York Mental Health Research Fund
The York Mental Health Research Fund (YMHRF) was established through a partnership between the Institute of Mental Health Research (IMRY) and the Office of Philanthropic Partnerships and Alumni (OPPA). It provides seedcorn funding to help develop ambitious ideas into competitive proposals for externally funded research grants or fellowships. The fund is open to University of York academic staff who are IMRY members and have employment contracts that include independent research.
Applications are now open for Autumn 2026
Applicants may request up to £15,000. We anticipate supporting between three and five projects per funding round, although the number of awards will vary depending on the budget available. Funding decisions will therefore take into account the appropriateness of the amount requested in relation to the project objectives. Funded projects must be completed within twelve months of the award start date.
Lead applicants must be members of the Institute of Mental Health Research at York. Staff on non-permanent academic contracts can apply for this scheme (eg if they want to generate pilot data for a fellowship application). However, they must have sufficient time to complete both the project and the fellowship application after receiving the YMHRF award. The University of York must be the primary host for the fellowship or grant that they are applying for. Applicants must confirm that they meet these requirements. The letter of support from their Head of Department must also confirm that they are eligible to apply under the conditions set out above.
Key dates
Applications deadline: 17:00 (GMT) on 30th November 2026
Communication of outcomes: early February 2027
Projects start: successful applicants are expected to start their projects in March 2027.
How will the applications be assessed
A panel of academic staff from the Faculties of Sciences, Social Sciences and Arts and Humanities will evaluate the proposals and select recipients of funding. The YMHRF Panel Chair is Professor Scott Cairney (Director of IMRY).
Members of the funding panel will each review the applications and score answers to each question out of 6, resulting in a total possible score out of 30. After scoring, the panel will meet to agree funding decisions.
How to apply
Applicants may only submit one application per funding round as Lead Applicant. Applicants may be listed as a Co-Applicant on up to two applications per funding round (or one if they are already listed as a Lead Applicant on another application)
To apply, please use the YMHRF Application Form. We strongly recommend that you review the Guidance for Applicants before starting your application.
If you have any queries, please contact the Institute of Mental Health Research at York on imry@york.ac.uk.
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