2026 Special COVID-19 Vaccination Funding Round – ‘The use of COVID-19 vaccination to improve immunotherapy response in cancer patients' content
The 2026 Special Vaccine Funding Round invites applicants for clinical trials investigating the use of COVID-19 mRNA vaccination to improve outcomes for patients receiving immunotherapy.
This funding opportunity aims to build on recent clinical data showing that commercially available COVID-19 mRNA vaccines may boost the effectiveness of cancer immunotherapies. Receipt of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines has been associated with significantly improved outcomes among patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) across multiple tumour types, including metastatic melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
Applications are invited for proposals which aim to establish:
- Feasibility and/or safety of administering a COVID-19 vaccine prior to initiating immunotherapy and/or chemoimmunotherapy.
- Impact of administering a COVID-19 vaccine prior to initiating immunotherapy and/or chemoimmunotherapy on patient outcomes.
Key information
Funding round opens: 15 September 2026
Deadline for applications: 12 noon, 15 October 2026
Research Advisory Panel Meeting: 3rd December 2026– applicants will be invited to present at the meeting
Funding decision: December 2026
Before applying, please read Information for Applicants 2026 Special COVID-19 Vaccination Funding Round
To apply: visit the Flexigrant application portal
Applicants who are new to Yorkshire Cancer Research will need to register a Flexigrant account by clicking the ‘Register’ button.
If you have any questions, please contact research@ycr.org.uk