PSC Support Seed Funding Awards
Research award for a project designed to generate pilot or proof-of-concept data that will lead to a competitive funding application to a large-scale funding body, such as the National Institute of Health and Care Research, Wellcome or Medical Research Council. Seed funding projects are expected to be around 12-18 months in duration.
Budget
For our 2026 funding round, three grants are available of up to £15,000 each. Subject to available funds and exceptional applications, additional £15,000 projects may be awarded in this round.
Key Dates
Application (LoI) open: Sat 01 August 2026
Application (LoI) deadline: Tues 01 September 2026
Full applications close: Fri 09 October 2026
Funding decisions: Feb 2027
Letters of Intent
Your Letter of Intent should be submitted through our Grant Management portal. A link will go live on this page when the application period opens.
The system will save your progress as you go.
Appraisals
Applications will be evaluated by PSC Support’s Scientific Review Committee (SRC) based on the criteria here.
The Trustees of PSC Support will approve the award of a grant for that research project based on the SRC recommendations. The successful applicant will be notified in Feb 2027.
Success rates
Annual success rates for full applications to our research programme:
2023/24 50%
2024/25 47%
Research should start as soon as possible after the grant is awarded. Ethical approvals, if required, must be in place before the work commences. All licences relating to research using animals must be valid and in place.
PSC Support is a member of the Association of Medical Research Charities. Provided the study meets the NIHR’s definition of a ‘research study’, the selected project(s) will also be eligible for adoption by the UK Clinical Research Network and therefore will be eligible for NIHR support. For clinical research proposals, applicants are encouraged to contact their local NIHR Clinical Research Network for advice as early as possible.
Any queries relating to submission of the application must be referred directly to PSC Support. Applicants or their colleagues may not contact a Scientific Review Committee member or PSC Support Trustee to discuss any aspect of an application or the decision reached on it.
Queries
Please submit any queries to Martine Walmsley at research@pscsupport.org.uk.