Opportunity status:
Open
Funders:
Co-funders:
Our Future Health
Funding type:
Other
Total fund:
£1,000,000
Publication date:
23 March 2026
Opening date:
23 March 2026 9:00am UK time
Closing date:
Open - no closing date
This is a pilot scheme through which the Medical Research Council (MRC) will cover data access costs for eligible MRC funded researchers. Data is accessed through Our Future Health.
Researchers should submit an expression of interest to MRC. Once MRC has confirmed eligibility, researchers must register with Our Future Health and submit their study application. Computation costs will not be covered, but nominal cloud credits are provided by Our Future Health.
Who can apply
You must be a researcher supported by MRC funding. This includes individuals based at MRC institutes and units.
We will accept expressions of interest from:
* researchers supported by an MRC grant
* researchers based at an MRC-funded institute or unit
* senior researchers on behalf of MRC-funded students or fellows, where the majority of the student or fellow’s project funding is from MRC
Our Future Health data is only available to access from specific countries and territories. If you are based outside the UK, .
Access to Our Future Health data is also subject to the Our Future Health Resource terms and conditions for research institutions, and Registered Researcher terms and conditions for individual registered researchers.
What we're looking for
Scope
The pilot scheme has a finite amount of funds to allocate. The scheme aims to encourage MRC-supported researchers to discover and test more effective ways to predict, detect and treat major diseases using the Our Future Health dataset, which reflects the diversity of the UK population.
Your proposed research should be within the MRC remit to improve human health.
Duration
We expect studies to be one to two years in duration.
Funding available
MRC will cover the data access costs incurred. Our Future Health computing is hosted on a third-party platform, DNAnexus. Researchers are responsible for covering the cost of compute services and are billed directly. To get up and running, Our Future Health offer a nominal amount in cloud credits to each study accessing the resource until at least 31 August 2027.
How to apply
This is a two stage process:
1. Submit an expression of interest to MRC.
2. If eligibility is confirmed, follow the .
The asks for your details, identifiers for your current MRC funding, a summary of your proposed research and short statements on how your proposal:
* aligns with your current MRC-funded research
* aligns with MRC research priorities
* will inform the development of ideas for future research
It also asks if you have previously applied to Our Future Health to access the data and, if so, the outcome of your application. Email the completed form to
Sharing information
Some information submitted to the MRC via the expression of interest form will be shared with Our Future Health. Our Future Health will share with MRC:
* the outcome of the application process
* for approved studies, annual progress reports submitted to Our Future Health
Our Future Health may highlight to MRC any amendments to the study notified to Our Future Health after access has been approved. In addition, we may carry out spot checks to compare study applications to Our Future Health with the study plans described on the MRC expression of interest form, and therefore you should expect that Our Future Health will share this information with us.
For more information on how Our Future Health processes your personal data, read the
Process
We will accept expressions of interest on a rolling basis.
If eligible for the scheme, you will be notified and your eligibility will be confirmed with Our Future Health.
You should then register with Our Future Health and apply through the usual Our Future Health study application route. Our Future Health will notify you of their Access Board decision, and this information will be shared with MRC.
As this is a pilot scheme, the MRC and Our Future Health will work together to understand who is applying for data access and identify any operational pinch points.
Deadline
This funding opportunity is open with no closing date. However, as this is a pilot scheme, this will be kept under review and a closing date may be set depending on the volume of applications received.
How we will assess your application
Eligibility for the scheme will be checked initially with MRC, and you will be notified of the outcome. We anticipate that this will take no longer than four weeks. Subsequent researcher registration and application to access Our Future Health data will be managed by Our Future Health.
Through this pilot scheme, we seek to support a diverse range of studies from across the MRC community. We will regularly review the expressions of interest we receive. If we receive a high volume of interest from researchers at a single institution, from a restricted geographic area or focused on a narrow research area, we reserve the right to liaise with Our Future Health to prioritise the review of applications from outside these overrepresented areas.
Contact details
Ask about this opportunity
Laura Price, Programme Manager