Dedicated
Research Approachto world-class research
We’re dedicated to funding the best and brightest scientists, to support research that is not just excellent by national standards, but world-class.
Our approach to research is:
Data driven
Data driven science has huge potential in the near term to drive forward research and lead to major improvements in care and treatments. We will continue to galvanise the mental health data science Community and transform policy through the ethical use of data.
Inclusive
We will listen to diverse voices to increase understanding of mental health together. Through Public and Patient Involvement and engagement (PPIE) we will continue to amplify the voices of people with lived experience and ensure they are valued contributors through the mental health landscape.
Our unique Participate platform connects researchers directly with the public. Read more here.
Sustainable
MQ has invested over £21million to enable research. We are committed to ensuring that all of our investments in research and future programmes give those we support confidence and security. By investing in early career scientists we can grow talent in the field of mental health research.
Find out more about how we grow talent through our fellows awards.
Collaborative
MQ engages people from across the mental health ecosystem. People with lived experience, funders, charities, healthcare providers and researchers from a wide variety of disciplines. We have a wide network of partners and ensure we do not duplicate work.
Our funding principles
We are finding answers across mental health conditions
We believe all mental health conditions deserve better-funded, progressive research. We fund research that is transforming our understanding of depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), schizophrenia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and more.
Some of our research will also have impacts across a number of mental health conditions, as their focus is on understanding the underlying ways in which the brain works.
We are multidisciplinary
No single idea will tackle mental illness alone. We are committed to supporting collaborative research across all the sciences — biological, psychological and social — and across all types of research, from the laboratory to experimental psychology, clinical trials and prevention studies too.
Through this, we’re building a 360-degree understanding of mental illness and treatment approaches.
We are international
Mental illness can affect any one of us, no matter where we are in the world. It presents an international challenge — and so to find solutions we need a global response.
We’re therefore dedicated to funding the best and brightest scientists, to support research not just excellent by national standards but world-class.
We maintain the highest standards
We’re committed to upholding the highest ethical and scientific standards in all of our work. This ensures every researcher goes through the rigour necessary to deliver world-class research that can have greatest impact.
Animal research
As members of the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC), we support the principle of using animals in research when it is necessary to advance understanding of serious health conditions, to develop better treatments and when there is no alternative that can be used.
Our research is conducted to the highest standards of animal welfare and we only fund research which complies with the law and support the principle of the 3Rs to refine, reduce and replace the use of animals in research. Our research funded outside of the UK must be carried out in the spirit of UK legislation as well as being compliant with all local legislation and ethical review processes. More information is available on the AMRC website.
Peer review
MQ is also certified as following the AMRC principles of peer review, which is a mark of confidence that every pound invested goes to research of the highest standard and has the greatest chance of having an impact.Â
We take an active approach to reducing bias and improving the quality of our work. This means being open and transparent about our peer review processes, using committees that have a range of expertise, are impartial and independent in their decision making with a fixed term of office. More information is available on the AMRC website.
Human Participants
MQ Values and is committed to supporting ethical research of the highest standards, including that which involves human subjects.
Our research is guided by these fundamental ethical principals:
• respect for the person
• beneficence (benefit and protection from unnecessary harm)
• justice
These principles are codified in international, national and local laws and regulations and reflected in the policies and practices at research institutions.
MQ will always protect the rights, interests and safety of participants and will ensure all necessary approval and consents are in place during research.
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Our projects
Sex hormones and fear inhibition: A novel exploration of why women are so vulnerable to anxiety disorders
Do natural variations in hormones, such as oestrogen, make anxiety disorders more likely? If so does this affect the way people respond to treatment?
Sensitive periods for the effects of depression on suicide risk: a longitudinal study of gene-environment interactions and epigenetic mechanisms
Principal investigator:Dr Alexandre Lussier
Dr Lussier aims to determine the extent to which child and adolescent depression interacts with genetic susceptibility to influence suicide risk in early adulthood.
Increasing access to social prescribing for people living with severe mental illnesses at risk of cardiovascular disease
Principal investigator:Dr Alexandra Burton
People with severe mental illnesses are at high risk of heart disease due to lack of physical activity and social isolation. Social prescribing can help, but is it accessible?