How we deliver research

Cancer Research UK is the largest charitable funder of cancer research in the world, funding around 50% of all publicly-funded cancer research here in the UK. 

Today we invest nearly £400 million annually into cancer research through research funding, conferences, initiatives, resources, and a UK-wide network of research infrastructure across discovery, clinical, prevention and detection research, contributing to the UK's outstanding environment for cancer research.

We're at the forefront of the global fight against cancer, working with commercial and non-commercial research partners across the world to achieve our ambitious vision for a better future.

£415m

on new and ongoing research 2022/23

90

institutions around the UK

4,000

scientists and clinicians in our network

Our research infrastructure

Facts and figures about our research funding

Infrastructure plays a crucial role in our dynamic and responsive research environment. Our state-of-the-art facilities provide capabilities across the full breadth of cancer research and the translational pipeline, and support close partnerships with universities and the NHS.

Our research institutes provide an exceptional environment for discovery research. Our translational centres drive research toward patient benefit, alongside our network of clinical trials units, Cancer Research Horizons' drug discovery sites, and our Centre for Drug Development.

Our commitment to involving people affected by cancer in our work

Our statement of intent for patient and public involvement outlines how we will work with people affected by cancer to guide, influence and shape projects as they develop to increase our understanding of cancer. We will also seek input from members of the public, who may not have previous experience of cancer, particularly for our research on cancer epidemiology, prevention, early detection and diagnosis. 

Each year, we work with more than 50 patient and public representatives across our research funding activities. These representatives bring invaluable insights and experience to our research activities.

As of 2023:

8 support our Clinical Research Committee and associated funding panels as full voting members.

16 sit on our joint Early Detection and Prevention and Population Patient and Public Involvement panel.

4 lay public members sit on Research Careers Committee/Panels, reviewing broader skills/experience e.g. leadership and management.

16 (including 10 from the UK) sit on the International Alliance for Cancer Early Detection patient and public advocacy group.

5 people co-developed our Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement Plan for our Research Data Strategy.

2 Patient representatives sit on our Research Data Advisory Board.

4 sit on our Trial Steering Committee for DETERMINE through our Centre for Drug Development.

In addition, in 2023, our Centre for Drug Development (CDD) co-created an app called Trialmap to support patients while on CDD trials, which had involvement of more than 40 patients/carers.

We also work closely with our patient involvement team to ensure that patients and the public have the opportunity to contribute to cross-cutting initiatives and ad-hoc reviews.

Our research policies

Our policies govern how we fund research, and help to ensure that we're funding the highest quality research.