Drug accelerator awards

These awards will help pioneer and accelerate novel drug development for the treatment of Parkinson’s, providing researchers the opportunity to generate the essential data and help bridge the gaps needed to get their projects/compounds ready to enter full scale drug discovery with an industry partner or the Parkinson’s Virtual Biotech.

We are looking for projects that will have a clear focus on translational drug development to make a difference to those affected by Parkinson’s.

DEADLINES   

The drug accelerator award preproposal form is available on our online application system three months prior to the deadline. Applicants who are successful at the preproposal stage will then be invited to submit a full application via our online application system.

Round 1 - 2025

The deadline for preproposal applications has passed.

The deadline for full applications is Tuesday 4 March 2025, by 4pm for applicants who are successful at the preproposal stage.

Round 2 - 2025

The deadline for preproposal applications is Tuesday 2 September 2025, by 4pm.

The deadline for full applications is Thursday 30 October 2025, by 4pm for applicants who are successful at the preproposal stage.

Workshop

Sign up for our virtual workshop on Thursday 3 July at 2pm (BST) to hear more about the award scheme and discuss your research ideas with members of the Parkinson's UK research and drug discovery team.

Duration and value

The duration of a grant is between 12 to 18 months.

There is no minimum award amount and the maximum award amount is £150,000.

For projects involving in vivo work, an award amount of up to £200,000 will be considered.

ELIGIBILITY

Grants are tenable only at a UK university, NHS Trust or small start-up biotech companies.

Principal applicants should hold employment contracts that extend beyond the period of the grant.

Co-applicants and collaborators may be based at institutions outside the UK or biotech companies. 

We will only accept one resubmission of an application. Please refer to the information for applicants for more details.

SUCCESS RATES

In 2024, the charity received 12 preproposal applications, 5 of these were invited to submit a full application, and 2 applications were recommended for funding.

You can download the latest list of all our active research projects.