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The MND Association grants for PhD Studentships (biomedical and healthcare), Healthcare research and Non-Clinical research fellowships are now open for applications. 

PhD Studentships are for up to 3.5 years and applications are invited from prospective supervisors, based in UK and Ireland.

Non-Clinical Fellowships will be awarded at two levels, depending on the experience of the applicant: Junior Non-Clinical fellowships or Senior Non-Clinical fellowships. Junior Non-Clinical awards will be offered for 2 – 3 years and Senior Non-Clinical awards will be offered for 3 – 4 years. Fellowship awards may only be held at an institute in the UK and Ireland. At the time of application the prospective fellow may be based elsewhere.

Healthcare project grants are for up to 3 years and applications are invited from researchers based in UK and Ireland. Researchers should be able to demonstrate their proposed study will inform and expand the NICE Guideline: Motor Neurone Disease: Assessment and Management through identifying knowledge gaps and/or generation of more robust evidence base, strengthening the case for statutory funding of high-quality MND care. For 2025, we additionally have three specific areas of research for which we would welcome applications. These are: Pain management, cognitive and behavioural symptoms and exercise and MND. 

Deadline: Friday 25 April

Apply and Find out more

The UCL Centre for Biomaterials in Surgical Reconstruction and Regeneration, led by Professor Song, is looking for a postdoctoral research fellow to help uncover the effects of ALS/FTD mutations on human neuron properties and network function. This is a new role funded by a multi-center 5-year MRC and MND Association programme.

The post holder will contribute to the plan to deliver technical innovation and lead specified work packages of developing human iPSC-based neuromuscular junction model systems and ALS/FTD disease models in collaboration with other teams at UCL and KCL. 

This post is graded at grade 7, the annual salary for which ranges from £43,374 to £48,007 (including London Allowance) and is a fixed-term post for 24 months in the first instance. 

Application deadline: 22 April

Find out more and apply

The MND Association, MND Scotland, My Name'5 Doddie Foundation and LifeArc are launching the call for funding for the next phase of the UK MND Research Institute. 

Applicants can apply for up to £5 million in total for a five-year period starting from 1 January 2026.

This award will fund the core staff required to run the UK MND Research Institute and coordinate the research community. It will also support core research infrastructure costs i.e. facilities that provide resources and services for the research community to conduct research and foster innovation - this may include but is not limited to disease registries, biosampling efforts and patient reporting applications.

The award will not support research activities such as basic science, translational research projects or clinical trials. The applicants are expected to apply for external research grant funding from funding bodies for individual research projects, studentships and fellowships and leveraging external grant funding will be a key measure of success of the UK MND Research Institute. 

The host institution will need to be a UK research institution/ Higher Education Institution. The Co-Directors and other co-applicants need to be based at UK research institutions. The Co-Directors should have employment contracts at their research institutions for the full duration of the award i.e. to December 2030.

Application Deadline:  Wednesday 30 April (12pm)

Please note this application will need to be submitted through My Name’5 Doddie Foundation’s online grants system, Flexigrant.

To request a copy of the guidance and application form or submit any queries please contact [email protected]. 

Applications are now open for My Name'5 Doddie's 2025 Advancing Treatment Awards.

These awards are designed to support the early-stage development of new treatments to slow, stop or reverse MND disease progression. These may also be treatments which could help better manage the symptoms of MND. 

Applications are encouraged for projects with the potential to be effective for a broad range of people living with MND. 

The Award, of up to £500,000 over 5 years, aims to help researchers build data packages that will attract onward investment and strategic partnerships to accelerate promising treatments through further testing and towards commercialisation.

Expressions of interest due:  Friday 2nd May (12pm)

Find out more and submit expression of interest

The ENCALS young investigator award recognises the brightest and best young scientists in ALS, and is given for outstanding research. 

Researchers must be working on a project which is novel, challenges  existing ideas about ALS, results in patient benefit, or impacts on our understanding of ALS. The competition is open to researchers aged 35 or younger on 1 September 2025, or who will be within 8 years of having been awarded their PhD if a basic scientist, or still in training (Resident or Fellow) if a medical graduate. Adjustments are made for career breaks. Researchers must be based at a university or ALS Centre in Europe, Turkey or Israel. 

Deadline for award submissions: 5 May.

Find out more and apply

Applications are now open for My Name'5 Doddie's 2025 Discovery Network Awards.

These awards are designed to catalyse the search for new effective treatments for MND.

The Discovery Network Awards provide the opportunity for interdisciplinary, multi-institutional teams to apply for £1 million over 3 years. 

Teams will take on bold ideas and innovative approaches to better understand the biology of MND, with a focused goal of identifying new therapeutic targets. The Network will be underpinned by a culture of collaboration and open science. 

Expressions of interest due:  Wednesday 21 May (12pm)

Find out more and submit expression of interest

The Corsalex Postdoctoral Fellowship Program is designed to support promising early-career researchers who wish to enter or continue research in the field of C9orf72 MND/FTD. 

Fellows receive up to $210,000 over 3 years to support research of high scientific merit and relevance to C9 MND.

Applications are open to Junior postdoctoral researchers with a designated advisor in an ALS or FTD-focused lab. Researchers must be no more than 1 year into postdoctoral fellowship.

Corsalex are interested in projects that focus on:

• The underlying biology of C9orf72 MND/FTD
• Novel drug targets or biomarkers
• Gene therapies
• Drug delivery into the CNS
• Disease models

Application Deadline: 1 July

Find out more and apply

The UK Dementia Research Institute are hosting a symposium for researchers using stem cell models to study the biology and treatment of neurodegenerative dieases like MND. The main aims of the event are to compare approaches and facilitate collaboration to explore successes and challenges of the field. 

The meeting is being held in Edinburgh, Scotland from the 26 to 28 March. 

Find out more

The 18th UK Neuromuscular Translational Research Conference 2025 aims to bring together basic scientists and clinical scientists involved in neuromuscular disease research. 

The event promotes and shares cutting edge clinical and scientific advances in the neuromuscular field, and encourages new research and collaborations. 

This meeting is being held at the Frederick Douglass Centre Helix Science Square in Newcastle upon Tyne from the 15 to 16 April.

Find out more and register.

The British Neuroscience Association is hosting the 7th International Festival of Neuroscience which brings together all those with an interest in brain research at a single event to share the highest quality science and form lasting connections. The focus of the event is to connect, inform and influence the future of neuroscience by providing opportunities to engage with like-minded peers, learn from leading experts in the field and advance science and careers.

This festival will be held in Liverpool from the 27 to 30 April. 

Find out more

University College London are holding a three day course to provide the latest updates on neuromuscular disorders.

The course covers a wide range of childhood and adult neuromuscular disorders with an emphasis on clinical issues, natural history studies, disease specific treatments and general management. 

It is designed for specialists with an interest in neuromuscular diseases, and will also be relevant to anyone wishing to update their knowledge of neuromuscular diseases such as neurology trainees, consultants or other clinicians working with neuromuscular patients.

This course is being held from the 28-30 May at Queen Square, London. 

Find out more and register

The European Network for the Cure of ALS (ENCALS) aims to develop a European trial network and initiate collaborations in Europe. Membership is open to Universities/Hospitals in Europe with ALS clinical/research activity. 

The ENCALS meeting 2025 will be held in Turin, Italy from 3 to 6 June. 

Register and Find out more

World Congress of Neurology are committed to delivering a high-level scientific program, an international stage for your research, and plenty of networking opportunities. 

The XXVII World Congress of Neurology (WCN 2025) will take place on 12-15 October and will be held in Seoul, Korea. 

Abstract submission deadline: 2 April 2025

Find out more

The key to defeating MND lies in fostering strong collaboration between leading researchers around the world, and sharing new understanding of the disease as rapidly as possible. This was the MND Association’s rationale behind the creation of the International Symposium on ALS/MND.

Each year, the Symposium attracts over 1,000 delegates, representing the energy and dynamism of the global MND research community. It is the largest medical and scientific conference specific to MND/ALS and is the premier event in the MND research calendar for discussion on the latest advances in research and clinical management. 

The 36th Symposium will be held in San Diego, USA in December.

Abstract submission and registration opens: Tuesday 6th May

Find out more