International — WCRF 2026–27 Regular Grant Programme Investigator Initiated Research Grants (Up to £500,000)

Mandatory LOI deadline: November 13, 2026, 5:00 p.m. GMT. World Cancer Research Fund International’s 2026–27 Regular Grant Programme includes a separate Investigator Initiated Grant (IIG) track for substantive hypothesis-testing research linking diet, nutrition, body composition, physical activity and sleep with human cancer prevention, treatment outcomes and survivorship. Applications opened October 5, 2026. The funder accepts eligible research institutions worldwide.

Individual award: Up to £500,000 total for a project lasting up to four years, with the size and duration determined by justified research needs. Amounts are in GBP, not U.S. dollars. This is an individual project maximum, not a network-wide pool. No universal cash matching percentage is specified; host institution may bear exchange-rate changes. Institutional overhead is prohibited.

Eligibility: Universities, hospitals, medical schools, research institutes and independent academic medical research centers worldwide. Commercial-sector research is ineligible. The lead PI must hold a Ph.D. or equivalent, be an established researcher with at least one prior independent research grant and hold a research position at the host institution for the entire project. An IIG requires at least one co-applicant. There is a three-application institutional cap for this Regular Grant Programme cycle and generally one lead application per PI.

Eligible science and restrictions: Proposals must fall within one or more of six defined 2026–27 priority areas: integrative oncology; lifestyle and weight-loss medications; early-onset cancer; early-life exposures; ingested contaminants; and ultra-processed foods. Proposals must make a scientifically justified connection to human cancer and appropriate outcomes. Non-human mechanisms require human relevance and ethical approval; exclusively cell-line studies, drug development and irrelevant environmental exposures are excluded. Eligible direct expenses include research staff other than the lead PI, justified supplies, equipment, certain PhD stipends, dissemination and travel. PI salary is generally excluded, with narrow possible consideration for low- and middle-income country investigators. Institutional overheads and training courses cannot be charged.

Application process: Follow the official 2026 Regular Grant Programme guidelines. Create a ProposalCentral account, select the IIG track and submit the LOI with the research question, design, personnel, duration, and GBP budget by the stated deadline. After submission, Head of Department and Finance Officer approvals must be completed in the portal before the funder receives it; allow at least three working days. Invited applicants submit full proposals after LOI review, with initial decisions expected February 2027 and final funding decisions around September 2027. Contact research@wcrf.org with eligibility questions.