Funding
48 calls that can fund ME/CFS research, the ones worth applying to now, and which proposed experiment each one fits.
Apply now
- Anthropic guest investigators about 5 Nov 2026. Eight to twelve weeks working with Anthropic researchers on public data; principal investigators only. Best for re-analysing existing data or building an open crash-tracking tool.
- Solve M.E. Ramsay grants 13 Nov 2026. $50k–150k over one to two years, for early-career researchers, researchers new to ME/CFS and collaborations, with no country limit. Best for a pilot of crash-window sampling, the serum-factor test or pituitary testing.
- MRC Proof of Concept, stage one 18 Nov 2026. For turning a candidate marker into a diagnostic, or preparing a trial of a repurposed drug.
- MRC, under its ME/CFS highlight notice rolling. The main UK route, with decisions in June and December. MRC's first stated priority is the mechanism of post-exertional malaise.
- Wellcome Discovery Award rolling. Large awards for established researchers based in the UK.
- NIH R21 and R01 5 and 16 Feb 2027. Open to non-US institutions; the R21 (about $275k over two years) suits feasibility pilots.
Next deadlines
| Date | Call | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 5 Nov 2026 | Open call for guest investigators in the life sciences Anthropic | In-kind (model access and researcher time); no cash |
| 13 Nov 2026 | Ramsay Scholars Research Grant Program 2026 Solve M.E. (Solve ME/CFS Initiative, US) | PhD award $50k for 1 year; postdoc/new/returning faculty up to $100k over 2 years; collaborative up to $150k over 2 years |
| 18 Nov 2026 | MRC Proof of Concept: stage one (formerly the Developmental Pathway Funding Scheme, DPFS) MRC / UKRI (UK) | No limit; must be justified |
| 5 Jan 2027 | Parent SBIR (R43/R44), clinical trial optional – PA-27-100 NIH, CDC and FDA (US) | Phase I/II standard SBIR budgets |
| 5 Feb 2027 | Parent R01, clinical trial not allowed (PA-25-301) NIH (US) | No cap (≥$500k direct costs per year needs prior approval) |
| 16 Feb 2027 | Parent R21 exploratory/developmental, clinical trial not allowed (PA-25-304) NIH (US) | ≤$275k direct costs over 2 years, ≤$200k in any single year |
Which calls fit which experiment
Where there is no funding
- No government call specific to ME/CFS is open in the UK, US, Canada, Norway or the Netherlands.
- Nothing is dedicated to sampling severely ill patients at home, or to pituitary and endocrine work.
- Little supports patient-tracking software, and almost nothing is open to developers outside universities.
- The Open Medicine Foundation, PolyBio and Simmaron fund by invitation or partnership only.
All calls
Open now or rolling 11
| Call | Amount | Deadline | Fits | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open call for guest investigators in the life sciences Anthropic · general (life sciences: causal human biology, clinical science, drug discovery) |
In-kind (model access and researcher time); no cash | Announced 22 Oct 2026; open about 14 days, so it closes around 5 Nov 2026 (estimate; no exact date published); notification about 14 days after close | Data re-analysis, Serum factor, Tracking software | Checked on funder's site |
| Ramsay Scholars Research Grant Program 2026 Solve M.E. (Solve ME/CFS Initiative, US) · ME/CFS and Long COVID specific |
PhD award $50k for 1 year; postdoc/new/returning faculty up to $100k over 2 years; collaborative up to $150k over 2 years | Initial research plan due 13 Nov 2026; full-proposal invitations 4 Dec 2026; full proposals due 8 Jan 2027; decisions 8 Feb 2027 | Crash-window sampling, Serum factor, Pituitary, Circulatory tests, Data re-analysis | Checked on funder's site |
| MRC Proof of Concept: stage one (formerly the Developmental Pathway Funding Scheme, DPFS) MRC / UKRI (UK) · general |
No limit; must be justified | Stage one closes 18 Nov 2026, 4pm UK | Serum factor, Trials, Tracking software | From search results |
| Research partnerships and AusME Registry & Biobank access (not a grant) Emerge Australia · ME/CFS and Long COVID specific |
In-kind | Rolling access requests | Data re-analysis, Serum factor | Partly checked |
| RECOVER-TLC Intervention Information Request (treatment-idea portal) NIH RECOVER-TLC / FNIH (US) · Long COVID |
N/A (trial is run by RECOVER-TLC) | Rolling | Trials | From search results |
| Researching ME/CFS: priority area (highlight notice across all MRC schemes) MRC / UKRI (UK) · ME/CFS specific (highlight notice) |
No cap; MRC usually pays 80% of full economic cost (FEC) | Open, no closing date (in place since 2003; updated 18 May 2026). Applicant-led schemes are open all year, with funding decisions in June and December. | Crash-window sampling, Circulatory tests, Serum factor, Pituitary, Trials, Data re-analysis | Checked on funder's site |
| MRC applicant-led research grants, including new investigator and partnership grants MRC / UKRI (UK) · general (ME/CFS highlight applies) |
80% FEC; no fixed cap | Open all year; decisions twice a year (June, December) | Crash-window sampling, Circulatory tests, Serum factor, Pituitary, Data re-analysis | Partly checked |
| Wellcome Discovery Awards Wellcome (UK) · general |
Ask for what you need; average £3.5M; >£5M gets extra scrutiny | No deadlines; apply any time | Crash-window sampling, Circulatory tests, Serum factor, Pituitary, Data re-analysis | Checked on funder's site |
| DFG Research Grants (Sachbeihilfe) – no ME/CFS-specific programme DFG (Germany) · general |
Project-dependent | Rolling | Crash-window sampling, Serum factor, Pituitary | Unverified |
| AI for Science program (API credits) Anthropic · general |
Free API credits (amount not published) | Rolling | Data re-analysis, Tracking software | Checked on funder's site |
| Emergent Ventures – fast, small grants to individuals Emergent Ventures (Mercatus Center); Fast Grants is closed · general |
Typically small (thousands to tens of thousands; unverified) | Rolling | Tracking software, Data re-analysis | Unverified |
Recurring or upcoming 20
| Call | Amount | Deadline | Fits | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research Funding Programme (2026 round) ME/CFS Research Foundation (Germany) · ME/CFS specific |
€2M total in 2026: €1.5M clinical (1-2 projects), €0.5M basic/translational (2-4 projects), €10k open-access fees | 2026 round closed 30 Apr 2026 (awards announced 17 Jul 2026). It runs once a year, opening around February. | Crash-window sampling, Circulatory tests, Serum factor, Trials | Checked on funder's site |
| ME/CVS research programme (2021-2031) – e.g. 'Promising Medicines ME/CFS' drug-repurposing round ZonMw (Netherlands) · ME/CFS specific |
€0.5M-1M per project (repurposing round, per aggregator) | Repurposing round closed 1 Jun 2026 (aggregator); next round unknown | Trials, Serum factor | Unverified |
| ANZMES research funding ANZMES (Associated New Zealand ME Society) · ME/CFS specific |
Not verified | Opened 31 May, closed 31 Jul 2026; appears annual | Data re-analysis | From search results |
| ME/CFS Research Grant – National Medical Program Mason Foundation (Equity Trustees, Australia) · ME/CFS specific |
Up to AUD 120,000 per year | Round for 2027 funding: opened 10 Aug 2026, closed 30 Sep 2026. Runs yearly, opening Aug-Sep. | Serum factor, Trials, Data re-analysis | Partly checked |
| MRC Experimental Medicine (stage one) MRC / UKRI (UK) · general |
80% FEC | 2026 stage one closed 7 Oct 2026; recurs yearly | Crash-window sampling, Circulatory tests, Pituitary, Trials | From search results |
| Parent SBIR (R43/R44), clinical trial optional – PA-27-100 NIH, CDC and FDA (US) · general |
Phase I/II standard SBIR budgets | Next standard SBIR date likely 5 Jan 2027 (unverified); NOFO expires 6 Apr 2027 | Tracking software, Serum factor | Partly checked |
| Parent R01, clinical trial not allowed (PA-25-301) NIH (US) · general |
No cap (≥$500k direct costs per year needs prior approval) | Standard new-application dates: 5 Feb, 5 Jun and 5 Oct 2027; NOFO expires 8 Jan 2028 | Crash-window sampling, Circulatory tests, Serum factor, Pituitary, Data re-analysis | Checked on funder's site |
| Parent R21 exploratory/developmental, clinical trial not allowed (PA-25-304) NIH (US) · general |
≤$275k direct costs over 2 years, ≤$200k in any single year | Standard dates: 16 Feb, 16 Jun and 16 Oct 2027; expires 8 Jan 2028 | Crash-window sampling, Serum factor, Pituitary, Circulatory tests, Data re-analysis | Checked on funder's site |
| ME/CFS Catalyst Awards Solve M.E. (US) · ME/CFS and Long COVID specific |
Not published | No open call; awards announced several times a year (Feb, May, Jul 2026) | Trials, Tracking software, Data re-analysis | Checked on funder's site |
| MEA Ramsay Research Fund – research grants ME Association (UK) · ME/CFS specific |
Not published | No deadline found; appears to accept applications by enquiry (unconfirmed) | Crash-window sampling, Serum factor, Circulatory tests, Pituitary, Data re-analysis | Unverified |
| Annual call for research grant applications (incl. PhD-level funding) ME Research UK · ME/CFS specific |
Up to £250,000 (2023 call; current cap unconfirmed) | One call a year. The last outline deadline was 9 Jan 2026; the next is likely in a similar window (Dec 2026 to Jan 2027, inferred) | Crash-window sampling, Circulatory tests, Serum factor, Pituitary, Data re-analysis | Partly checked |
| Long COVID Research Fund grants (annual Dysautonomia International grant cycle) Long COVID Research Fund (Dysautonomia International, US) · Long COVID (autonomic) |
Up to about $100k per grant in the 2024 cycle (cap shown for POTS fund; confirm) | Annual cycle. The 2024 letter-of-intent (LOI) deadline was 8 Nov; 2022 was 10 Sep; the 2026 date is unconfirmed | Circulatory tests, Trials, Crash-window sampling | Partly checked |
| WE&ME Emerging Leader Award WE&ME Foundation (Austria) · ME/CFS and post-acute infection syndromes (PAIS) |
€5,000 each, 2 per year | October each year (2026 nominations closed around 15 Oct 2026) | From search results | |
| Forecast: NINDS Exploratory Grant Program in ME/CFS Research (P20, clinical trial optional) – FOR-NS-25-016 NIH / NINDS (US) · ME/CFS specific |
$3M total, about 6 awards (forecast) | Forecast estimated a 25 Feb 2026 due date, now overdue; the forecast was updated 13 May 2026 and is still unpublished | Crash-window sampling, Circulatory tests, Serum factor, Pituitary, Data re-analysis | Checked on funder's site |
| Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation (EME) – researcher-led NIHR (UK; MRC-NIHR partnership) · general |
No fixed cap | Recurring; a 2026 deadline of 1 Apr 2026 has passed; next date not confirmed | Trials, Crash-window sampling, Circulatory tests | Unverified |
| Research for Patient Benefit (RfPB) NIHR (UK) · general |
Not verified | About 3 rounds a year; the July 2026 round closed 28 Oct 2026; next round dates not confirmed | Tracking software, Trials | Unverified |
| Invention for Innovation (i4i) Product Development Awards NIHR (UK) · general |
Not verified | Two rounds a year; the spring 2026 round closed (outline 27 May, full 23 Sep 2026); an autumn round is likely but unconfirmed | Tracking software, Serum factor | From search results |
| HORIZON-HLTH-2027-01-DISEASE-03: long-term chronic conditions after post-viral or post-bacterial infections (Work Programme 2026-27) European Commission – Horizon Europe Cluster 1 (Health) · post-infection conditions |
Not confirmed | Expected 2027 (Health 2027 single-stage deadlines are usually around April; inferred) | Trials, Tracking software | From search results |
| No ME/CFS or post-COVID condition call found; Project Grant competitions (general) CIHR (Canada) · general |
General | Project Grant runs twice a year (spring and fall); dates not verified | Crash-window sampling, Serum factor | Unverified |
| Biomedical Catalyst and Smart grants (industry-led) Innovate UK (UKRI) · general |
Not verified | Recurring competitions; dates not verified | Tracking software, Serum factor | Unverified |
Closed, or no open call 17
| Call | Amount | Deadline | Fits | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ME/CFS Collaborative Research Centers (U54) – RFA-NS-24-022 NIH / NINDS, NIAID, NCCIH (US) · ME/CFS specific |
Centre-scale | Expired; current centres are funded; no recompetition announced | From search results | |
| FWF WE&ME Award FWF (Austrian Science Fund) with WE&ME · ME/CFS specific |
Up to €450,000 | 2025 round closed 9 Oct 2025; no 2026 round found | Crash-window sampling, Circulatory tests, Serum factor | From search results |
| Post-acute infection syndromes incl. Long COVID and ME/CFS – Application Development Award for a phase 2 platform trial NIHR EME / MRC (UK) · PAIS incl. ME/CFS |
Up to £200k | Closed 2 Dec 2025; the resulting platform trial may later open to arms or sites | Trials | From search results |
| HORIZON-HLTH-2026-01-DISEASE-03: post-infection long-term conditions European Commission – Horizon Europe Cluster 1 (Health) · post-infection conditions incl. ME/CFS |
€40M total; €6-8M per project | Closed 16 Apr 2026 | Trials, Serum factor, Data re-analysis | Checked on funder's site |
| ME/CFS Calls 2026 (Fellowships; Consolidation) WWTF (Vienna Science and Technology Fund) with WE&ME · ME/CFS specific |
Fellowships up to €40k; consolidation €0.5M-1M | Fellowships closed 3 Feb 2026; consolidation (invite-only) closed 23 Jun 2026 | From search results | |
| WE&ME Research Project call 2026 WE&ME Foundation (Austria) with Science for ME · ME/CFS specific |
€120k-180k per project, about 7 projects (>€1M total) | Stage 1 closed 25 Aug 2026; stage 2 (invite-only) due 10 Nov 2026; decisions mid-Dec 2026. A second round is expected in about 2 years. | Crash-window sampling, Circulatory tests, Serum factor, Pituitary | From search results |
| National Decade Against Post-infectious Diseases – Guideline 1: clinical trials for PAIS BMFTR (German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space) · PAIS (ME/CFS and Long COVID) |
Not stated per project | Guideline 1 closed 2 Sep 2026; further guidelines expected | Trials, Serum factor, Data re-analysis | From search results |
| MRFF Emerging Priorities and Consumer Driven Research Initiative – 2026 PASC (GO8338) Australian Government MRFF (administered by NHMRC) · Long COVID (ME/CFS comparative stream) |
Up to AUD 23M total | Closed 2 Sep 2026 (sources conflict: 5 Aug / 2 Sep) | Data re-analysis, Circulatory tests | From search results |
| OMF research funding (collaborative centres) Open Medicine Foundation (US/Canada) · ME/CFS and Long COVID specific |
Not published; past grants of about $0.5M (third-party funder profile) | No open call found | Serum factor, Data re-analysis, Trials | Unverified |
| No responsive grant call – partnership funding (DecodeME / SequenceME) Action for ME (UK) · ME/CFS specific |
N/A | No call found | Data re-analysis | Unverified |
| No ME/CFS-specific call found Norwegian funders (Research Council of Norway; regional health authorities; ME-foreningen) · general |
N/A | Regional health-authority calls run once a year (often Sep-Oct deadlines); none ME/CFS-specific | Trials, Data re-analysis | Unverified |
| No external grant programme – collaboration and biobank Simmaron Research Foundation (US) · ME/CFS specific |
N/A | N/A | Serum factor, Crash-window sampling | Checked on funder's site |
| Long COVID Research Consortium / Long COVID Cure Initiative (LCCI) PolyBio Research Foundation (US) · Long COVID / IACC (ME/CFS extension planned) |
Individual awards have reached about $575k (aggregator) | No open call; approach directly | Serum factor, Trials, Crash-window sampling | Partly checked |
| Patient-Led Research Fund Patient-Led Research Collaborative · Long COVID, ME/CFS and dysautonomia |
$4.8M across 9 projects in 2022 | No 2026 round found | Trials, Serum factor | From search results |
| Neurological Effects of Infection-Associated Chronic Illnesses (R01 PAR-25-116 / R21 PAR-25-115) NIH / NINDS (US) · IACC incl. ME/CFS |
R01/R21 standard | Expired; watch for a reissue | Crash-window sampling, Circulatory tests, Pituitary | From search results |
| CZI science RFAs (no ME/CFS or Long COVID programme) Chan Zuckerberg Initiative · general |
Recent RFAs $0.3M a year to $1M | Ad hoc RFAs; none relevant open | Data re-analysis | From search results |
| No ME/CFS or Long COVID request for proposals found Open Philanthropy (reportedly renamed Coefficient Giving) · general |
N/A | N/A | Unverified |
Know of a call we have missed? Write to hello@solvingmecfs.org.