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Overview of Cardiovascular Grand Challenge
BHF’s Cardiovascular Grand Challenge is a new research funding competition opening in April 2026.
We’re challenging the entire research community to combine forces and develop innovative research programmes that aim to have a significant positive impact on patients. This may be through improved understanding, prevention, diagnosis and/or treatment of cardiovascular disease.
We plan to make at least one award of up to £10 million over 5 years to the most compelling proposal(s) addressing significant unmet needs or opportunities in one or more areas.
About the theme
The theme of the competition for 2026 is:
Why this theme?
Recent developments in artificial intelligence (AI) methodologies provide unprecedented opportunities to extract novel and actionable insight from big data. These insights may improve our understanding, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease.
There is now an increasing wealth of structured and unstructured data available from multiple sources. These range from contemporary omics techniques through to wearable technologies, clinical imaging modalities and patient records. These data are ripe for AI analyses to deliver impactful advances.
Strategic investment at scale that catalyses and empowers the research-driven development and/or deployment of AI methodologies has the potential to transform multiple areas, including:
- understanding disease mechanisms
- determining disease risk and implementing preventive measures
- early and accurate diagnosis of evolving disease (when medical intervention is likely to be more effective)
- discovery and development of new drugs and other innovative treatments
- delivery of improved clinical care and information to patients.
Through the Cardiovascular Grand Challenge, BHF aims to fund at least one research programme that aims to deliver AI-powered transformational progress in one or more such areas.
What we expect from applicants
Teams entering the competition need to mobilise knowledge, talent and resources from multiple fields and sectors, working on a scale that goes above and beyond conventional research programmes.
As dictated by the specific area(s) that they address, proposals should aim to integrate a range of:
- complementary research approaches, such as discovery, translation, clinical validation and epidemiology
- disciplines, such as biomedical/non-biomedical researchers and clinicians
- technologies, in particular, AI and complementary data science approaches
- sectors, such as academia, biotechnology and pharma.
Each application should be led by a principal investigator based at a UK research institution, which will manage the award if the application is successful.
Applications should also strive to engage the “best in the field” as partners. International partners who make defined and unique contributions to the proposal’s aims are allowed.
Decision process and key criteria
Successful application(s) will be those scoring the highest against the following 6 key criteria, as assessed by peer review and expert advice:
1. Timely and ambitious
We are seeking innovative proposals primed to deliver a big leap forward using state-of-the-art expertise and technologies. The scope and ambition of the proposed research programme, which may focus on a specific manifestation of cardiovascular disease or address it more broadly, should justify funding at the scale requested.
2. Clear path to impact
Proposals should articulate clearly the leap forward that they intend to deliver, how the team plan to achieve this through integrated workstreams and associated milestones, and the anticipated impact of successful delivery.
They should demonstrate familiarity with regulatory requirements for clinical implementation of any product(s) that are expected to arise and articulate their strategy for fulfilling these.
3. Outstanding team and partnerships
The expertise, resources and track records of the proposed partners should impart confidence that the team collectively has the capability to achieve the proposal’s stated aims.
Engagement of partners from multiple disciplines and sectors is expected, particularly where such engagement advances a translational trajectory. Partnership with small or medium-sized enterprises and industry is encouraged.
4. Leveraged support
BHF funding is expected to leverage matched funding and in-kind contributions, such as people/skills and facilities, from partnering academic institutions, commercial/industrial organisations and/or other funders, which in totality are comparable in scale to the requested award.
The proposed programme should also make optimal use of relevant national or international research-enabling infrastructures that already exist.
5. Patient and public engagement
In developing their proposals, applicants are expected to have engaged with and incorporated input from patients. Team(s) selected for an award will continue to engage with patients and the public throughout the programme, including in partnership with BHF.
6. Robust management and governance
Proposed management and governance structures must be appropriate for the programme’s scope and scale, adhering to BHF equality, diversity and inclusion principles. They must also provide a strong ethical framework for successful delivery.
How to apply
The Cardiovascular Grand Challenge will be a two-stage competition, requiring first an outline application followed by a full application from shortlisted teams.
Dates for your diary
The application portal is not currently open - please note the following key dates:
- February 2026: webinar and guidance on outline application
- April 2026: outline application portal opens
- September 2026: deadline for submitting outline application
Contact us
For any other enquiries, please contact us at [email protected]