Funding Opportunities Upcoming Dates
1st June 2026 – ASAB Research Grants
Research Grants are typically up to £10,000 and support (i) promising pilot research projects that are at too early a stage to attract funding from larger funding agencies such as the UK Research Councils, and (ii) small-scale projects, that, although worthwhile, are unlikely to attract funding from alternative sources. Grants may be made to allow the applicant to travel to conduct collaborative research, or to bring a collaborator to the applicant’s institution for the same purpose. Proposals up to a maximum of £15,000 are allowed, although there needs to be specific justification why the project requires additional funding above £10,000.
3rd June 2026 – Innovate UK
Accelerating agri-tech manufacturing: experimental development.
UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £8 million for projects to accelerate agri-tech manufacturing.
10th June 2026 – Morris Animal Foundation
Equid RFP
Accepting Established Investigator, First Award, Pilot Study and Fellowship Training applications focused on any topic advancing the health and overall welfare of domesticated horses, ponies, donkeys, and/or mules. Please note that for racehorses and wild equids, we fund research focused on health and quality of life only where outcomes are likely to be of universal equine/equid benefit. This RFP includes funding for a pilot study grant focused on improving the lives of horses by increasing our understanding of the behavioral domain. This includes areas such as ethology, cognition, learning, stereotypies, separation anxiety, affiliative behavior toward (bonding with) humans, the effects of equine temperament on welfare, and equine psychopharmacology.
16th June 2026 – UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships (round 11)
No maximum funding amount stated, £110 million in total available. These are for innovators or early career researchers who are looking to transition to independence or develop ambitious plans within a commercial setting.
Link to UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships
24th June 2026 – Survival and Flourishing Fund: Animal Welfare Theme Round
SFF is running a new dedicated Animal Welfare grant round with $2–4M in funding, with particular interest in the intersection of AI and animal welfare. Applications are also welcome across alternative proteins, interspecies communication research, legislative advocacy, and more.
30th June 2026 – AZA Animal Care and Wellbeing Grants Fund
The AZA Animal Care and Wellbeing Grants fund supports research projects that increase knowledge about wellbeing in zoo and aquarium animals and new staff education and training development projects that enable staff to ensure wellbeing of the animals in their care.
1st July 2026 – Humane Fish Slaughter RFP
Coefficient Giving is soliciting proposals for technologies that improve the welfare of fish at capture and slaughter, with roughly $7 million in funding available. They’re looking for solutions ranging from exploratory research to advanced prototypes, with particular emphasis on practical solutions for fishing vessels and alternatives to existing stunning technologies. Top applicants receive a $4,000 honorarium. Submit a Letter of Intent (2,500-3,000 words).
6th July 2026 – The Society for Companion Animal Studies (SCAS) Student grants
This round there are three categories to apply for:
● Pump Priming Award (£5,000-£10,000)
● Student Project (£500-£1,000)
● Implementation Grant (£500-£1,000)
For funding to be considered by SCAS, projects or research must be specifically related to the human-companion animal bond and align with the aims and objectives of SCAS.
15th July 2026 – John Templeton Foundation Grants
Offers grants in support of research and public engagement, with major funding areas including the life sciences. No information on their website currently but the deadline was indicated on Research Professional.
Link to John Templeton Foundation
27th August 2026 – European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grants
ERC Advanced grants are designed to support Principal Investigators who are already established research leaders with a recognised track record of research achievements. €2.5 million available over 5 years, rising to €3.5 million in special cases. Principal Investigators must demonstrate the groundbreaking nature, ambition, and feasibility of their research proposal.
2nd September 2026 – European Research Council (ERC) Plus Grants
New grants for transformative projects that cannot be carried out with a regular ERC Grant. Applicants should be undisputed leaders in their field with a vision to e.g. transform their field or open a new field of research. Only 30 grants will be awarded per year across Europe and a strong justification is required for needing this larger grant. Individual grants for all career stages; up to €7m over max. 7 years.
1st October 2026 – ASAB Interdisciplinary Workshop Grants
Science works bests when researchers from different disciplines share their ideas, methods, and results. That’s why every year ASAB awards an Interdisciplinary Workshop Grant (IWG) of up to £7500 to support discussions on research at the interface between animal behaviour and other disciplines (such as physics, engineering, genetics, psychology and anthropology) and/or research areas (such as welfare, experimental design, statistical analysis, conservation and environmental impacts).
8th October 2026 – ESRC React Awards
The ESRC React Awards (pilot) scheme is providing responsive funding (awards of £50k–£100k for projects up to six months in duration) to generate time-critical research to support UK policymakers or frontline practitioners in public services. They are particularly encouraging applicants who have not previously held an ESRC grant. Interdisciplinary proposals are welcomed, provided that at least 51% of the application is based in the social sciences. A key requirement of the funding is that applicants must have a confirmed partnership with at least one public sector organisation that can action the outputs within six months.
Activities may include but are not limited to:
- research
- analysis
- evidence synthesis
- rapid evidence reviews
- urgent data collection
- urgent analysis of existing data resources
