NIHR Fellowships

The NIHR fund a wide variety of training and career development awards available at different levels and accessible by different professional backgrounds.

• HEE/NIHR Integrated Clinical Academic Programme for non-medical healthcare professionals
• NIHR Fellowship Programme
• NIHR Integrated Academic Training Programme for Doctors and Dentists

These awards provide personal research training for healthcare professionals (excluding doctors and dentists) who wish to develop careers that combine clinical research and research leadership with continued clinical practice and clinical development. Applicants must belong to one of the eligible professions and proposals must be compatible with the published NIHR remit.

There are five levels of award available:

• Internships
• Pre-doctoral Clinical Academic Fellowship - allows award holders to undertake a Masters and prepare an application for a doctoral fellowship whilst maintaining clinical practice. Deadline: Currently closed
• Clinical Doctoral Research Fellowship - for those who wish to obtain a PhD whilst still developing their clinical skills. Deadline: Currently closed
• Clinical Lectureship -This scheme is designed for early post-doctoral professionals wishing to develop into independent clinical academic researchers. Award holders are supported to divide their time equally between their clinical and academic activities. Deadline: Currently closed

• Senior Clinical Lectureship - intended to support outstanding individuals who are currently independent researchers and can demonstrate the potential to become academic and research leaders within 5 years. Deadline: Currently closed

These fellowships are aimed at individuals with the potential to become future leaders in NIHR research. 

There are various levels of NIHR Fellowship award dependent on the stage of your career:

• Pre-Doctoral Fellowship - aims to support people to get the appropriate skills and experience required to undertake a PhD. Provides 1 year of funding (or longer on a part time basis). Deadline: Currently closed
• Doctoral Fellowship - Funding to undertake a PhD. Provides 3 years of funding (or longer on a part time basis). Deadline: Currently closed
• Advanced Fellowship - aims to fund researchers who have recently completed a PhD through to those established as independent researchers but who are not yet recognised as international leaders in their field. This fellowship can also support those transitioning into applied health research from a basic science background or those re-establishing their career after a significant career break. Provides 2 - 5 years of funding (or longer on a part time basis). Has a 'clinical academic' option to allow 20 - 40% of the applicants time to be spent on clinical duties. Deadline: Currently closed
• Development and Skills Enhancement Award - aims to support NIHR academy members to gain specific experience to support the next phase in their career. Provides 1 year of funding. Deadline: 31 July 2019

For further details please visit the NIHR Fellowship Programme.

NIHR Integrated Academic Training Programme for Doctors and Dentists offer two types of personal awards:

• Academic Clinical Fellowship - a clinical specialty training post that incorporates academic training. ACFs are of 3 years duration (4 years for GPs). Deadline: currently closed
• Clinical Lectureship - a postdoctoral award that provides a clinical and academic training environment for doctors and dentists to establish themselves as independent researchers and leaders. Deadline: 31 March 2020
• In-Practice Fellowships - offers academic training for fully qualified GP's and dentists. Deadline: currently closed