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Characterisation of Novel Biomarkers for Neurodegenerative Diseases of Ageing 2026 Programme

Applicants must be primarily affiliated to an institution in the UK or Ireland.

Letter of Intent deadline: April 2, 2026, 5:00 PM GMT (apply below)

One of our research funding programmes for 2026 focuses on the development of novel biomarkers that are intended to improve the treatment, and accelerate the development, of new therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases of ageing (NDAs).

We define novel biomarkers as those that are not approved for clinical use and have been insufficiently studied. These biomarkers must have the potential to be used in the diagnosis of, prognosis of (including rate of progression), efficient conduct of clinical trials for, and/or determination of treatment response in these diseases.

Three projects were awarded through the Novel Biomarkers 2024 Programme. To learn more about these projects, click here.

Funding is available at two tiers: (1) up to £350,000 for proof-of-concept and early validation studies and (2) up to £750,000 for later-stage validation or small scale-up studies.

For more information about this programme including full details of application criteria, funding eligibility, diseases that fall within our remit and our intellectual property policy, see our programme guide below.

We welcome you to contact us with any program-related inquiries including questions about the eligibility or fit of your project. Please send your questions to Teenu Sanjeevan, Director, Neuroscience at contact@galenhilarywestonfoundation.org

Relevant documents:

• Programme Guide

Letter of Intent Form

Characterisation of Novel Biomarkers for Neurodegenerative Diseases of Ageing 2026

Please complete the fields below to submit your Letter of Intent for the Novel Biomarkers 2026 programme. Before submitting, please ensure you have reviewed the project synopsis guidelines below.

In your project synopsis, please concisely articulate:

• The title of the research project
• The rationale for the project, along with a brief reference to any background information or results that support this rationale (no formal citations are needed at this stage)
• The hypothesis for the research project
• The experimental approach that will be undertaken to prove the hypothesis, along with milestones that will be targeted
• Key co-applicants and collaborators, what their role in the research project will be and what unique resources each will bring
• How this project will impact the lives of those living with a neurodegenerative disease of ageing
• The total funding request (no detailed breakdown of this figure is needed at this stage)