Funding to undertake postdoctoral research and a bespoke training and development programme within the NIHR’s remit for personal awards.
NIHR is particularly interested in receiving applications that will develop skills within its strategic themes:
- social care
- mental health
- public health
- health data science
- researchers working in a Local Authority setting
- applicants hosted by post-92 HEIs and non-University Hospital practice settings
See also themed calls and highlight notices for other priority areas.
Applications received under these strategic themes will still have to meet the same quality threshold required for funding but will be given priority if the number of fundable applications exceeds the maximum that can be funded.
*Please note that this award replaces the NIHR Advanced Fellowship, NIHR Advanced Clinical and Practitioner Academic Fellowship, and NIHR Advanced Local Authority Fellowship. It merges the former fellowships into a single Postdoctoral Award scheme that is accessible and easier to understand.
ELIGIBILITY
You can apply to for this award at any postdoctoral career stage, from recent PhD completion through to several years’ postdoctoral experience.
To be eligible, you must:
- hold a relevant PhD or MD, or have submitted your thesis for examination at the time of application (you must have been awarded your PhD or MD by the time you attend the interview)
- propose to undertake the award at a Higher Education Institute, NHS body, local authority or other provider of health or social care services, either in England or a participating devolved nation
- not already hold a chair position at the point of application
- have completed relevant pre-registration training if you are a clinical applicant
Applicants can come from overseas but must be based in England at their contracting organisation for the duration of the award (except for travel for research, training or development activities as outlined in the proposal).
VALUE AND DURATION
The Postdoctoral Award does not have strict budgetary limits, with the exception of:
- support staff (usually limited to the equivalent of 1 member of staff for a period of 3 years)
- shared staff (the time commitment of individual shared staff members should not exceed 30% FTE, and the total combined shared staff time should generally not exceed 100% FTE for your award duration)
- conference costs (up to £2,000 per 100% FTE year)
You can:
- choose a duration of between 2 and 5 years 100% Full Time Equivalent (FTE)
- choose to undertake your award on a part-time basis at 5% increments between 50%-100% FTE
KEY DATES
Deadline: 3 July 2025 (this call is repeated twice a year)
Start dates: 1 April 2026 – 1 September 2026
Further details, including application guidance, can be found below and on the opportunity webpage.
See also Blog: Characteristics of a great Postdoctoral Award application and the below webinar recording/slides for tips on putting together a strong application.