Key information
Funds research that focus on any part of our research strategy. These can be from underpinning research and aetiology through to health service research, and implementation science. The maximum grant available is £300,000 and may be spread over a three-year period.
Research project and start-up grants
We are the largest kidney research charity dedicated to kidney research in the UK. We fund high-quality, patient-focused research to prevent kidney disease, protect kidney function and improve treatments. Our Research Strategy to 2030 outlines our three strategic priorities and what we want to achieve through research in the next ten years or sooner.
Our hybrid grants programme is one of the many ways we fund and facilitate high-quality research. Through our research project and start-up grants, we invest in studies with strong scientific rationale, clear objectives and the potential to deliver meaningful impact for patients.
Whether you are developing a new research idea or advancing existing work, these grants provide flexible support to generate new knowledge, inform clinical practice, or lay the foundations for future innovation.
If you have a project that can contribute to transforming kidney health, we encourage you to apply.
Types of grants available
We welcome applications for the following grant types:
Information coming soon.
What difference can our funding make to your research?
"Funding has enabled me to set up preliminary data to apply for intermediate fellowship applications and enabled me to be more competitive in these applications."
Dr Soma Meran, innovation grant recipient

Submitting an application
Information of eligibility, grant regulations and conditions, and opening and closing dates for submissions.
The application process is a single stage full application.
Create account or log in to our Grant Management system
Submit full grant application
We will review your submission and update your application status
Application info
We are pleased to invite applications from teams or individuals whose proposals directly address our immediate research priorities, and who seek initial or further support to establish their research career.
We are keen to encourage applications from new investigators who have not previously held competitively awarded project or start-up funding as a principal investigator.
Both scientific and lay summaries will be used to assess each submission. Consideration will be given to how closely the proposal matches to our immediate research priorities and all submissions will be ranked according to their potential to deliver against these.
All applicants must be resident in the United Kingdom and the research must take place in a UK establishment.
We welcome pre-submission enquiries. You can find more information about our grants in our regulations and conditions.
Application key dates
Opens for applications: July 2026
Closing date: TBC
Manage your applications using our online grants management system.
Got a question? Get in touch.
For advice and or any help please contact a member of our Research Operations Team:
Tracking your application?
Our application process is generally in two stages: Expression of Interest followed by Full Application if invited. However, some of our awards will not include an Expression of Interest stage but go straight to Full Application.
Log in to your existing account to track your grant application.
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