How much we spend

To date, Asthma UK has spent over £50 million on research to understand the biology of asthma, create new treatments, improve the support and care individuals with asthma receive, and prevent people from developing the condition wherever possible.

Our annual research spend generally varies from £1.5 million
to £3 million depending on our financial circumstances.

Where does it happen?

We support the work of asthma researchers based in universities, hospitals, GP practices and other research institutes around the UK.

A major focus for our research is the MRC-Asthma UK Centre in Allergic Mechanisms of Asthma. The Centre brings together over 200 scientists and doctors, all focused on asthma and allergies.

We support the two Professors who lead the Centre, Professor Tak Lee and Professor Tim Williams, by funding them personally (in the case of Tim Williams) and by providing key staff.

Building careers

Asthma UK plays a vital role in encouraging up-and-coming researchers and helping them build successful a career in asthma research. We achieve this by funding PhD studentships and Research Fellowships. These provide the stable funding a young researcher needs to build their skills and make significant progress in their work.

In addition, with the support of Merck Sharp & Dohme Limited, in 2009 we launched a new funding scheme to enable promising healthcare professionals and researchers to attend the prestigious European Respiratory Society Annual Congress.

In 2010 the congress will be in Barcelona, and we hope to fund 20 health care professionals and researchers to attend, allowing them to learn about recent advances in asthma research, make new contacts and present their latest discoveries.

Individual research projects

Every year we set aside a dedicated amount of money (in 2010 it will be about £750,000) for new research projects. We then ask researchers from across the UK to apply to us for a research grant.

After a lengthy review process involving national and international experts, and a panel of lay people affected by asthma, we decide which projects to fund in the coming year.

In 2009 we funded 18 new research projects, and we expect to fund a similar number in 2010.