Guidance

UK Research and Innovation endorsed funders

Updated 23 January 2024

Endorsed funders

An endorsed funder is an organisation accepted by UK Research and Innovation as a prestigious funder of research and innovation. Each funder has an excellent track record of awarding funding to researchers with critical skills, following a rigorous peer review process.

All UK ministerial departments and devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are endorsed funders, as are the following:

  • Advanced Research and Invention Agency
  • Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR) (France)
  • Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (Germany) 
  • Alzheimer’s Research UK  
  • Alzheimer’s Society  
  • Anthony Nolan
  • Arts Council England 
  • Arts Council Northern Ireland 
  • Arts Council of Wales
  • Austrian Science Fund (FWF) 
  • Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
  • Blood Cancer UK
  • Brain Tumour Research
  • Breast Cancer Now (UK)
  • British Council
  • British Heart Foundation (UK)
  • Canadian Institute for Advanced Research 
  • Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) 
  • Cancer Research UK
  • Chief Scientist Office - Scotland
  • Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) (Italy)
  • Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (India)
  • Creative Scotland 
  • Darwin Initiative (UK)
  • Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) (India)
  • Department of Biotechnology (DBT) (India)
  • Department of Science and Technology (DST) (India)
  • Diabetes UK  
  • Dunhill Medical Trust
  • ELIXIR
  • European Molecular Biology Laboratory
  • European Molecular Biology Organisation
  • European Space Agency
  • Euratom
  • Faraday Institution (UK)
  • Fonds National de la Recherche (FNR) (Luxembourg)
  • German Research Foundation (DFG) 
  • Health and Care Research Wales 
  • Health and Social Care Research and Development Division, Northern Ireland 
  • Health Data Research UK 
  • Higher Education Funding Council for Wales  
  • Horizon Europe programmes, including Horizon 2020
  • Human Frontier Science Programme (France)
  • Independent Research Fund Denmark (DFF) 
  • Indian Council of Historical Research 
  • Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) 
  • International Institute for Applied System Analysis (Austria)
  • Japan Agency of Medical Research and Development 
  • Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST)
  • Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) 
  • Korean Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI) (South Korea)
  • Learned Society of Wales 
  • Leverhulme Trust (UK)
  • Medical Research Foundation (UK)
  • Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) (India)
  • Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport, Science and Technology (MEXT) (Japan)
  • Mitacs (Canada)
  • Motor Neurone Disease Association (UK)
  • National Cyber Security Centre (UK)
  • National Endowment for the Humanities (USA) 
  • National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) (Australia)
  • National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USA)
  • National Institute for Health Research (UK)
  • National Institutes of Health (USA)
  • National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) (China))  
  • National Research Council (Canada)
  • National Research Foundation (South Africa)
  • National Research Foundation (South Korea)
  • National Science Foundation (NSF) (USA)
  • Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) (Canada)
  • NC Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) (Brazil)
  • Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) 
  • Northern Ireland Department for the Economy  
  • Parkinson’s UK  
  • Pancreatic Cancer UK
  • Prostate Cancer Research
  • Prostate Cancer UK
  • Public Health Agency (Northern Ireland)
  • Public Health Scotland
  • Public Health Wales
  • Research Council of Norway
  • Rosetrees Trust (UK)
  • Royal Irish Academy
  • Royal Society of Edinburgh
  • Rural Environment Scientific and Analysis Services (RESAS) (UK)
  • São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) (Brazil)
  • Science Foundation Ireland
  • Scottish Funding Council  
  • Ser Cymru
  • Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (Canada) 
  • South Africa Medical Research Council (SAMRC) 
  • Swedish Research Council (VR)
  • Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) 
  • The Academy of Medical Sciences
  • The British Academy
  • The Indian Council of Medical Research
  • The Kennedy Trust for Rheumatology Research (UK)
  • The Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre (UK)
  • The Royal Academy of Engineering
  • The Royal Society
  • UK Atomic Energy Authority
  • UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI)
  • UK Health Security Agency
  • UK Research and Innovation, and its Councils
  • UK Space Agency
  • Versus Arthritis (UK)
  • Wellcome Trust (UK)
  • Wolfson Foundation (UK)
  • Worldwide Cancer Research