Data for Children’s and Young People’s Cancer Programme Award

Overview Key information About the scheme Who is eligible? What is suitable for this scheme? What isn't suitable for this scheme? How are applications reviewed? What are the key timelines? What costs are funded? How do I apply? Who can I contact if I have questions? Other support and resources Back to top Share or print this page Overview

This programme award is offered in partnership with Stand Up To Cancer and Blood Cancer UK and supports the development of data-driven solutions to common challenges in children’s and young people's cancers.

Key information Timelines

Applications are now closed.

Funding period

Up to 5 years, with an earliest start date of 1 November 2026

Funding amount

Up to £2.5m

About the scheme

This award funds data/AI-driven approaches that answer cancer research questions addressing cancers in children and young people and aligns with our research data strategy.

The goal of the award is to generate novel insights about children’s and young people’s cancers, and in doing so, create or improve data and/or data resources for the wider research community. We particularly welcome proposals in target identification or AI implementation.

Proposals should clearly articulate how the research delivers against our aim to improve survival and long-term quality of life for children and young people affected by cancer. Additionally, proposals should explain how they will develop new, scalable and generalisable data solutions to common research challenges in children’s and young people’s cancers for the international research community. We particularly welcome international and industry collaboration as part of these awards.

These awards can be used to support maximising the use or re-use of existing data, and/or generating new data to fill gaps in the children’s and young people’s cancer data landscape. We want to promote collaboration across a broad range of research disciplines to engage with the data challenges in children’s and young people’s cancer research.

We’re looking for innovative ideas and tools for data-driven cancer research, so applicants to this award can come from any research area, including fields outside of cancer. To support capacity building, we encourage all applicants to include early-career researchers within their team.

Explore our research data strategy(PDF, 1.78 MB)

Explore our work in children’s and young people’s cancer

Read our overarching research strategy

Read about our previously funded data for children’s and young people’s cancer pilot awards

Patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE)

In line with our research data strategy, through this award we’re encouraging an integrated element of PPIE throughout. We expect the direct involvement and engagement of children and young people with cancer, and those with lived experience of cancer as a child or young person, and/or parents and carers. Their experience and method of engagement should be relevant to and complement your planned research.

Learn more about our commitment to PPIE

Data network

We want to ensure the results of the research we fund maximise patient benefit. This includes creating an environment and culture that enables and incentivises researchers to maximise the value of their research outputs, including data, for reuse across sectors.

All successful teams will be expected to fully participate in a collaborative network. Together they will share learnings and drive the kind of research data culture that promotes inclusive and exceptional international data-driven research. This will enable better understanding and treatment of children’s and young people’s cancer.

Our partnership with Stand Up To Cancer

We’ve partnered with Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) to fund this award.

SU2C raises awareness and funds research to detect and treat cancers with the aspiration to cure all patients. SU2C is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization and was initially launched as a division of the Entertainment Industry Foundation. Established in 2008 by media and entertainment leaders, SU2C utilizes these communities’ resources to engage the public in supporting a new, collaborative model of cancer research, to increase awareness about cancer prevention, and to highlight progress being made in the fight against the disease.

As of April 2025, more than 3,100 scientists representing more than 210 institutions are involved in SU2C-funded research projects.

Learn more about SU2C

Our partnership with Blood Cancer UK

Blood Cancer UK are partnering with us to fund relevant successful blood cancer-focused applications.

Blood Cancer UK is the nation’s leading blood cancer charity, dedicated to improving the lives of people affected by blood cancer and bringing forward the day when no one dies from the disease. They do this by funding research, providing practical and emotional support, and campaigning for change. Since they were founded in 1960, they have invested more than £500m in blood cancer research, resulting in a long line of breakthroughs across all blood cancers.

Find out more about their impact

Webinar on tips and guidance for your application

We hosted a webinar to provide guidance on what we’re looking for from proposals and tips on how to put together a strong application. You can now watch the recording of the presentations and Q&A session.

Watch the recording

Who is eligible?

Applicants must:

Be based at a research institution appropriately accredited or registered in the country in which it is based. This can be in the UK, the US or another country.

At the time of funding, for UK applicants, be in a post that is fully funded by the relevant national Higher Education Funding Council, the National Health Service or equivalent. This post must be guaranteed for the duration of the award.

Include at least one lead or joint lead applicant with an evidenced track record of expertise in data science or AI.

Include at least one lead or joint lead applicant working in children’s and young people’s cancers.

Include at least one UK-based co-investigator.

Ensure that they have relevant experience within the research team (academic, professional or public member) to carry out the patient and public involvement and engagement approaches they have proposed.

One investigator must assume the responsibility of named lead applicant on the application for the purposes of the Flexi-Grant application process. Joint lead applicants must be added as co-applicants once the full application is opened on Flexi-Grant. The lead applicant and joint lead applicants will be recognised with equal status.

Host institutions

Applicants must ensure that their host institution will provide sufficient space and access to resources to undertake the proposed research.

Most university departments in the UK are eligible as host institutions for a programme award. However, some locations may not be eligible as host institutions.

Contact us before submitting an application to discuss eligibility.

Contact us

Collaborations

We encourage applications from international interdisciplinary research teams which can be located across multiple institutions. We particularly welcome industry collaboration, which may be included as co-investigators and collaborators.

A formal agreement between academic and commercial partners is not needed to apply, but a letter of support from a relevant individual at the industrial partner organisation is required. This letter should describe the nature of the collaboration and the industrial partner’s contribution, including funding and/or in-kind support such as data, samples, reagents, technology or expertise.

If the grant is awarded, you will need to contact the Cancer Research Horizons team to put in place an appropriate agreement with the commercial organisation prior to receiving funding. Such an agreement will align with our terms and conditions as it relates to intellectual property ownership and commercialisation, as well as our guiding principles on commercial data partnerships, which were co-developed with people affected by cancer.

Contact the Cancer Research Horizons team

Read about our guiding principles for data partnerships

Other funding bodies

You can submit applications for the same project to different funding bodies, including us. However, if successful, you may only accept one award. If applicable, please notify us and disclose this in your application under 'Other Funding'.

Flexible working arrangements

Career breaks (due to personal circumstances), part-time working and changes in discipline will be taken into consideration by our panels and committees to make appropriate adjustments when assessing your record of outputs, research achievements and career progression.

You can apply on a part-time or flexible working basis if this fits with the needs of your host institution and they approve your request. If you’d like to apply on a part-time basis, you should do so from the ou