Invite only: Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) medical countermeasures R&D
Invite only: Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) medical countermeasures R&D supports researchers developing and testing countermeasures to improve UK preparedness for CBRN incidents.
Funder: UK Research and Innovation
Due Dates: January 20, 2027, 4:00pm UK time (Full application)
Funding Amounts: Up to £4 million full economic cost, funded at 80%, for up to 30 months
Summary: Supports development and testing of medical countermeasures to improve UK health system preparedness for chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats.
Key Information: Full applications are invitation-only following a successful mandatory expression of interest.
Description
The Medical Research Council (MRC), with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) as co-funder, supports pre-clinical and early translational research on medical countermeasures for chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) threats. Projects may develop vaccines, therapeutics, medical devices, diagnostics and other interventions, starting and finishing anywhere from prototype development through pre-clinical refinement and testing to early-phase clinical studies up to phase 2a.
Research must generate evidence that improves domestic preparedness, particularly the UK health system’s readiness for CBRN incidents, and link to a medical or clinical development plan. Priorities include broad-spectrum countermeasures targeting shared symptoms or toxidromes, repurposing licensed drugs potentially available in hospitals and pharmacies, novel vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics for priority pathogens, and radiological and nuclear diagnostic and detection capabilities.
