the host research organisation (80% FEC)
A minimal FTE for the project lead (80% FEC)

Funds can cover assay development, so a less developed assay is not disqualifying, but some evidence of assay development should be shown. AstraZeneca may offer to fund a project in full through direct collaboration instead; applicants may decline.

What it will not fund

Conference attendance
Research applications led by commercial entities
Applications that include collaborations with additional commercial parties
Project leads based at international research organisations (except MRC Unit The Gambia and MRC/UVRI Uganda Research Unit at LSHTM)
Uninvited resubmissions of applications submitted after 1 April 2026 to MRC, UKRI or any other funder

How to apply

Check your organisation is registered on the UKRI Funding Service (NHS organisations may need extra setup, so check early); Je-S is not used
Start the application on the Funding Service (https://funding-service.ukri.org/OPP1345/apply/1371) and confirm you are the project lead
Answer the sections: summary (550 words), core team, vision (1,100), approach (2,500), applicant and team capability (R4RI format), project partners, resources and cost justification (1,000), ethics and RRI, data management and sharing, facilities (250), and the animal, GMO, human participation and Trusted Research questions
Upload project partner letters as a single PDF, the first confirming the research organisation will sign up to the AstraZeneca collaboration agreement
Check the application in read-only view and send it to your research office, which submits it to UKRI by 4pm UK time on 28 January 2027
An expert panel ranks applications; an AstraZeneca panel member confirms only technical feasibility and that no equivalent screen has been run

MRC shares applications with AstraZeneca for assessment. Funds are released only after MRC receives the signed collaboration agreement. Contact highthroughputscreen@mrc.ukri.org with questions.

Have ready

Project partner letters of support as a single PDF (up to two sides of A4 per partner), including confirmation that the research organisation will sign up to the award conditions
Target table pasted as a figure in the Vision section
Project plan schematic in the Approach section

Most of the application is answered in Funding Service text boxes. The signed AstraZeneca collaboration agreement (standard template) is needed before funds are released.

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