Information for UCL researchers

Check this section for information on research and funding opportunities, and on new project submissions.

UCL Covid-19 Rapid Response awards issued

Following a competitive round of the UCL Covid-19 Rapid Response Funding call, approximately £700,000 has been awarded across UCL to support Covid-19 research. There were multiple funding sources for this call, including the UCL Coronavirus Response Fund (It’s All Academic campaign), UCLH Biomedical Research Centre (UCLH BRC), and the Wellcome Institutional Strategic Support Fund. 

18 projects (from a total of 54 applications) were recommended for funding, including four projects co-funded by Moorfields Eye Hospital BRC (MEH BRC). 

The 18 projects to receive funding are: 

• COVID-19 post hospitalisation follow-up study, Professor Sam Janes     
• COVIDTrach; a UK national cohort study of mechanically ventilated COVID-19 patients undergoing tracheostomy, Dr Nick Hamilton     
• Defining neutralising antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection, Dr Laura McCoy    
• Establishing a mechanism for Covid19 inflammatory disease, Professor Greg Towers
• How does SARS-CoV-2 affect the nervous system? (MEH BRC co-funded) Dr Ross Paterson and Dr Laura Benjamin
• Mitigating The Inequitable Effects Of Covid-19 Using Community And Cultural Assets (MEH BRC co-funded), Professor Helen Chatterjee
• Optimising 2020 secondary school transition processes during the Covid-19 pandemic, Dr Sandra Leaton-Gray    
• Predicting beneficial versus harmful responses immune responses in COVID-19 (MEH BRC co-funded), Professor Lucy Walker
• Protein degraders of cyclophilin proteins as treatments for SARS-COV-2, Professor David Selwood    
• Rapid evaluation of vaccine-induced neutralising antibodies against SARS-CoV-2–Building Capacity, Dr Matthew Reeves    
• Rapid, portable, and scalable Covid-19 antibody testing (MEH BRC co-funded), Professor Stefan Howorka
• Reducing the risk of aerosols in dentistry and getting dentists back drilling Professor Ian Eames    
• Safety for Passengers in Buses, Professor Nick Tyler    
• Serological comparison of proven and suspected cases of COVID-19 pneumonia (SeroCOVID), Professor Jeremy Brown    
• The Impact of COVID-19 and Lockdown on Foster Carers and Children in Care, Dr Nick Midgley    
• The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sexual and reproductive health in Britain, Dr Nigel Field    
• The psychosocial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on NHS affiliated staff – monitoring response to the pandemic and the evaluation staff support programmes, Professor Rosalind Raine    
• You-COPE study: Youth COVID response personal experience: Tracking health and wellbeing amongst 16-24-year-olds in the UK during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr Lee Hudson 

COVID-19 UCL Grand Challenges

Funding opportunities 

Latest research funding opportunities from external funders aimed at addressing the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts.

Office for National Statistics (ONS) and Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC)

ONS Datasets available and ESRC funding

ONS has a number of de-identified datasets related to the Covid-19 pandemic available for accredited researchers to apply to use.

For those who are interested in using these datasets for research in the public interest, there are a number of pathways for funding the work via the ESRC.

• Find out more and apply on the ADR UK website

NERC

Urgency grants

Urgency proposals related to the current Coronavirus outbreak. Research must fall predominantly within the NERC remit.
Closing date: No deadline
Find out more and apply on the NERC website

Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI) / Swiss Light Source (SLS) / SwissFEL

Priority access call for work on combating COVID-19

"PRIORITY COVID-19 Call" for short proposals and quick peer review to enable rapid access to beamtime. Research proposals shall have the potential to effectively contribute to the understanding of the virus and/or to improve the clinical or public health response and patient care.
Closing date: No deadline
Find out more and apply on the PSI website

USA Department of Energy, Department of Defence, CDC, NIH, BARDA, MIT, Johns Hopkins, National Science

Multiple funding schemes

Various funding opportunities specific to COVID-19.
Closing date: Open
Find out more and apply on the John Hopkins University website

COVID-19 trials and studies

UCL is running and participating in a number of trails related to the study of COVID-19. This page provides information on relevant trials including calls for participation. 

Patient Led Research for COVID-19 - Patient Experience Survey

Patient Led Research for COVID-19 is a self-organized group of Long Covid patients working on patient-led research around the Long Covid experience. They are researchers in relevant fields such as participatory design, neuroscience, public policy, data collection and analysis, human-centred design, health activism – in addition to having intimate knowledge of COVID-19. 

They are now seeking participants for their COVID-19 Patient Experience Survey #2. In particular, they would like to hear from recovered COVID19 patients, both recovered from Long Covid and especially those who recovered in a few weeks from their symptom onset. To read more about the survey and the eligibility criteria, please visit their website.