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The MND Association, MND Scotland, My Name'5 Doddie Foundation and LifeArc are launching the call for funding for the next phase of the UK MND Research Institute. 

Applicants can apply for up to £5 million in total for a five-year period starting from 1 January 2026.

This award will fund the core staff required to run the UK MND Research Institute and coordinate the research community. It will also support core research infrastructure costs i.e. facilities that provide resources and services for the research community to conduct research and foster innovation - this may include but is not limited to disease registries, biosampling efforts and patient reporting applications.

The award will not support research activities such as basic science, translational research projects or clinical trials. The applicants are expected to apply for external research grant funding from funding bodies for individual research projects, studentships and fellowships and leveraging external grant funding will be a key measure of success of the UK MND Research Institute. 

The host institution will need to be a UK research institution/ Higher Education Institution. The Co-Directors and other co-applicants need to be based at UK research institutions. The Co-Directors should have employment contracts at their research institutions for the full duration of the award i.e. to December 2030.

Application Deadline:  Wednesday 30 April (12pm)

Please note this application will need to be submitted through My Name’5 Doddie Foundation’s online grants system, Flexigrant.

To request a copy of the guidance and application form or submit any queries please contact [email protected]. 

Applications are now open for My Name'5 Doddie's 2025 Advancing Treatment Awards.

These awards are designed to support the early-stage development of new treatments to slow, stop or reverse MND disease progression. These may also be treatments which could help better manage the symptoms of MND. 

Applications are encouraged for projects with the potential to be effective for a broad range of people living with MND. 

The Award, of up to £500,000 over 5 years, aims to help researchers build data packages that will attract onward investment and strategic partnerships to accelerate promising treatments through further testing and towards commercialisation.

Expressions of interest due:  Friday 2nd May (12pm)

Find out more and submit expression of interest

The ENCALS young investigator award recognises the brightest and best young scientists in ALS, and is given for outstanding research. 

Researchers must be working on a project which is novel, challenges  existing ideas about ALS, results in patient benefit, or impacts on our understanding of ALS. The competition is open to researchers aged 35 or younger on 1 September 2025, or who will be within 8 years of having been awarded their PhD if a basic scientist, or still in training (Resident or Fellow) if a medical graduate. Adjustments are made for career breaks. Researchers must be based at a university or ALS Centre in Europe, Turkey or Israel. 

Deadline for award submissions: 5 May.

Find out more and apply

Applications are now open for My Name'5 Doddie's 2025 Discovery Network Awards.

These awards are designed to catalyse the search for new effective treatments for MND.

The Discovery Network Awards provide the opportunity for interdisciplinary, multi-institutional teams to apply for £1 million over 3 years. 

Teams will take on bold ideas and innovative approaches to better understand the biology of MND, with a focused goal of identifying new therapeutic targets. The Network will be underpinned by a culture of collaboration and open science. 

Expressions of interest due:  Wednesday 21 May (12pm)

Find out more and submit expression of interest

The Corsalex Postdoctoral Fellowship Program is designed to support promising early-career researchers who wish to enter or continue research in the field of C9orf72 MND/FTD. 

Fellows receive up to $210,000 over 3 years to support research of high scientific merit and relevance to C9 MND.

Applications are open to Junior postdoctoral researchers with a designated advisor in an ALS or FTD-focused lab. Researchers must be no more than 1 year into postdoctoral fellowship.

Corsalex are interested in projects that focus on:

• The underlying biology of C9orf72 MND/FTD
• Novel drug targets or biomarkers
• Gene therapies
• Drug delivery into the CNS
• Disease models

Application Deadline: 1 July

Find out more and apply

University College London are holding a three day course to provide the latest updates on neuromuscular disorders.

The course covers a wide range of childhood and adult neuromuscular disorders with an emphasis on clinical issues, natural history studies, disease specific treatments and general management. 

It is designed for specialists with an interest in neuromuscular diseases, and will also be relevant to anyone wishing to update their knowledge of neuromuscular diseases such as neurology trainees, consultants or other clinicians working with neuromuscular patients.

This course is being held from the 28-30 May at Queen Square, London. 

Find out more and register

The European Network for the Cure of ALS (ENCALS) aims to develop a European trial network and initiate collaborations in Europe. Membership is open to Universities/Hospitals in Europe with ALS clinical/research activity. 

The ENCALS meeting 2025 will be held in Turin, Italy from 3 to 6 June. 

Register and Find out more

World Congress of Neurology are committed to delivering a high-level scientific program, an international stage for your research, and plenty of networking opportunities. 

The XXVII World Congress of Neurology (WCN 2025) will take place on 12-15 October and will be held in Seoul, Korea. 

Abstract submission deadline: 2 April 2025

Find out more

The key to defeating MND lies in fostering strong collaboration between leading researchers around the world, and sharing new understanding of the disease as rapidly as possible. This was the MND Association’s rationale behind the creation of the International Symposium on ALS/MND.

Each year, the Symposium attracts over 1,000 delegates, representing the energy and dynamism of the global MND research community. It is the largest medical and scientific conference specific to MND/ALS and is the premier event in the MND research calendar for discussion on the latest advances in research and clinical management. 

The 36th Symposium will be held in San Diego, USA in December.

Abstract submission and registration opens: Tuesday 6th May

Find out more