Who we are
We’re the UK charity funding vital research into neglected health conditions.
About us
What we do
Medical Research UK funds research into neglected health conditions.
By identifying critical blind spots and investing in the right research, we drive the progress needed to plug gaps in medical knowledge.
Our vision
Our vision is a world where medical research improves health for everyone.
Our mission
Our mission is to lay the foundations for ground-breaking new discoveries and life-changing advances.
£50 million
We are aiming to invest £50 million in life-changing medical research between 2019-2029.
Strategic research themes
As a small, broad-based medical research funder, our remit is wide, and the need is great. This means we need to focus on funding research in ways that will have the biggest possible impact on people’s lives.
We will continue to take a targeted approach to our research funding and are aiming to invest £50 million in life-changing medical research between 2019-2029.
This means that, having funded £25 million of research in 2019-2024, we are aiming to invest a further £25 million in new research between 2024-2029 that aligns with one or more of our strategic research themes:
High-need, low research investment
There are too many health conditions which continue to devastate lives. As a broad funder of medical research, we will identify and fund in areas that are overlooked by other funders.
Emerging research leaders
The health problems of the future will be solved by the researchers we invest in today. We will award funding to keep the brightest minds in science, for the benefit of us all.
Changing policy and practice
Few funding opportunities exist for scientists to ensure that policymakers and practitioners are aware of their research. By funding in this way, we will ensure healthcare policy and practice is based on the latest evidence.
Research priorities
We fund research that falls within our three strategic research themes and fits with our research priorities. Our research priorities are to:
- Improve the lives of children and young people.
- Address neglected areas of mental health.
- Respond to emerging health threats, such as the health impacts of climate change.
Our Research Strategy provides more detail on our strategic research themes and research priorities.
Theory of Change
Our Theory of Change model sets out the activities undertaken by our research team and the research programmes we fund, the outputs expected to emerge from these, the outcomes which should result, and the wider impact to which these outcomes will contribute.
The charity's overarching goal (the impact section within the diagram) is that medical research improves health for everyone.
Theory of change detail
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Inputs
- Donated and invested funds dedicated for research activities
- Expertise from the Foundation
- The wider UK biomedical research funding landscape
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Activities
- Fund medical research on strategically important health conditions that are underfunded
- Invest and support in the next generation of researchers
- Funding opportunities to ensure that policymakers and practitioners are aware of the latest evidence
- Monitor and evaluate the impact and progression of our funded researchers
- Monitor the equality and diversity of our funding processes and funded researchers
- Develop and maintain partnerships to improve the research we fund
- Adhere to the highest standards of grant-making
- Embed the principles of R&I environmental sustainability into our processes
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Outputs
- Increased research activity in underfunded areas
- Fellows and researchers establish themselves as leaders in their fields
- Research discoveries shared beyond the scientific press, influencing healthcare policy and practice
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Outcomes
- Increased expertise and knowledge, understanding better the causes and improving the diagnosis and treatment of overlooked conditions
- Enhanced research capacity in these strategic areas, by establishing researchers to conduct high-quality research
- Research discoveries benefit people affected by disease or conditions, promoting knowledge translation strategies
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Impact
Medical research improves health for everyone
Membership of AMRC
The Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC) is a membership organisation of the leading medical and health research charities in the UK. As a member, we follow its guidelines for best practice on peer review and support its position statements on supporting research in universities and the use of animals in research.
We are inspired by the responsibility and independence that your donations give us.
We are a purely research-led organisation, meaning all our efforts are centred around funding scientists and research.
How we work
As a broad funder, we are free to fund whatever we feel are the most important medical research questions of the time. Unlike many other funding bodies we are not restricted to providing support for a particular disease or condition, or a particular research institution. We can respond to the emerging health needs of the nation and the wider world, and the research priorities and opportunities identified by scientific experts and our donors. We are inspired by the responsibility and independence that your donations give us. We are a purely research-led organisation, meaning all our efforts are centred around funding scientists and research.
Find out more about our governance, values, and ways of working.
Help change lives
Nobody should face a health condition without clarity and hope. Donate today for a fairer medical future.
Donate today
Our story
Medical Research UK has a legacy of public support and charitable giving that goes back more than a century.
Our research
We fund research into neglected health conditions, plugging gaps in medical knowledge.