Funder: Cancer Research UK
Due Dates: February 5, 2027 (Expression of interest) | May 21, 2027 (Expression of interest) | September 17, 2027 (Expression of interest)
Funding Amounts: Target Award: up to £250,000 for 12–18 months; Early Therapy Award: up to £350,000 for 18–24 months
Summary: Supports academic researchers translating laboratory discoveries into antibody-based or small molecule treatments for adult cancers.
Key Information: Projects must be undertaken collaboratively with Cancer Research Horizons, and host institutions must sign the award agreement.
Description
Cancer Research UK’s Therapeutic Catalyst supports early drug discovery to translate laboratory discoveries into novel treatments for adult cancers. Academic laboratories work collaboratively with Cancer Research Horizons’ team of over 180 drug discovery scientists. The scheme covers all adult cancer indications and antibody or small molecule formats, with a long-term goal of developing novel single-agent anti-cancer therapeutics.
The Target Award supports target identification and validation, while the Early Therapy Award supports hit-identification enabling work, experimental assessment of druggability and early therapeutic development. Projects should offer strong therapeutic potential, a clear opportunity for patient benefit and a route to subsequent drug discovery, licensing or further funding. New approaches to existing targets are also considered where there is a compelling differentiation hypothesis.
