General questions
Will BHF continue to fund research across all cardiovascular diseases?
The new BHF strategy aims to expand the scale, breadth and impact of research across all cardiovascular diseases. However, to concentrate efforts in specific areas, we may issue targeted calls. These calls will be designed to bolster resources and expertise in areas of excellence, address unmet needs or leverage technological advancements.
Will BHF fund proposals led by investigators who are not medical doctors?
While we broadly categorise research as ‘discovery science’ and ‘clinical science’, we’re interested in all categories of research from any relevant discipline. This includes everything from the most basic and fundamental research, through to clinical implementation – as long as the research is of the highest quality and with clear relevance to our mission.
When we refer to ‘discovery’ or ‘clinical’ scientists, we refer to scientists from all disciplines. In the clinical environment, this includes nurses, pharmacists, technicians and other allied health professionals, etc.
Finally, we will ensure there are no barriers to success for any person to receive a research award from BHF. The only determinants of success being the talent of the individual and the quality and relevance of the proposal.
Will the annual BHF research budget be adjusted to support these ambitious changes?
Funding larger and more ambitious research projects is costly, and BHF operates within a limited budget. Whenever possible, we will support new funding opportunities through increased fundraising efforts and philanthropic activities. We will also seek partnerships to sustain these ambitious initiatives where appropriate.
To ensure that every research investment continues to deliver exceptional value for money, we may have to introduce changes to our funding decision-making processes. Any changes to how we make funding decisions will be advertised on our respective funding scheme webpages, so that applicants can understand how their proposals will be assessed.
Due to increasing financial pressures, Higher Education Institutions are encouraging researchers not to apply for charity research funding. How will BHF address this?
BHF is acutely aware of the financial challenges facing Higher Education Institutions and the impact on academic research. We have been, and will continue to, lobby the government regarding the erosion of the Charity Research Support Fund, which is intended to cover the remaining full economic costs.
In partnership with the Association of Medical Research Charities, we are advocating to restore the Charity Research Support Fund to its appropriate level. However, as a research charity, we cannot cover the full economic costs – doing so would significantly limit the amount of research we can fund.
Will BHF alter its funding decision-making processes following the strategy refresh?
While there may be adjustments to how BHF makes funding decisions due to changes in our funding schemes, the core principles guiding these decisions will remain unchanged.
BHF will continue to prioritise funding the most impactful research and promising researchers through fair, robust and transparent decision-making processes. As with our existing schemes, detailed information on how applications are assessed will be provided at the time of application.
How will EDI be incorporated in the new BHF strategy?
BHF’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion strategy, Igniting Change, which runs from 2022 to the end of 2025, outlines 14 ‘we wills’ to address research inequalities.
We have already made significant progress on these, including but not limited to: analysing our funding diversity data, increasing Daphne Jackson Trust Fellowship funding, supporting the MESSAGE project, and embedding DORA principles into our funding decisions.
We are currently reviewing our progress and prioritising key areas for the next phase, guided by the new organisational strategy. EDI remains a priority and we’re committed to fostering more representative BHF-funded research. This includes a more inclusive and diverse research community and ensuring that we make inclusive funding decisions.
EDI opportunities have been, and will continue to be, actively embedded throughout our new and refreshed schemes. For example, we are introducing longer fellowships for increased stability and flexible discretionary funding to support researchers needs.
Further details on our EDI work, including a review of the impact of Igniting Change, will be shared externally in due course. This will detail our efforts and next steps, ensuring transparency and continued dialogue with stakeholders.
Funding larger, more ambitious studies may favour established researchers in research institutions that already have substantial support. How will BHF ensure that resources are distributed to encourage a diverse range of researchers and institutions?
A priority of our strategy refresh is to advance the scale, breadth, and impact of cardiovascular research. Guided by our new strategy, we will enhance the potential of BHF-funded research by creating funding calls to support a diverse range of research, including researchers from disciplines beyond traditional cardiovascular research.
We will also develop schemes that bring together expertise from outside BHF Centres of Research Excellence, fostering collaboration over competition, and promoting new partnerships with organisations both within and outside academia.
Does the new strategy aim to address global health? And is there a plan to fund programs internationally, for example low- and middle-income countries where a significant number of people are affected by cardiovascular disease?
BHF funds and will continue to support international research through international partnerships.
One such example is the Global Cardiovascular Research Funders Forum (GCRFF). The GCRFF’s International Research Challenge (IRC) on Women’s Cardiovascular Health aims to unite global experts to collaboratively execute a research program that delivers impacts beyond the capabilities of any single institution, country or continent.
Research leads for the GCRFF IRC must be based in GCRFF member countries, with collaborative research supported by the GCRFF member of that country.
Additionally, outside the GCRFF, another example of BHF-supported international collaborations is the International Cardiovascular Research Partnership Awards (ICRPA). In the ICRPA, collaborative proposals are considered from independent mid-career Principal Investigators, each based in one of the four participating countries and supported by a funder in their respective country.
While BHF contributes to international collaborative research, there is no intention to allocate funds raised in the UK to research projects led outside the country.
Additionally, while there are currently no plans to partner with funders in low- and middle-income countries, we remain open to exploring such partnerships in the future.
Project Grants
When will the uplift in Project Grant support thresholds come into effect?
Support thresholds for the Project Grant scheme will increase to £500,000, with the possibility of extending up to 4 years in exceptional cases. These new thresholds will apply to applications submitted after 27 August 2025, to be considered by the Project Grants committee early 2026.
Chairs and Programme Grants Committee
Will larger awards (Programme Grants, Special Projects, Research Professorships) still require a preliminary application?
Yes. The requirement for preliminary applications will not change.
Will Special Projects continue?
Yes. Special Project Grants will be available to support focused projects costing more than £500,000 (in line with the new Project Grant cap) and/or lasting longer than 4 years, but which do not follow a programmatic structure.
Will Infrastructure Grants continue?
Yes. Infrastructure Grants will be available to support up to £1 million towards the cost of providing essential infrastructure to support cardiovascular science, in any UK academic institution, with matched contributions from the host institution.
Is the increased cap for Programme Grants effective immediately?
There is no formal cap for Programme Grants currently and there will not be following implementation of the new strategy. However, BHF appreciates that truly ambitious and impactful research may require greater levels of financial support, and that the average support for Programme Grants will need to increase to achieve our goals. Proposals will continue to be assessed on their scientific merit, potential for impact, and value for money.
