Why dementia researchers should apply for our grants and funding schemes

We are the only UK dementia charity to fund across the spectrum of dementia research from basic biomedical through to clinical and care research.

At Alzheimer’s Society we believe that research will beat dementia, but until that happens, we will make sure that the 900,000 people living with dementia and their loved ones are given evidence-led support, in order to improve quality of life and independence after a dementia diagnosis.

We are backing Early Career Researchers 

We’ve set ourselves a bold ambition of becoming the best UK funder for early career researchers (ECRs).

We’ve been funding ECRs since we started funding research 30 years ago, renewing our commitment in 2014 through our Dementia Research Leaders programme. ECRs are the future of dementia research and hold the key to a better world for people affected by dementia.

In our most recent grant round (2021/2022), Alzheimer's Society invested over £5 million into new dementia research and supported 39 ECRs.

Despite the impact that ECRs are making in the dementia research landscape, without follow up funding there is a real risk that ECRs could be forced to leave dementia research entirely.

With this in mind, we now offer one of the most competitive PhD studentships available to support with living costs, and we are one of the only funders in the UK to offer family and sick leave and pay to support our funded PhD students.

We are providing career development opportunities for ECR’s through our new funding schemes, where ECRs can apply for smaller grants in their name, in order to build credibility and independence in their research.

We learn directly from people affected by dementia

People affected by dementia are at the core of everything we do. We’ve been leaders in public involvement since we established our pioneering Research Network 20 years ago.

All our Research Network volunteers have a personal connection to dementia - as carers, former carers, or they're living with dementia.

Our Research Network volunteers' experience of dementia has helped to ensure our research is relevant, credible and has the potential to transform the lives of everyone affected by dementia.

Research Network volunteers enrich the research process through their inputs in the grant review process. They also work alongside our funded researchers through our monitoring programme.

We are an inclusive dementia research funder

We understand that researchers are also real people, and we are here to support them with career and life changes.

We offer our researchers flexibility with the management of their grant to allow them to deliver their research programmes whilst also looking after their physical and mental health. Discover an explanation of Alzheimer's Society policies on maternity, paternity adoption and sick leave pay with a list of other useful resources for researchers taking leave.