Rosetrees

Rosetrees is a private UK charitable trust founded in 1987 by Nat and Teresa Rosenbaum, now chaired by their son Richard Ross, dedicated to funding pioneering medical research that delivers early diagnosis, improved treatments, therapies, and societal health benefits within a 5-10 year horizon. Its venture philanthropy model emphasizes scientific excellence, strategic risk-taking, accountability, and deep researcher engagement, acting as a catalytic partner to unlock over £1.2 billion in follow-on funding since 1990 and drive 47 healthcare advances like drugs, diagnostics, and vaccines.

The trust supports a diverse portfolio of medical research across themes including cancer, mental health, genomics, infectious diseases, neurology, and regenerative medicine, funding basic, translational, and clinical projects at UK universities and NHS trusts such as UCL, Cambridge, Oxford, and Imperial. Grant types encompass seedcorn awards for bold ideas, major projects, interdisciplinary and translational awards, early-career fellowships at select universities, PhD Plus, and continuations, prioritizing scalability, patient impact, and cross-disciplinary collaboration. Eligible applicants are UK-based academic institutions and researchers (all career stages); overseas collaborations are allowed if UK-led, with matched funding required for major awards and encouraged otherwise. Unsolicited applications are welcomed via preliminary EOI.

Grants range from £50,000 (e.g., cancer surgery) to £330,000 over 3 years, covering direct costs like salaries and consumables but excluding core funding, unrestricted grants, or large equipment. Applications via Flexigrant undergo panel triage, peer review, and possible interviews, with decisions in ~6 months; next deadlines include Major Projects EOI on January 19, 2026. Rosetrees stands out for its agility in backing high-risk innovations, UK-wide focus without disease limits, and hands-on impact tracking.