Last Updated February 2026
Below is a selection of current and upcoming funding opportunities that may be of interest to cancer researchers in Ireland. This is not an exhaustive list, but highlights a number of national and European calls that may be relevant to clinical, translational, survivorship and health systems research. Researchers are encouraged to review the full call documentation on the relevant funder websites for detailed eligibility criteria and application guidance.
HRB – All Ireland Cancer Consortium (AICC) 2026
Focus: Cancer survivorship research (“Living Well With & Beyond Cancer”), cross-border collaboration.
Funding: Pilot projects up to ~€100k; larger projects up to ~€330k.
Eligibility: Lead applicant + cross-border partner (ROI + NI).
Deadline: 29 April 2026
- More information: https://www.hrb.ie/funding-scheme/all-ireland-cancer-consortium-aicc-research-innovation-grants-scheme-2026/
PhD Research Scholarship Award 2026
Supports doctoral research (translational/clinical or survivorship).
Deadline: 3 pm Tuesday 7 April 2026.
High relevance for early-career researchers and investigator training.
- Link: https://www.cancer.ie/researchers-hub/open-funding-calls/phd-research-scholarship-award-2026
Horizon Europe – EU Mission on Cancer (2026)
The Cancer Mission has published a suite of calls 2026 targeting research across the cancer continuum (prevention, treatment, survivorship, quality of life).
Open call topics include:
Virtual Human Twin Models for Cancer Research
Microbiome for Early Cancer Prediction
Pragmatic Clinical Trials for Refractory Cancers
Earlier/Precise Palliative Care
Boosting Mental Health of Young Cancer Survivors
Quality of Life in Older Cancer Patients
Research Capacity Building in Ukraine
Deadline: 15 September 2026 (17:00 CET) for all mission topics.
More information: https://hadea.ec.europa.eu/news/2026-horizon-europe-calls-support-eu-mission-cancer-2026-02-12_en
Horizon Europe – Health Cluster Work Programme 2026–2027
Beyond Mission Cancer, there are Health Cluster calls under Horizon Europe with deadlines earlier in the year that may be relevant depending on your focus area (e.g., translational tools, digital health, healthcare systems research).
*Examples of 2026 calls with April deadlines (Horizon Europe Health 2026):
HORIZON-HLTH-2026-01-IND-03: Regulatory science & translational technology development – 16 April 2026.
Other 2026 Health “Disease burden” topics (digital health, post-infection long-term conditions etc.) – 16 April 2026.
More information: https://hadea.ec.europa.eu/news/2026-horizon-europe-health-calls-proposals-2026-02-12_en
Horizon Europe – Personalised Medicine
HORIZON-HLTH-2026-04-CARE-04
Topic: Enhancing and enlarging the European Partnership on Personalised Medicine (EP PerMEd) (Top-up)
Deadline: April 2026
This call supports expansion of the European Partnership on Personalised Medicine and may be relevant for projects aligned with precision oncology, biomarker-driven treatment, and stratified care pathways.
More information: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/HORIZON-HLTH-2026-01-ENVHLTH-04
Innovative Health Initiative (IHI)
IHI Call 12 – HORIZON-JU-IHI-2026-12-SINGLE-STAGE-03
Topic: Boosting innovation for people-centred integrated healthcare solutions
Opening date: 15 January 2026
Deadline: 21 April 2026 (17:00 Brussels time)
Type of action: Research and Innovation Action (RIA)
This topic supports large-scale public–private partnership consortia to develop and demonstrate the feasibility of people-centred, integrated healthcare solutions.
Projects must:
Address an unmet public health need
Take a people-centric (not product-centric) approach
Support translation of research into implementable healthcare solutions
Include appropriate industry partners
Provide in-kind contributions from IHI industry members
Scope may include:
Prevention and disease management
Personalised medicine
Digital health and AI
Integrated care solutions
Clinical and home-based care innovation
Regulatory science and health data use
More information: https://www.ihi.europa.eu/apply-funding/ihi-call-12
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
Excellent fellowship funding for individual researchers (global mobility & career development).
Deadlines vary by scheme (e.g., Individual Fellowships typically Sept/Oct). Check Portal for exact 2026 deadlines: https://marie-sklodowska-curie-actions.ec.europa.eu/funding?pk_source=website&pk_medium=link&pk_campaign=hp&pk_content=hp-funding-opps