How we deliver research
Cancer Research UK is the largest charitable funder of cancer research in the world, funding around 50% of all publicly-funded cancer research here in the UK.
Today we invest nearly £400 million annually into cancer research through research funding, conferences, initiatives, resources, and a UK-wide network of research infrastructure across discovery, clinical, prevention and detection research, contributing to the UK's outstanding environment for cancer research.
We're at the forefront of the global fight against cancer, working with commercial and non-commercial research partners across the world to achieve our ambitious vision for a better future.
£399m
on new and ongoing research 2023/24
90
institutions around the UK
4,000
scientists and clinicians in our network
Our research strategy
We invest in creative people who can deliver research of the highest quality. Our strategy shapes how we'll discover more about the mechanisms of how cancer develops and progresses to unlock new and better ways to prevent, detect and treat it.
How we fund research
Peer review forms the basis of our funding decisions. Depending on the funding you’ve applied for, this can include assessment by an expert review panel, or an interview. Final funding decisions are made by our funding committees.
Our research infrastructure
Infrastructure plays a crucial role in our dynamic and responsive research environment. Our state-of-the-art facilities provide capabilities across the full breadth of cancer research and the translational pipeline, and support close partnerships with universities and the NHS.
Our research institutes provide an exceptional environment for discovery research. Our translational centres drive research toward patient benefit, alongside our network of clinical trials units, Cancer Research Horizons' drug discovery sites, and our Centre for Drug Development.
Our commitment to involving people affected by cancer in our work
Our statement of intent for patient and public involvement outlines how we will work with people affected by cancer to guide, influence and shape projects as they develop to increase our understanding of cancer. We will also seek input from members of the public, who may not have previous experience of cancer, particularly for our research on cancer epidemiology, prevention, early detection and diagnosis.
Each year, we work with more than 90 patient and public representatives across our research funding activities. These representatives bring invaluable insights and experience to our research activities.
As of 2024:
8 support our Clinical Research Committee and associated funding panels as full voting members.
26 sit on our joint Early Detection and Prevention and Population Patient and Public Involvement panel.
2 lay public members sit on Research Careers Committee/Panels, reviewing broader skills/experience e.g. leadership and management.
14 (including 8 from the UK) sit on the International Alliance for Cancer Early Detection patient and public advocacy group.
12 lay members from the UK and USA support the CGC Advocacy Panel
2 patient representatives sit on the ECMC Paediatric Network Strategy Group.
2 sit on the ECMC Advisory Board
2 patient representatives are also involved with the ECMC Data Integration theme
1 sits on the Experimental Cancer Trial Finder Governance Group
9 patient and public representatives sit on the Cancer Data Patient & Public Community Steering Group to support the work of the Research Data Strategy
12 patient and public representatives sit on the Data Resource Review Group
8 patient representatives sit on the Commercial Data Partnerships Panel
8 sit on the CDD Patient Involvement Panel
We also work closely with our patient involvement team to ensure that patients and the public have the opportunity to contribute to cross-cutting initiatives and ad-hoc reviews.
Research events and conferences
We know the importance of collaboration and networking, and we host a variety of events and conferences every year to help accelerate research. From our flagship international conferences in priority fields such as early detection, precision medicine and hard-to-treat cancers, to exclusive meetings for the students and funded researchers in our community, our events foster multidisciplinary and international collaboration.
Our research partnerships
We partner with industry, charities, not-for-profits, and government funding agencies both in the UK and around the world to build mutually beneficial partnerships that support our own research objectives and those of our partners. We’re open to exploring new models of partnering across all areas of our research activity, at every stage of the research pipeline, and across all cancer types.
Our research policies
Our policies govern how we fund research, and help to ensure that we're funding the highest quality research.