The Initiative will support two principal types of study:
(1) Pre-clinical studies to enable and inform further clinical insight to disease. Applicants must demonstrate clear “line of sight” to clinical benefit and enable investigation of mechanisms of human disease. For example, providing in vitro or in vivo evidence that a specific pathway is involved in disease pathology; validating models of human disease; informing patient selection hypotheses; etc.
Or
(2) Clinical research studies, using compounds in new disease areas, which build upon evidence that the specific pathway plays a role in disease pathology.
This call follows standard RCUK eligibility criteria and is open to UK-based researchers who can show they will direct the proposed research and be actively engaged in carrying it through. Eligible institutions include UK higher education institutions, Research Council Units and Institutes, and eligible Independent Research Organisations (IROs). All IROs listed on the RCUK web page are eligible to apply.
Outlines must be received by MRC by 4pm on 2 February 2012. For more details and how to submit a proposal visit: http://www.mrc.ac.uk/Fundingopportunities/Calls/MoD/MRC008389