Early Detection and Diagnosis Project Awards fund exceptional science to drive transformational change in how and when early cancers and pre-cancerous states are diagnosed.
Career level:
- Early career researcher
- Mid-career researcher
- Established independent researcher
- Clinician
- Non-clinical researcher
Final Submission deadline:18th June 2026
Funding period: Up to 4 years
Funding amount: Up to £500k
Eligibility
You can apply for this award if you’re a scientist, clinician or healthcare worker who:
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is based at a UK university, medical school, hospital or research institute (including our institutes)
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in most cases, is fully funded by the host institution for the duration of the award
Researchers across all career stages are welcome apply.
Scientific remit
Early detection and diagnosis (ED&D) research seeks to detect and diagnose consequential precancerous changes and cancer at the earliest possible point at which an intervention might be made, reducing the burden of late-stage disease.
Early Detection and Diagnosis Project Awards will support discovery and translational/clinical research which is mindful of the clinical and population context.
The remit of these awards includes:
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the discovery and validation of signatures for the detection of early cancer/pre-cancer including the development of the technologies to enable this
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development and validation of tests and other interventions to enable early detection and diagnosis
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clinical trials of early detection and diagnosis technologies and approaches
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early detection and diagnosis health systems
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clinician behaviour and decision support
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understanding and intervening in public behaviour to enhance early detection and diagnosis
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health economics of early detection and diagnosis research
Application Procedure and Deadline
Interested applicants are strongly encouraged to contact CRUK or an informal and confidential discussion of your proposal prior to submitting your application. Email: early.detection@cancer.org.uk
Please find more details and the guidelines for applications on the CRUK Funding Page: Early Detection and Diagnosis Project Award