About

MLSTF supports proof-of-concept projects at the early stages of translation that are of high risk but with potential of high reward. It funds researchers to accelerate the transition from discovery research to translational development projects by supporting preliminary work or feasibility studies to establish the viability of a translational approach.

This fund does not support exploratory basic science.

MLSTF is a consolidated fund comprising devolved funding from MRC Impact Acceleration Account, Wellcome IP Revenue Retention Funds, with some additional aligned funding. In 2025, the project managed fund will be in the region of £800,000 to ‘pump-prime’ the translation of novel therapeutics, devices, diagnostics and other therapeutic interventions (including ‘repurposing of existing therapies’) toward clinical testing.

In addition, we are pleased to confirm facilitated co-funding opportunities with Cancer Research Horizons (CRUK),  EPSRC IAA (administered by the MPLS Impact Office), NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), and the University Challenge Seed Fund (USCF; administered by OUI).

Key Highlights

1. Maximum funding volume per project up to £85k
2. A dedicated route termed “Emerging Translational Innovators (ETI)” which provides an opportunity for early career researchers to use this fund as a stepping stone towards independently pursuing their translational research endeavours.
3. Maximum number of applications permitted up to three per applicant (as PI, or Co-I)

Remit

The fund supports goal-oriented translational research projects with a strong scientific rationale and which meet a clear and important translational medical need. Projects should also demonstrate distinct advantages over competing translational approaches that are in development or are already available in the marketplace. Projects should aim to provide sufficient preliminary data to establish proof of concept, strategic merit in a translational context, or the viability of a translational approach (i.e. to provide confidence in the underlying concept, before seeking more substantial funding from other sources), such as MRC Developmental Pathway Funding Scheme (DPFS), or equivalent schemes from other funders, or from industry. An explicit outcome of the award of MLSTF is that projects should subsequently be strong candidates for external follow-on translational funding.

To be competitive, the project proposal should identify a critical path for generating preliminary proof-of-concept data that supports moving to the next stage of translation. The project should be milestone-based with clearly articulated and quantifiable markers, which will form the basis of a rigorous monitoring process that will take place throughout the project's lifetime.

All modalities of therapy and diagnostics including engineering/medical technology, bioinformatics approaches, and research tools that increase the efficiency of developing interventions are welcomed.

Examples of activities supported by the MLSTF include:

• Candidate therapeutic entities such as drug discovery. (Mechanism of action (MoA) can be included as part of the critical path to translation but a standalone proposal on MoA will not be considered in remit).
• Vaccines for infectious or non-infectious diseases
• Biologics (antibodies, peptides, proteins, nucleic acid therapies)
• Advanced therapy medicinal products (gene therapy, T cell therapy, a tissue engineered product)
• Regenerative medicine approaches
• Repurposing clinical studies or using existing therapies for new indications
• Medical devices
• Digital healthcare, app development or Artificial Intelligence*
• Diagnostics (including biomarker validation)
• Medical imaging technology
• Behavioral and psychological interventions
• Radiotherapy and radiation protocols
• Interventions benefit health in low and middle-income countries.

Activities NOT supported by MLSTF:

• Identification or discovery of targets
• Exploratory science without pre-existing background data
• Candidate screening stage
• Mechanisms of action as a standalone project
• Fundamental sciences work

Read an example of an outstanding proposal which has been recently awarded by the MLSTF committee panel. The proposal entitled: “Evaluation of the efficacy of an mRNA-based multi-antigen vaccine against tuberculosis (TB) disease in guinea pigs" received MLSTF funding in March 2024 to Dr Elena Stylianou and Professor Helen McShane.

Applications demonstrating academic-industry collaboration are particularly encouraged, principles and policies of an MRC Industry Collaboration Framework (ICF) should be followed, with heads of terms being agreed with partners prior to application submission. Please contact your local Research Services team who will be able to assist with this.  Where the partner is an existing or prospective spinout, there must be a strong and clear case that the proposed project is a new stream of work and not additional development of the initial technology that was licensed to the spinout. It should also be clear that the spinout is the most appropriate company to support this particular project. A clear statement of how conflict of interest will be managed must be included.

Additional requirement for projects with artificial intelligence (AI) as a significant component*

Please note that if your application involves AI as a significant component, you will need to complete Section 1.3 in the Case for Support form. You will be required to provide a high-level summary of key aspects of your AI-based application. Reviewers expect concise yet impactful responses rather than detailed explanations. Full details should also be included in the relevant sections of the application. Significant use of AI in an MLSTF project refers to the integration of artificial intelligence as a core enabling technology that fundamentally shapes the project’s functionality, development, and value proposition. Use of AI in the project is therefore not only an add-on feature but a major technique that drives the project’s capabilities, automation, decision-making, or user experience. 

Emerging Translational Innovators (ETI)

* Please note, the remit around the dedicated MLSTF-ETI route, with the ETI being the principal applicant, is as follows:

• ETIs here are defined as Oxford employed-, early career researchers which includes post-doctoral researcher, clinical researchers, or junior group leaders within the first few years of independence and/or on their first permanent, open-ended or long-term rolling contract.
• ETIs are further categorised into the two sub-groups:
• Junior ETIs – An early career researcher (ECR) with little to no previous experience in independent project management, line management or supervising teams, and/or within the first year of completing their doctoral studies. This sub-group applies to ECRs who seek to gain experience independently managing their research project with little supervision, learn to plan budgets, and build confidence in team management. This may include post-doctoral researchers and clinical researchers.
• ETIs transitioning to independent researchers – an ECR with previous experience in project management, line management and/or team supervision. This sub-group applies to those ECRs who are in the process of making a transition to an independent PI and seek to establish a successful track record of project management, team supervision and capacity building, which will enable them to progress to the next stage of their careers. This may include research fellows, junior group leaders or lecturers.
• Volume of funding available is up to £50K, for projects lasting 6-8 months in duration.
• The ETI must consult and inform the TRO at grant application stage that they are considering applying as an ETI applicant. The TRO will support the ETI to draft the most compelling proposal and provide access to the relevant training material and resources available. f you do not consult with the TRO prior to submission, your application will not be accepted for consideration by the MLSTF panel.
• The ETI must obtain approval from their PI/line manager confirming support and/or permission to undertake the proposed activity stated in the application, subject to award recommendation by the MLSTF committee.
• The ETI will be required to officially identify a mentor who will support the ETI and their proposed research workplan. If you are unable to identify a mentor to support you, please contact the TRO who might be able to assist.
• The ETI together with the mentor is required to carve out the expected skill sets to gain/develop during the proposal and how this application would support the ETIs future aspirations. 
• ETIs must use the main MLSTF case for support application but with the above outlined limits on funding volume and project duration.
• If an ETI has an existing MLSTF project that will overlap with the new MLSTF project, the ECR will need to make this clear in their submission. In addition, the ETI is expected to provide the details on the time commitment required for both projects and any other projects the ETI might be involved in. Please note that ETIs are permitted to have a maximum of two MLSTF projects running at the at any one time and are awarded to the PI under the ETI status.
• A designated TRO representative will be allocated to each successful ETI project. The TRO representative will get in touch with the ETI awardee every 2 months, enquiring about the progress of the project against the Gantt chart and offering any help or support that the ETI might require to ensure smooth progress and completion of the project. The ETIs are also encouraged to get in touch with the TRO as soon as possible if they are experiencing any issues in their project that could affect the successful progress and completion of the award. The TRO will be able to provide support to resolve the difficulties.

Format

It is envisaged that the available funds will finance in the region of 10-12 projects, with the Translational Research Office (TRO) providing project management support for the scheme and projects where appropriate.

Funding available from MLSTF will be up to £85k per project (for non-ETI applicants) and up to £50k (for ETI applicants); awards will be made from MLSTF for direct costs only. Whilst a ‘match’ contribution is not mandatory, it is strongly encouraged. The cost of individual projects in this case can be up to £170k with applicants being required to demonstrate at least 50% matching from another source of the direct costs awarded. If your research scope falls within the interest areas of Cancer Research UK, an expression of interest form (EOI) will be required. Please see below for more details.

Projects should be in the region of 6-12 months (for non-ETI applicants) and 6-8 months (for ETI applicants), with funding for 12-month projects requiring full justification. Awards must commence within 1 month of the award being issued. All projects must be completed within 1 year of the start date and/or in line with overarching MRC grant conditions. Please ensure that your project is scheduled accordingly, and that the timeline is appropriate to the objectives and milestones set out.

Please note funding will not support: entire translational projects; bridging funding or PhD studentships; continuation of normal research grants; and costs relating to protection of intellectual property. Please also note that PI or co-applicant salary is not an eligible cost.  DPhil students and Postdoctoral researchers can be named as Co-Is on an MLSTF application. However, to be eligible to do so, no MLSTF funds can contribute to their salary or studentship and their contract with the university, or studentship must last longer than the end date of the MLSTF award. Awards will be managed from the Translational Research Office on behalf of the University.  Applications, scores and reviewer comments may be shared with other internal University panels to ensure maximum value for money. 

Award conditions apply, including acceptance of a ‘mid-term’ review meeting with the Translational Research Office and a panel of experts to discuss progress made towards milestones, as well as commitment to providing yearly progress report forms post-MLSTF. Failing to do so can result in jeopardising your chances of receiving future funding through schemes managed by the Translational Research Office. Additionally, applicants who have been awarded THREE successful MLSTF applications are required to present their innovation at the Translational Research Symposium as an example and valuable resource for other applicants to reach their value of inflection points.

Innovation Co-funding Strands

If your project aligns with any of the innovation collaborator’s research priority areas listed below and to facilitate the co-development of projects with an appropriate Cancer Research Horizons investigator, Oxford-based researchers should submit a non-confidential Expression of Interest (EOI) to the Translational Research Office (TRO) by 5pm on Friday 19 September 2025. Please go to the Expression of Interest page to complete the respective Expression of Interest form.

This EOI should provide a summary of the proposed project, including a summary of supporting background data, objectives and proposed outcomes of the project and a justification for support explaining how your proposal is aligned to the priority areas of Cancer Research Horizons Early Validation Fund, as identified below. It is anticipated that Cancer Research Horizons will be co-funding (50% contribution) up to one project.

Co-funding with Cancer Research Horizons Innovation Fund (CRHIF)

The TRO is pleased to announce the continuation of the CRHIF innovation stream this year with the anticipation to co-fund (50% contribution) one project. Cancer Research Horizons is CRUK’s Drug Discovery, Development and Commercialisation Company. This funding will specifically support the translation of CRUK-funded research projects only. Applicants will have an opportunity to leverage Cancer Research Horizons’ Early Validation Fund after endorsement by Cancer Research Horizons at the EOI stage. A key requirement for this funding strand is that the funding would need to be used to deliver key go/no-go experiments garnering data for a key inflection point to enable the next step in translational development/commercialisation. It is expected that the investigator would be willing to work with Cancer Research Horizons to develop the IP and development strategy of the novel technology.

Please note that this opportunity is open only to researchers who have previously received funding from CRH. 

Co-funding with EPSRC IAA

Healthcare technology projects that overlap with underpinning research funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) would be considered for co-funding support with EPSRC IAA.

The TRO has received funds from the NIHR which provides an opportunity for clinical academic researchers working within the Trust with honorary contracts with an Oxford University department to access these funds for executing translational research with a direct focus on clinical translation and human specimen-based studies. Animal work is NOT permitted within these proposals. Applications that fall under this remit must select the NIHR research area option in the main case for support application form. It is anticipated that the NIHR BRC will be co-funding (50% contribution) up to two projects

Eligibility

Any researcher from the University holding a contract extending to at least the end of the proposed project may apply, assuming they have host departmental approval. Applicants should clarify their eligibility with departments, and departmental approvers are required to check eligibility of their applicants before advancing any applications. The Committee welcomes applications from Early Career Researchers and applicants seeking to establish individual research careers should they fit this criterion – such applicants are encouraged to select the ETI option and complete relevant sections within the case for support application form.