NBCRC Pilot Grant Application Guidelines - 2025 Round
Many thanks for your interest in the NBCRC Pilot Grant initiative. 2025 is our fifth year and once again 2 awards of up to £15k per award are available.
The main aim of the program is to initiate new breast cancer research discoveries to produce preliminary data that will be used in publications and enhance success in securing external substantive funding (via grants to research councils, major charities etc). As such, applications should be milestone driven with successful applicants being expected to submit progress reports (in lay terms) approximately every 3-4 months over the tenure of the award and upon its completion. These reports will be used, with permission, to update NBCRC supporters and advocates, and in webpage/social media communications.
An additional aim of the program is to encourage new research teams to work on breast cancer, in a collaborative way with NBCRC members. To ensure suitable representation and breadth of research, and providing opportunities to all, we have the following eligibility criteria:
Eligibility criteria
| Full members of NBCRC |
can submit one application as lead applicant plus one application as a co-applicant |
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| Affiliate members NBCRC |
can submit one application as lead applicant, but must have an NBCRC full member as a co-applicant |
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| Non-members of NBCRC |
can submit one application as lead applicant, but must have an NBCRC full member as a co-applicant |
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Information on membership criteria, together with contact details and research interests of NBCRC full members can be found on the NBCRC website.
Queries regarding your application or eligibility criteria can be addressed to Faylisha Scott at nbcrc@nottingham.ac.uk.
When applying please pay particular attention to the summary sections (lay and scientific) as these will be used in an initial triage assessment. Our patient/advocate group will rely on the lay abstract to assign their score. Please stay within the word count stated on the form.
The initial triage score will be used to identify the top six applications to go forward for external review.
Summary of the process
| 20 April |
Application deadline.
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| 21 April |
Initial triage - lay and scientific abstracts only assessed by:
- Panel of University of Nottingham senior academics (non-cancer specialists)
- An external BC specialist of international standing
- Panel of BC patients. The average patient score is given twice the weight of other individual reviewers.
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| 6 May |
- Applicants unsuccessful in the triage stage are informed
- Top 6 projects are forwarded for full peer review
- Full applications assessed by a panel of 5 external, internationally recognised BC researchers, representing a wide breadth of BC research areas
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| 1 July |
- Full review completed
- Scores, submitted independently, are totalled and the top 3 projects approved for funding
- Successful applicants informed by beginning of July, at the latest and asked to agree to the terms of the award. Awards commence from 1 Oct 2025 for maximum of 12 months.
- Feedback provided to all applicants where possible
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