Researching ME/CFS: priority area

- Funders: Medical Research Council (MRC) - Funding type: Fellowship, Grant - Opening date: 2003-05-01

Last updated: 18 May 2026 - see all updates

Apply for funding to research myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, also known as ME/CFS.

You can get the funding through any of MRC’s funding schemes.

We particularly welcome applications within MRC remit that address one or more of the research areas identified by the ME/CFS Priority Setting Partnership for ME/CFS research:

- aetiology of post-exertional malaise

- pathways to repurposing of approved drugs for other conditions

- accurate and reliable diagnostic tools

- investigating the role of the immune system in ME/CFS

- stratification of ME/CFS

- evaluation of post-infection disease in ME/CFS

- neurological symptomology

- genetic links to ME/CFS susceptibility or disease

- drivers of severity in ME/CFS

- investigation of potential mitochondrial dysfunction in ME/CFS

- investigation of oxygenation dysfunction in ME/CFS

We will usually fund up to 80% of your project’s full economic cost.

Who can apply

You must meet the criteria for the specific funding opportunity you are applying to. Eligibility is normally based on your suitability to lead or work on a research project and the research organisation or business where the work is intended to take place.

Check if you are eligible for funding.

To get advice on suitable funding opportunities, contact mecfs@mrc.ukri.org

What we're looking for

Building our portfolio of ME/CFS research has been a high priority for MRC for a number of years. This funding priority notice, which has been in place since 2003, seeks to encourage high-quality funding applications to any of our grant or fellowship funding opportunities.

MRC research strategy and funding history for ME/CFS.

Research areas

In 2022, MRC co-funded an ME/CFS Priority Setting Partnership to identify the top 10+ ME/CFS research priorities. The partnership was led by people with ME/CFS, their carers and clinicians, and facilitated by non-profit making initiative, the James Lind Alliance.

We particularly welcome applications within MRC remit, that address one or more of the research areas identified by the ME/CFS Priority Setting Partnership:

- what is the biological mechanism that causes post-exertional malaise (symptoms caused or made worse by physical, mental or emotional effort, which can be delayed) in people with ME/CFS? How is this best treated and managed?

- which existing drugs used to treat other conditions might be useful for treating ME/CFS, such as low dose naltrexone, or drugs used to treat postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome?

- how can an accurate and reliable diagnostic test be developed for ME/CFS?

- is ME/CFS caused by a faulty immune system? Is ME/CFS an autoimmune condition?

- are there different types of ME/CFS linked to different causes and how severe it becomes? Do different types of ME/CFS need different treatments or have different chances of recovery?

- why do some people develop ME/CFS following an infection? Is there a link with long-COVID?

- what causes the central and peripheral nervous systems (brain, spinal cord and nerves in the body) to malfunction in people with ME/CFS? Could this understanding lead to new treatments?

- is there a genetic link to ME/CFS? If yes, how does this affect the risk of ME/CFS in families? Could this lead to new treatments?

- what causes ME/CFS to become severe?

- how are mitochondria, responsible for the body’s energy production affected in ME/CFS? Could this understanding lead to new treatments?

- does poor delivery or use of oxygen within the body cause ME/CFS symptoms? If so, how is this best treated?

You may wish to consult the Researcher Toolkit, produced as an output of the UK Clinical Research Collaborative ME/CFS Research Working Group. This provides an overview of:

- UK government research funding opportunities

- guides to embedding patient and public involvement

- resources on developing high quality applications

Multidisciplinary teams and partnerships

Applications should consider how to:

- increase capacity in ME/CFS research

- address the need for multidisciplinary teams to tackle the significant research challenges in this area

- involve persons living with ME/CFS in developing ME/CFS research proposals

MRC will usually fund costs for a wide range of research team members (and the core team roles they are assigned) to support capacity building and team science across career stages and pathways.

Find out more about UKRI’s core team roles in funding applications.

Applications may involve partnerships between ME/CFS researchers and established, leading investigators working in relevant areas, but who are new to the ME/CFS field. MRC will usually fund costs toward ‘Project co-lead (international)’ if they provide expertise not available in the UK.

MRC encourages (but does not require) applicants to work in partnership with other funders where appropriate. Depending on the project, applicants may wish to seek cash or in-kind support from charitable or industrial partners.

Please see the MRC guidance for applicants for full details on what can be included in your application.

Applications should consider including appropriate public and patient involvement and engagement, including (but not limited to) consultation and engagement with persons with ME/CFS or their representatives at all stages of project development. Please see public engagement for more information.

How to apply

MRC has a wide array of funding options available to support biomedical researchers and innovators, whatever their career stage.

If you are considering submitting an application, please first contact mecfs@mrc.ukri.org who can advise you on suitable funding opportunities.

You can search the UKRI funding finder to find MRC funding opportunities.

You should apply directly through the existing funding opportunity that is most relevant to your science area and career stage.

How we will assess your application

All applications received under this priority area will be assessed by the relevant MRC board or panel through MRC’s standard assessment procedure. For more information on MRC’s peer review process, please see carrying out a peer review.

Building our portfolio of ME/CFS research has been a high priority for MRC for a number of years. To help encourage high-quality research applications in this area, applications submitted under the ME/CFS priority area will receive prioritisation for funding against other applications attaining the same median ranking score.

Additional info

In 2025, MRC funded PRIME: Building Infrastructure for Patients, Researchers and Industry for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. PRIME supports the development of ME/CFS research by building researcher networks, enabling new collaborations, and supporting Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE).

PRIME has also launched the ME/CFS Research Involvement Hub, which connects researchers across the UK with people with lived experience of ME/CFS to support meaningful involvement in research. It is a valuable resource available to researchers from the initial concept and application stage right through to project completion.

See further information and the contact details for PRIME.

In 2020, MRC and the National Institute for Health Research jointly funded the £3.2 million DecodeME study, which is the world’s largest genome-wide association study of ME/CFS.

DecodeME aims to identify genetic differences that may indicate underlying causes or increased risk of developing the condition.

DecodeME is now open to applications from researchers who would like to access the data, samples or cohort.

MRC research strategy and funding history for ME/CFS

MRC is not able to broker new research partnerships on the part of applicants as we do not have the resources to do this.

The Researcher Toolkit is an output of the UK Clinical Research Collaborative ME/CFS Research Working Group that provides an overview of:

- UK government research funding opportunities

- guides to embedding patient and public involvement

- resources on developing high quality proposals

The ME/CFS evidence review and associated interactive map, published through NIHR Journals Library summarises national and international ME/CFS research evidence, taking account of the criteria that has been used to diagnose ME/CFS in research studies. In addition, the interactive map shows the themes that the research has explored and the types of research studies. The work considers how current research maps against key themes covered by the James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership research priorities.

It is hoped this tool will stimulate further collaborative research into ME/CFS.