Our research

There are hundreds of neurological conditions. 

We fund the best research to discover the causes, develop new treatments, and improve the lives of those affected by these conditions.

We are currently focusing our research funding on three priority areas: acquired brain and spinal cord injury, brain tumours, and headache and facial pain. These are areas that we have identified as having a large unmet patient need, coupled with a lack of current research investment. Find out more about these priority areas. 

Cutting across research boundaries

Because we can fund research across the full range of neurological conditions, we can facilitate the translation of advances across different areas of brain research. 

For example, we supported the introduction of deep brain stimulation (DBS) to the UK. DBS is a neurosurgical procedure in which a patient has an electrode inserted into a part of their brain and a stimulator implanted in their chest. It works as a ‘brain pacemaker’, sending electrical impulses to specific targets in the brain for the treatment of movement and psychiatric disorders. DBS was first used to treat the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease and is now also in epilepsy, cluster headache and dystonia. We continue to fund research to refine the use of DBS. Read more. 

Our research

Our research grants are awarded through openly advertised, competitive calls and follow a rigorous peer review process. We currently run two annual calls for applications – one for PhD studentships and one for project grants.

In addition, we hold a small number of restricted endowment funds through which we fund ongoing projects at UCL Institute of Neurology. 

You can read about our current projects below. Or find out about the different neurological conditions where we are actively funding research, and search by disease area here.