Dementia Support Line
How to apply for a research grant
Here we share how to apply for an Alzheimer's Society research grant and explain the process we use to award grants once the funding call is closed.
Before you apply
- Check the closing dates for our research grants. This will be stated on the page, but you can also view the deadlines for grant rounds.
- Read our applicant guidance document before applying. This is a requirement for all applicants. Applications that do not follow the applicant guidance are likely to be rejected.
- Get top tips from our lay reviewers. Every application received will be reviewed by people affected by dementia. Read advice for grant applicants from people affected by dementia.
- Read comments and feedback from the board. These were gathered together after our last round of outline proposals to help you with your application.
Alzheimer's Society offers researchers the opportunity to work with people affected by dementia, carers and former carers to develop their grant application prior to submitting an application for funding.
Get started on your application
We have guidance (PDF) to support your application for an Alzheimer’s Society project grant, fellowship or PhD studentship. Once you've read the guidance, visit Grant Tracker to start your application.
Key dates and deadlines for 24/25 research grant applications:
22 Mar ‘24
Outline submission deadline
End of May ‘24
Shortlisted applicants invited to submit full proposal
26 July ‘24
Full application submission deadline
Dec ’24
Funding outcome
Begin your application
You can start your application by accessing the Grant Tracker portal.
The first stage is to submit a three-page outline of your research proposal (2 pages scientific, 1 page lay summary). More information about what to include in this is available in our applicant guidance.
The four steps of our funding process
Research grant application process
The full application process is available as a diagram (shown below) that you can also view and download as a .png file.
Any questions?
Please get in touch with our grants team at [email protected]
- Page last reviewed:
We receive many more applications than can be discussed at our Expert Review Panels and Board meetings. Therefore, we have a shortlisting stage, where we review proposal outlines to identify which applications best meet the review criteria.
Proposal outlines will be assessed by members of our Grant Advisory Board against the following criteria:
Importance
How important are the questions, or gaps in knowledge, that are being addressed?
Scientific potential & impact
Will the research idea further scientific progress?
How will the research impact people affected by dementia?
Research environment and people
How suitable is the investigator (or group) and can they deliver the proposed research?
How suitable is the environment where the proposed research will take place?
Applicants successful at shortlisting will be invited to submit a full application.
Peer review
If your proposal outline is shortlisted you will be asked submit and application in full.
All of these applications are then peer reviewed. Expert Review Panels, made up of subject-specific scientific experts, will provide a detailed review. They will be assessing applications based on the following criteria:
Additional criteria considerations for fellowships:
ERPs will be made up of at least three experts in the field and will be checked for any conflicts of interest.
Lay review
All applications are also reviewed and scored by our Research Network.
These lay volunteers use their personal experiences of dementia to ensure that the research we fund is of the highest priority to people affected by dementia and stands the best chance of making a positive impact on their lives.
Interviews
Shortlisted fellowship applicants will be invited to interview at our office in London or virtually depending on the circumstances. The interview panel will be made up of members of the Expert Review Panel and Research Network.
Applicants will be emailed with dates to hold in their diaries as early as possible. Once the interview has been confirmed applicants will be sent further details of the interview and confirmed panel membership.
Rebuttals
Where necessary, shortlisted applicants will need to respond to reviewers’ comments, both expert and lay.
We will ask for rebuttals to be sent to us with a week’s turnaround. These rebuttals, alongside the peer and lay reviews will be discussed at the Grants Advisory Board meeting.
Grants Advisory Panel meeting
Members of the Research Network sit on the Grants Advisory Panel and meet to discuss the shortlisted applications from a lay perspective. Representatives of this panel then attend the Grants Advisory Board meeting to summarise their views and feed into discussions with the board.
Grants Advisory Board meeting
We currently have over 15 board members. They have been chosen for their expertise and experience in clinical and academic research. You can click the following links to read more about the membership of these boards and our conflicts of interest policy.
Unsuccessful applications
Applicants who are unsuccessful will be notified by email and provided with feedback from the board meeting.
Successful applicants will be notified.
Once the grant has been approved by our Board of Trustees, we will issue the grant contract for the university to sign.