Brain: Tumours
(asked on 23rd March 2026) - View Source
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the status of each work package within the NIHR Brain Tumour Consortium, including submission date, status, date of the latest decision and correspondence and reasons for any delay and return.
The Department invests over £1.7 billion per year in research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
We are committed to furthering our investment in brain cancer research and have already taken steps to stimulate scientific progress and build scientific capacity to do research on brain cancer.
In January 2026, the NIHR announced increased investment of over £25 million in the NIHR Brain Tumour Research Consortium. The world-leading consortium aims to transform outcomes for adults and children and their families who are living with brain tumours, ultimately reducing lives lost to cancer.
The NIHR Funding Committee meeting for the NIHR Brain Tumour Research Consortium and associated work packages took place on 14 October 2025. The outcomes of which are made publicly available on the NIHR website. The following table shows the NIHR Brain Tumour Research Consortium funding awards and their decision status:
Award Title | Decision |
NIHR501957 - The Brain Tumour Novel Therapeutics Consortium | Conditional offer |
NIHR502152 - WP1 - Adult Early Phase 5G platform | Conditional offer |
NIHR501153 - WP2 Adult Graduation Phase 5G platform | Declined with possibility to resubmit |
NIHR501826 - TarGeT (Targeted pedicatric high-grade Glioma Therapy) phase 2 umbrella trial | Conditional offer |
NIHR501825 - EPILOGUE- Phase I/II combination umbrella trial in relapsed paediatric low-grade glioma | Conditional offer |
The Brain Tumour Novel Therapeutics Consortium contract commenced in December 2025. Associated work packages were issued and intent to fund letters sent in December 2025, although this is contingent upon submitting and reviewing detailed costs and, if applicable, agreeing to the suggested amendments and requests for clarification, which are currently in progress.
The NIHR is working to ensure that new investments can get up and running as soon as possible. We are expecting to make further announcements in due course.