in Blog, Innovation, Research

Research Grants, Fellowships and Funding

Fellowship applications can take months to develop. Within R&I, we have colleagues who are dedicated to help you from start to finish.

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Finance Requests for Funding Applications

Please ensure grant costing requests are with finance at least 3 weeks before your application deadline.

You can contact the Research Careers Development Office (RCDO) in the first instance and someone will help to facilitate your contact with R&I finance.

Register a Research Funding Grant Application

If you are in the process of applying for a grant, please register your grant/fellowship application.

SoECAT (Schedule of Events Cost Attribution Template) Clinic every Wednesday

If you require guidance with your SoECAT, please contact the NIHR Local Clinical Research Network.

You can also reach out to the RCDO for sponsor approval of your SoECAT.

NIHR Grant Funding Opportunities

The Health and Social Care Delivery Research (HSDR) Programme is accepting Stage 1 applications to this funding opportunity. The NIHR Health and Social Care Delivery Research (HSDR) Programme funds research to produce evidence to impact on the quality, accessibility and organisation of health and social care services. This includes evaluations of how the NHS and social care might improve delivery of services. The audience for this research is the public, service users, clinicians, professionals and managers.

Deadline: 21 November 2024

The Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation (EME) Programme is accepting Stage 1 applications to their researcher-led workstream. The EME Programme supports translational research evaluating a wide range of novel or repurposed interventions and technologies. These may include (but are not limited to) diagnostic or prognostic tests and decision-making tools, drugs or biological compounds, behavioural therapies, medical devices, and public health initiatives delivered within the NHS.

Deadline: 13:00 on 10 December 2024

Fellowship Opportunities

Fellowship applications can take months to develop. Within R&I, we have colleagues who are dedicated to help you from start to finish. We can help you decide which fellowship scheme is best for you and with detailed budgets, we can provide patient & public involvement advice, we can arrange mock interviews and we can introduce you to successful fellows. If you are considering applying to a fellowship, please contact the Research Careers Development Office (RCDO) to learn about the support that is available for applicants.

The DSE award is a post-doctoral level funding opportunity aimed at supporting early to mid-career researchers in gaining specific skills and experience to underpin the next phase of their research career. The DSE can support post-doctoral researchers who want to further a career in applied health or care research. We are especially interested to hear from health and care professionals including those that are returning from a research career break, and researchers developing careers in the areas of: health data science, clinical trials, entrepreneurship and working with industry.

Deadline: 13:00 on 22 November 2024

Upcoming grants and fellowships

The Doctoral Clinical and Practitioner Academic Fellowship (DCAF) scheme funds registered health and care professionals (excluding doctors and dentists) to undertake a PhD by research and, concurrently, to undertake further professional development and practice. The scheme, which runs twice a year is part of the NIHR Integrated Clinical and Practitioner Academic (ICA) Programme.

Potential advert date: 12 September 2024

This scheme offers NIHR Academy members (from pre-doctoral to early career postdoctoral researchers) supported by a part of NIHR Infrastructure, a Health Protection Research Unit or an NIHR School an opportunity to spend time in other parts of the NIHR to network, train in a specific skill or collaborate with other researchers/specialists.

Potential advert date: 25 September 2024

i4i Product Development Awards (PDA) support collaborative research and development of medical devices, in vitro diagnostic devices and high-impact patient-focused digital health technologies for use in the NHS or social care system. PDA aims to de-risk innovations, supporting early product development and real-world evaluation, to make them more attractive for follow-on funding or commercial investment. Research proposals may address any area of unmet need. Projects must have a clear pathway towards adoption and commercialisation.

Competition 29 opens 10 October 2024, closes 05 December 2024

Apply for funding to undertake a PhD.

Your research can focus on any area of Medical Research Council (MRC)’s remit to improve human health.

You must: be a registered healthcare professional, be at an appropriate point in your training to undertake a PhD, show plans to pursue a research career.

Next round opens October 2024

Apply for funding to reacquire research skills.

Your research can focus on any area of Medical Research Council (MRC)’s remit.

You must: be a registered healthcare professional, be a PhD graduate working outside of research, usually five or more years, show plans to pursue a research career and be at an appropriate point in your clinical training to undertake the fellowship.

Next round opens October 2024

The aim of the fellowship is to support talented researchers who have gained a higher research degree to: lead their own research plans, establish their own research team, make the transition to independent researcher.

Next round opens February 2025

Also, keep an eye out for potential updates on additional training and development support from the NIHR:

  • Pre-Application Support Fund
    • Open to all career levels, the Pre-Application Support Fund provides additional funding for you to prepare a competitive application to an NIHR career development scheme in the future. If you’re in a group or profession that is typically unrepresented within NIHR funding, this award aims to give you extra support.
  • Senior Clinical and Practitioner Research Award (SCPRA)
    • The SCPRA provides 2-5 years of funding for senior individuals at postdoctoral level to engage in research activities. The award offers you flexibility to propose a range of research activities to support career development.
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