Clinical Academics

The NIHR Academy Predoctoral Award funds a programme of training and development designed to advance your health and social care research career at masters level. This replaces the Predoctoral Clinical and Practitioner Academic Fellowship (PCAF).

This award opens to applications annually in January.

Clinical or practitioner applicants can use a Predoctoral Award to support the development of a PhD application.

The award supports masters-level training up to a full masters degree or provides the opportunity for you to gain additional bespoke training and development. This should support the development of a competitive PhD application.

Health and social care professionals can apply for a 12 month Full Time Equivalent (FTE) award.

Applicants that already hold a relevant masters qualification, or otherwise feel sufficiently experienced to make a competitive PhD application without a year's worth of further training, are able to apply for a shorter duration award to provide protected time to help develop a PhD application.

If successful, you can start your award on the 1st of the month between September and March each year.

When ready to apply, you must apply online through the awards management system. 

The Doctoral Award provides flexible funding and support to individuals from all professional backgrounds. This flexible scheme enables you to complete a PhD in applied health or social care research. 

The award will fund various elements including:

• your salary (including national insurance and superannuation) based on your whole time equivalent (WTE) for the full duration of the award, with up to 20% clinical/practice time if applicable
• PhD tuition fees, at UK Home rate, and training costs, including short courses and professional development for clinical or practitioner applicants

See website for full details on who can apply, the benefits of the award, what the NIHR are looking for from applicants, and a webinar to learn about the award.

The award opens twice a year in April and October. It lasts 3 years full-time, with part-time options available.

When ready to apply, you must apply online through the awards management system. 

The Postdoctoral Award provides flexible funding and support to individuals from all professional backgrounds.

You can apply to this award from any postdoctoral career stage, from recent PhD completion through to several years' postdoctoral experience.

The Postdoctoral Award can provide flexible funding to support you to take the next step in your career. 

The award covers various elements including:

• your salary as the lead applicant, including clinical service or practice time, if applicable
• a research project
• a support post to assist with your research, including a training and development budget
• the cost of a tailored academic and professional development programme

See website for full details on who can apply, the benefits of the award, what the NIHR are looking for from applicants, and a webinar to learn about the award.

You can apply to this award twice a year in April and October.

When ready to apply, you must apply online through the awards management system. 

The Pre-Application Support Fund is open to all career stages and offers extra support to those who need it. It's designed to help applicants prepare a competitive application for an NIHR career development award, with up to 12 months of flexible funding available.

This funding enhances the opportunities and support available to those who otherwise may not be able to apply for one of our career development awards. 

Pre-Application Support Fund awards are typically for between 6 and 12 months. 

This award provides funding for:

• a contribution towards salary costs to provide time to prepare an application
• conference costs
• training and development
• support and mentorship
• other direct costs where additional support is required

See website for full details on eligibility, the benefits of the pre-application support fund, and a webinar to learn about the award.

There are 3 application rounds per year. Applications open in January, May and September.