Partnership with Kidney Wales

We are the largest charity dedicated to kidney research in the UK. Our research strategy to 2030 outlines our four strategic research objectives and what we want to achieve through research in the next ten-years or sooner!

We are delighted to announce that we have partnered with Kidney Wales to co-fund up to two new PhD awards. Working together will enable us to fund more research and accelerate discoveries, as well as ensuring researchers get the best possible start in their careers in kidney research.

These awards must be held at an academic institution in Wales for work undertaken in Wales.

Does your proposal align to our research priorities?

In your application, we will ask you how your proposal aligns with our immediate research priority areas:

Transforming treatments; dialysis, transplantation and medical technology

Improve dialysis and lessen the impact of dialysis on patient’s lives; research that aims to minimise the stress of dialysis on the body; research that improves the options available to patients at the start of their dialysis and maximises the success of these approaches.
Maximise the number of suitable donated kidneys; research into the causes of kidney transplant failure and the development of monitoring and treatments to better manage and prevent transplant rejection; addressing the ‘fear of failure’ through research into the mental health challenges faced by kidney transplant patients; research on the long-term use of immunosuppressive medication which reduces the life expectancy of kidney transplant recipients.
Research and innovation that will enable development of safe and effective patient monitoring in home and community settings; will slow kidney disease ; reduce the number of people who progress to end stage kidney disease; improve treatment and care in all settings, of kidney patients who may also have other medical conditions.

Multiple health conditions; diabetic kidney disease, cardiovascular disease and mental health

Prevent or delay the onset of diabetic kidney disease; accelerate discovery and innovation in diabetic kidney disease to understand the relationship between kidney disease and diabetes and to develop new treatments.
Treatment of hypertension, heart and circulatory diseases in patients with kidney disease; how to prevent people with high blood pressure or other heart and circulatory disease risk factors from developing kidney disease.
Increase our understanding of how living with a long-term condition impacts mental health, and how this affects patients with kidney diseases; how to prevent mental health problems to help kidney patients with mental health problems get well and stay well.

Heath equalities

Paediatric, rare and hereditary

Understand the genetic causes of rare kidney diseases; to define diagnostic criteria and accelerate testing for rare diseases; find new ways to treat rare and hereditary kidney diseases and their symptoms.
Address the distinct treatment challenges faced by children and young people, and which progresses understanding of how multiple health conditions (eg. cardiovascular health, bone health) develop in children and young people with kidney disease and how to prevent these.

Applying and submitting your application

Both scientific and lay summaries will be used to assess each submission. Consideration will be given to how closely the proposal matches to our immediate priority areas for research and all submissions will be ranked according to their potential to deliver against these.

All applicants must be resident in the United Kingdom and the research must take place in a UK establishment.

Successful applicants will be invited to submit a full application in due course. This invitation is no guarantee of funding which will be competitively awarded. Only applications invited to the second stage will be considered. Applicants will be notified on 31 May 2022 if they are invited for a full application to be submitted by 6 July 2022.

We welcome pre-submission enquiries. You can find more information about our grants in our regulations and conditions.

Regulations and conditions for applicants

Submit an expression of interest

We are pleased to invite expressions of interest from individuals whose proposals directly address our immediate priority areas for research, and who seek initial or further support to establish their research career.

We will only consider one application type per applicant even if you have several research ideas, and applicants can only apply in one of our 2022 grants rounds. If you already hold three or more active awards from us, you are ineligible to apply this year.

Our expression of interest forms have moved to our online grants portal. Please sign up for an account if you don’t have one already.

Closing date: 5pm, Monday 17 May 2022

Closed for expression of interests

For further information contact:

Dr Aisling McMahon: 01733 367 887

Elaine Davies: 01733 367 835

[email protected]

What difference can funding make to you?

"Not only has Kidney Research UK funding allowed me to produce internationally recognised research but it’s also given me a deeper appreciation of the personal effects of current treatments on patients."

Dr Mark Findlay, Kidney Research UK Training Fellowship

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Kidney Wales co-funded PhD Studentships