Join us

Join AMRC and be part of a network of over 140 medical and health research charities, supporting medical research in the UK.

Membership types

We have two kinds of membership: full and supporter.

Full members are registered charities that fund health and medical research in the UK as one of their principal activities, meet our membership criteria in publishing a research strategy and using peer review in awarding research funding, and support our policy and position statements on the use of animals in medical research and supporting research in universities.

Supporter members are organisations operating in the medical research sector with an interest in the activities of AMRC and our members. Find out about the supporter membership benefits, costs and the application process here.

Applying for full AMRC membership

This short introductory video provides an overview of our membership requirements and the process of applying for membership. Further details and guidance on all aspects of the application process can be found below. 

Who can become a full member?

You can apply for full AMRC membership if your organisation is a registered charity and one of your principal activities is funding health or medical research in the UK.

To be eligible for full membership of AMRC, your organisation must meet the following criteria:

• It must be registered as a charity in England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.
• One of its principal activities or charitable objects is funding medical research in the UK.
• The charity must work in line with AMRC's standards in peer review.
• It must have a published research strategy.
• It has a formal written policy on conflicts of interest.
• The charity endorses the AMRC's position statements on supporting research in universities and the use of animals in research.

The membership criteria are described in Regulation 3 of our Standing Orders.

How do we join?

Download the application form and supporting documents below.

Before you apply we recommend you read the supporting documents and get in touch with a member of the AMRC team. We can offer advice on peer review and other aspects of good research practice for funders, and we are happy to work with you on developing your systems to meet AMRC quality standards and membership criteria.

• Application form
• Grant data
• Principles of peer review
• Developing a research strategy
• Developing a conflicts of interest policy
• Statement on the use of animals in research
• Statement on supporting research in universities
• AMRC standing orders

How much does membership cost?

Subscriptions are based on your organisation's spending on medical research in the UK.

In 2017-18

• Minimum subscription fee is £372
• The standard subscription rate is 0.15543% of your annual expenditure on UK medical research in 2016
• The maximum subscription fee is £115,000 (plus an agreed inflationary amount). Nearly 90% of our income comes from member subscriptions. We further maintain our independence by capping subscriptions so that no member contributes more than 25% of our income.

The subscriptions policy is described in Regulation 7 of our Standing Orders. The subscription year runs from 1 April to 31 March. The rate is reviewed by our trustees each December and may increase by RPI.

What are the benefits of membership?

AMRC membership is a hallmark of quality and also offers real financial benefits to members: CRSF, AcORD, Researchfish. [NEW LINKS]

AMRC is the strong collective voice for medical research charities in the UK. We:

• Support members to meet their charitable objectives
• Influence the regulatory, policy and research environments
• Connect members to encourage collaboration and to share learning.

Read more about member benefits 

Questions about membership?

Please contact Carol Bewick, Interim Head of Member Engagement and Communications, or a member of the AMRC team.