Apply for Funding
Borne offers funding to take the most promising ideas forward and support career development.
Open for applications
Collaboration Grant
- Amount: Up to £7,500
- Deadline: 1st December 2026 & 1st May 2027
- Duration: Up to 3 months
Borne collaboration grants provide funds to support inter-institutional exchange visits. The purpose is to amplify the impact of preterm birth research by the sharing of knowledge and skills.
Small Project Grant
- Amount: Up to £50,000
- Deadline: Applications accepted at any time
- Duration: 12-18 months
Our small project grants provide funds to develop novel research ideas that, if successful, can provide the foundation for more expansive work focussed on advancing understanding and treatment of spontaneous preterm birth. This grant can cover salaries, equipment and running costs.
Large Project Grant
- Amount: Up to £250,000
- Deadline: Applications accepted at any time
- Duration: 24-36 months
We invest in internationally competitive research projects aimed at answering important questions of relevance to better understanding and treating spontaneous premature birth. Fundamental and translational science projects are supported through this scheme. This grant can cover salaries, equipment and running costs.
Partnership Grant
- Amount: Up to £250,000
- Deadline: February 2026
- Duration: 2-3 years
We have partnered with Action Medical Research to fund project grants for research into the causes of preterm birth and approaches that may advance new diagnosis and treatment strategies. These grants cover salaries and running costs.
Early Independence: Career Development Fellowship
- Amount: Up to £1,000,000
- Deadline: 21 April 2026
- Duration: 5 years
These joint-funded Early Independence: Career Development Fellowships are designed to retain and nurture excellent scientists in our field of interest. Applicants will have established a track record of nationally competitive research, with clear plans to progress their programme of work and independently manage a research group focussed on advancing our understanding of spontaneous preterm birth.
Predoctoral Clinical Research Training Fellowship
- Amount: Up to £260,000
- Deadline: 8 April 2026
- Duration: 3-4 years
These joint-funded Research Training Fellowships are designed to support clinically qualified individuals to obtain the research skills, experience and track record to investigate important questions of clinical relevance to preterm birth and establish the foundation for a long-term career in this research topic.
Additional information
Discover other projects
Testing the long-term health impact of a new drug to prevent preterm birth
Prof Stephen Lye and colleagues have identified a drug which can prevent preterm birth in animal studies. In this project, the team are investigating whether the drug improves the long-term health of newborns. The evidence generated promises to enable the team to test the drug in human clinical trials. If successful, this may one day provide a new option to prevent some babies from being born too soon.omega-3 fatty acids in the blood. The evidence generated could change global food and health policy, preventing preterm births and improving the health of mothers and babies worldwide.
The FAB study – testing an omega-3 oil supplement to prevent preterm birth
Previous research has suggested that omega-3 fatty acids may prevent preterm birth, but clinical trials of supplements have had mixed results. The FAB study is testing the benefits of a particular supplement in a group of women in India with low levels of omega-3 fatty acids in the blood. The evidence generated could change global food and health policy, preventing preterm births and improving the health of mothers and babies worldwide.
Investigating how immune cells help the placenta to implant correctly
Dr Viki Male and her team have found that immune cells called uNK1 cells may play a key role in helping the placenta implant into the womb correctly. In this project, Dr Male is studying tiny protein-filled packages inside uNK1 cells, to understand exactly how they might support placental implantation.