Pump-priming projects

We will offer awards of up to £50,000 to projects that have a clear line of sight to a proposed external grant application, for example, a BHF or MRC Project Grant, Clinical Research Training Fellowship or BHF Immediate Postdoctoral Research Fellowship.

The term of funding will be up to 15 months maximum.

Applications closed on 28 February 2025. Details of the next call will be posted here when confirmed.

Eligible projects

The potential objectives of your project could include:

  • obtaining key preliminary data;
  • perfecting a key technique;
  • finalising publication of a seminal paper.

Acceptable objectives will clearly render your external funding application competitive at the end of the pump-priming term. The feasibility of any of these objectives and the follow-on funding plan will be carefully assessed in deciding funding allocations.

The pump-priming projects are not intended to fund full scale stand-alone investigations.

We will prioritise interdisciplinary collaborations in areas that span one or more of our research themes:

  • cardiovascular genomics and development;
  • cardio-inflammation;
  • heart failure;
  • cardiovascular data science;
  • computational cardiovascular modelling.

Learn more about our themes and principal investigator (PI) contacts on the BHF CRE homepage. New teams who have not collaborated before are very welcome to apply.

Who can apply

We will prioritise applications from early career researchers (ECRs) that fit the above criteria, and are geared towards an external application for the ECR as PI. ECRs could, for example, apply as PI supported by a more established PI colleague as a co-investigator.

Where an ECR applicant is PI, it will be required for their laboratory or other research supervisor to confirm that they will have the time allocated in their job plan to deliver the work proposed for their pump-priming grant.

Note that ECRs who wish to apply for external intermediate or senior fellowships should probably consider applying to the CRE Transition Fellowship scheme. Further guidance is available from the Award Co-Directors:

Applications (as PI) are restricted to University of Manchester contract holders (substantive or honorary).

External collaborations and co-investigators are permitted though funding must be spent within the University. Applications from clinically qualified colleagues, including NHS clinicians with honorary University of Manchester contracts, are welcomed.

Funding can be spent on salaries, consumables, core facility access. Equipment costs are not eligible.

How to apply

Applications closed on 28 February 2025. Details of the next call will be posted here when confirmed.

You will need to supply a three-page case for support. This document should have 2cm margins, with text in 11pt Arial and regular spacing. Please use the following headings:

  1. Title
  2. Applicants
  3. Background
  4. Planned work and deliverables
  5. Multi-disciplinary nature
  6. ECR development opportunity (if applicable)
  7. Next steps and funding targets (with dates)

CVs for applicants (maximum 4 per application, on a maximum of 2 sides of A4) may also be submitted. Please also attach a Word document with a completed cost breakdown template. Costs must be prepared and signed off by your RSM/RSO.