Strategic funding call: Accelerating Translation in Non-Alzheimer's dementia

Growing healthcare inequality

Dementia research hasn’t always been funded equally. There has been a large historical disparity in both the funding available for, and the levels of funding invested in, Alzheimer’s disease compared to other causes of dementia.

One of the clearest signs of this imbalance is the number of active clinical trials across the globe. 192 drug trials are ongoing for Alzheimer’s disease. In comparison, approximately 30 trials are active in Lewy body dementia, vascular dementia and frontotemporal dementia combined.

Without targeted calls to build the evidence, resources and infrastructure needed to advance to late-stage trials, we face a future where breakthroughs transform the lives of people with Alzheimer’s disease while people affected by other dementias are left behind.

The ‘Alzheimer’s Society Accelerating Translation in Non-Alzheimer's dementia’ funding call

While we know promising drug candidates exist for non-Alzheimer’s dementias, we also know without a significant amount of clinical evidence they can’t move to later stages of clinical trials.

That’s why we’re launching a new strategic funding call to give research teams the support they need to build the infrastructure necessary to increase the number of clinical trials in non-Alzheimer’s dementia. 

We will be accepting applications for up to £2million to support a research programme for up to 5 years. 

The impact of this strategic funding call is wide-reaching and aligns strongly with the UK government strategy and the Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Goals programme via the Neurodegeneration Initiative, to make the UK a global leader in dementia research by accelerating innovations in biomarkers, clinical trials and implementation.

What is in scope for this funding call?

Research programmes should focus on gathering the preparatory clinical evidence needed to catalyse symptomatic or disease-modifying drugs aimed at treating Lewy body dementia, vascular dementia or frontotemporal dementia - advancing into larger clinical trials.

The evidence needs of different non-AD dementia disease types vary. Applications may focus on one or more of the following areas:

• Establishing well-characterised patient cohorts and defining how they will be recruited to clinical trials. This may include generating new data to inform or strengthen future clinical trial applications
• Identifying research sites with relevant capability to deliver studies or further developing/consolidating new networks for research centres.
• Stratifying treatment selection through systematic and literature reviews.
• Designing trial methodology including statistical analysis preparation.
• Developing trial-ready outcome measures to measure drug efficacy.

This list is not meant to be exhaustive, and applicants should consider carefully the barriers faced in the specific disease(s), and how their programme addresses these. The design and implementation of novel trial methodology such as platforms is within scope for this call.

Unlocking future impact

Applications need to be future focused, with a clear indication of how funding from this call will unlock future impact, particularly for patients and advance the development of symptomatic or disease modifying treatments for the targeted disease into late-stage clinical trials. Applications should also clearly articulate what direct outcomes and impacts will result from the proposed study.

By the end of the programme, it is expected the successful team will have generated the critical high-quality evidence required to apply for large scale, clinical trial funding in the targeted disease area. Examples of follow-on funding include the NIHR’s Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Programme or LifeArc’s Rare Disease Clinical Trials Programme.

We encourage applicants to include how their proposal will support the development of pipelines for clinical academics within their chosen disease area.

How to apply

The application is a two-stage process. Applicants will be invited to submit a short, outline proposal. Following peer review, successfully shortlisted applicants will be invited to submit a full application. Full applications will undergo further peer and lay review and applicants will be invited to interview before final funding recommendations are made. 

Funding recommendations, interviews and peer review will be overseen by Alzheimer’s Society’s non-Alzheimer’s disease dementia advisory board.

The deadline for outline applications is 9th September 2026 (11.59pm).

We will provide specific guidance to support applicants applying to this initiative. Applicant guidance will be available when the call launches on 8th June 2026. All prospective applicants must read the applicant guidance before visiting our application portal to start their application. 

Timeline

• Call opens for outline applications – 8th June 2026
• Further information for applicants webinar – 25th June 2026
• Outline applications submission deadline – 9th September 2026
• Shortlisting – September to November 2026
• Applicants notified of shortlisting outcome – early November 2026 
• Call opens for successfully shortlisted full applications – 9th November 2026
• Full application submission deadline – 8th January 2027 (11.59pm)
• Peer and lay review of full applications – January to February 2027
• Interviews completed by end of February 2027
• Funding decisions made by March 2027

Eligibility

We only accept applications for research projects that will take place at UK-based universities, NHS sites or other recognised higher research institutions. 

Principal investigators should have a contract of employment with the host university that exceeds the planned finish date of the research by at least 12 months.