MRC Confidence in Concept / Impact Acceleration Account Awards

The MRC Confidence in Concept (CiC) scheme (now Impact Acceleration Account, IAA) is a translational research award aimed at accelerating the transition of research from discovery science to the early stages of translational science, by supporting proof-of-concept studies, pump-priming and feasibility studies. For example, funds can be utilised to develop fundamental science into new therapies, diagnostics and medical devices (Nebu-Flow case study). CiC aims to accelerate development by providing locally-administered, responsive and flexible funding to support preliminary translational work.

CiC-funded projects should aim to provide sufficient preliminary work or feasibility studies to establish the viability of an approach before seeking more substantive funding, for example from the Developmental Pathway Funding Scheme (DPFS). 

Project awards can be up to £80k in value.

Call open to researchers for:

  • CiC Development Grants: up to £80k, projects typically between 6-12 months in duration. Please also note that the CiC scheme is intended to support the progression of a technology along the translational pathway. Applicants will be asked to demonstrate how the CiC award would facilitate this and clearly identify the next steps in the translational pathway after completion of the CiC-funded work.
  • CiC Partnership Grants: up to £20k to develop new academic and industry interactions and enable knowledge exchange, collaborative working and cross-sector skills flow as well as funds towards thematic partnering events and enterprise and/or industry secondments.
  • CiC funds can also be used to support market assessment, development of business cases, industry champion support as well as costs towards industry-based events.

 

Please note that CiC funding is not intended to support:

  • Entire translational projects
  • Fundamental/basic research activities; rather it is intended to support the further development of more advanced proof of concept data around a technology
  • Administration costs
  • Industrial partner costs
  • Bridging funds for staff between posts/funding
  • IP costs


Application process
Call for proposals is currently closed.

TRI Joint Application Form should be submitted via email to louise.mason@glasgow.ac.uk. Applicants are strongly encouraged to reach out to the TRI to discuss their project proposal prior to submission.


For more information, please watch our Applying for TRI Funding Video. Any employees funded under the CiC Award will be jointly managed by both the grant holder and Prof. Carl Goodyear from the TRI MT.

Funded Projects and Case Studies

Principle Investigator Project Title
Kostas Tokatlidis Mitotargin
James Brewer Image based screening of aptamer libraries for novel immunomodulators
Andrew Tobin Targeting the malaria protein kinase PfCLK3
Vignir Helgason Combining TKI Treatment with Novel Autophagy Inhibitor (MRT403) for Eradication of Leukaemic Stem Cells 
Rick Maizels Therapeutic application of a novel parasite-derived immunosuppressive protein
Xu Huang Target validation of the critical epigenetic regulator, KDM4A in acute myeloid leukaemia
Karen Keeshan Developing TRIB2 as a predictive biomarker for acute myeloid leukaemia sensitivity to the clinical covalent multi-ERBB compounds
Daniel Walker Inhaled Pyocins for the Treatment of P.A. Infection
Graeme Milligan Developing antagonists of the G protein coupled receptor GPR84 with improved drug-like properties
Lilach Sheiner Enhancing the pathway to commercialisation of a new potential anti-malaria and anti-toxoplasmosis family of compounds 
Elijah Nazarzadeh, Andrew Tobin Novel Platform for Precision Pulmonary Delivery of High Value Therapeutics
Ruth Zadoks, Julien Reboud Translation of origami LAMP research into a novel point-of-care diagnostic for Group B Streptococcus 
Jose Penades, Victor Rodrigo Ibarra Chavez Development of a novel biotechnology-derived antimicrobial approach for therapy and diagnostics using synthetic Phage-Inducible Chromosomal Islands 
Dan Walker Identification, characterisation and engineering of highly specific protein antibiotics active against Vancomycin Resistant Enterococcus
John Mercer, Nosrat Mirzai Smart Stent
George Baillie Enhancing Mas:ETB receptor interaction: A novel therapeutic target promoting vascular health: implications in pulmonary arterial hypertension
Jo Halliday BACTOCAP: Sequence capture for multiple bacterial zoonoses of international health importance 
Carl Goodyear Epigenetic stratification of rheumatoid arthritis patients for response to biological Disease Modifying anti-Rheumatic Drugs
David Robertson GLUE: a software framework for hepatitis C virus genotyping & drug-resistance detection in a clinical setting
Michael Barrett The Tryp Chip
Susanna Cooke Validation of a sequence capture assay for homologous recombination deficiency in pancreatic cancer Need and rationale
Dan Walker, Gerasimidis Konstantinos  Precision engineering of the human gut microbiome
Rhian Touyz Enhancing Mas:ETB receptor interaction: A novel therapeutic modality for pulmonary hypertension.
Lee Cronin Time-modulated programmable multi-drug treatment for the suppression and reversal of antibiotic resistance
Carl Goodyear, Nikolaj Gadegaard Translation of nanotechnology for improved bone regeneration
Carl Goodyear Prognostic biomarkers in rheumatoid arthritis
Keith Muir, Rhian Touyz Validating molecular targets in the vascular pathophysiology of CADASIL
George Baillie Targeting the PKD1-HSP20 axis in heart disease
Sheila Graham BioMARSC: RNA Biomarker Matrix for Risk Stratification of Cervical Disease