William Harvey Research Foundation

The William Harvey Research Foundation, established in 1986 by Nobel Laureate Sir John Vane FRS, honors the legacy of William Harvey by promoting pioneering fundamental and translational research into cardiovascular, inflammatory, and metabolic diseases. Rooted in scientific rigour, innovation, and collaboration, it supports the William Harvey Research Institute at Queen Mary University of London—a global leader in pharmacology—while enabling high-risk, high-reward projects that bridge lab discoveries to clinical breakthroughs, fostering new medicines and therapies for conditions like heart failure, arthritis, diabetes, and renal disease.

It funds project grants, PhD studentships, postdoctoral fellowships, academic chairs, equipment, and conferences (e.g., John Vane Memorial events), targeting disease mechanisms, therapeutic targets, drug evaluation, and early-stage mechanistic studies. Beneficiaries are primarily researchers and clinicians at the Institute or aligned UK academic groups, emphasising catalytic support for blue-skies inquiry and pilot data generation.

Eligible applicants are UK academic institutions with strong thematic alignment; unsolicited proposals are not accepted—invitations arise from institutional ties and peer review by the Grants Review Committee. Typical grants range £90,000–£100,000 over 2–3 years, with ad hoc meetings and no fixed deadlines. It excludes service delivery, advocacy, core costs, or non-research activities, distinguishing itself through singular focus on transformative cardiovascular/inflammation research, seed funding for under-supported ideas, and unwavering commitment to founder-inspired excellence.