New research grants target the lifelong impacts of meningitis

Less than 1% of global meningitis research funding is spent on understanding the long-term impacts of meningitis.¹ This is despite one in five survivors worldwide living with lifelong effects, such as hearing loss, epilepsy, limb loss or brain injury.^2,3

To close this critical evidence gap, we’re launching new catalytic grants of up to £50,000 to support research into the lifelong consequences of meningitis at any age.

The call is open to researchers in the UK, Ireland and in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) at any career stage, with a strong emphasis on supporting early-career researchers as lead investigators.

A missing piece in the meningitis research landscape

Our analysis of 2022 global research funding found that while £88 million was estimated to have been invested in meningitis research that year, only 0.56% went towards understanding its lasting clinical, social and economic consequences.¹

This research deficit persists despite the well-documented reality that surviving meningitis often brings lifelong challenges, affecting not only individuals but their families, carers and communities.

The consequences extend far beyond physical and neurological symptoms, shaping education, employment, mental health and household finances.

The less severe, but more common, viral meningitis can also have a lingering impact, with 86% of patients reporting anxiety and depression six weeks after being discharged from hospital.⁴

The need is especially acute in low-resource settings, where meningitis cases and deaths are highest. Yet more than 85% of global research investment in 2022 flowed to high-income countries.¹ Through this funding call and our five-year strategy, we’re aiming to shift investment toward countries most affected and least served, without losing momentum on UK research that drives global progress.

30-year track record of global impact

Over more than three decades, we have:

• Invested more than £19.5 million in meningitis research.
• Awarded 160+ grants across 25 countries.
• Supported projects where nearly 70% of grantees secured follow-on funding.

Many early-stage projects funded by us have gone on to transform understanding of meningitis, including supporting evidence for the need for a Group B Strep vaccine, reducing post-traumatic stress in children affected by meningitis, and using pathogen genomics to detect and stop deadly outbreaks.

About the new research grants call

We are looking to fund new research that:

• Generates evidence on the burden and impact of meningitis on individuals and their support networks.
• Develops or tests new methods to better identify or measure the long-term effects of meningitis.
• Develops or tests interventions to reduce the severity of long-term effects, funding research that can improve people’s quality of life.

Projects can focus on any type of meningitis and any form of long-term impact, including physical, neurological, psychological, social, economic, educational or vocational effects.

All applications will be reviewed by both our Scientific Advisory Panel and our Lived Experience Panel, ensuring the research we fund reflects the priorities of people directly affected by meningitis.

Find out more about how to apply now.

These research grants have been made possible because of the generosity of our supporters. If you would like to help fund the future of research into meningitis, including on its lifelong impacts, please make a donation today.