Our funding processes

Find out how we award research grants and the funding process.

1. How to apply

2. Our application review process

Response-mode funding

Our response mode funding includes project, PhD and fellowship grants.

Breast Cancer Now is a member of the Association of Medical Research Charities and follows their guidelines for best practice in peer review. Grants are awarded entirely on scientific merit in relation to Breast Cancer Now’s remit and based on open competition. The quality of the application and applicants is the key determinant of outcome.

Research proposals are assigned to Grants Committee members with relevant scientific/clinical expertise. Grants Committee members carry out a preliminary screening step by reviewing all applications and identifying those that will not be competitive and those that should proceed to the next stage of review. If we are not going to take your application any further, we will let you know within 12 weeks of the application deadline, and we will send you feedback from the Grants Committee.

External review

Shortlisted applications are sent to at least two researchers in the UK and worldwide who specialise in the area of the application, but who do not have a conflict of interest and are not a member of the Grants Committee. The comments made by the external reviewers, alongside any scientific update submitted by the applicant, are then made available to the Grants Committee members.

Discussion in meeting

Each application is allocated to two Grants Committee members, based on their areas of expertise. The two members will present the application to the rest of the panel, including any relevant information from external reviews. A short discussion will follow before the Grants Committee members score the application. Applications for each grant scheme are ranked by their average score and recommendations for funding are made.

Shortlisted fellowship applicants will be invited to attend an interview with selected members of the Grants Committee.

Trustee meeting

Those applications recommended for funding by the Grants Committee are presented to the trustees for final approval.

Long Term Programme grant funding

Our long-term programme funding includes Breast Cancer Now's research centre at the Institute of Cancer Research and a research unit in King’s College London which focuses on triple negative breast cancer.

We also fund the Generations Study, a long-term cohort study, following more than 113,000 women across the UK over 40 years to investigate the cause of breast cancer.

Breast Cancer Now’s long-term programmes are funded in a five- year cycle. At the end of the funding cycle, we convene an independent, international panel to assess the performance of each programme, and review the research proposal for the following quinquennium. The research proposals are also peer reviewed by a minimum of three independent national and international expert scientists and clinicians.

During the funding cycle, each programme is evaluated against its objectives annually, to determine continued funding.

Continuation of the next 5 years of funding is subject to the outcome of the quinquennium review and panel assessment. The review panel will make recommendations for funding to the Board of Trustees who provide final approval for funding.