Doctoral Fellowships

We offer 3 Doctoral Fellowships to support your career development. If your application is successful, you will become a member of our Academy with access to bespoke events and professional development opportunities. 

Doctoral Fellowship (DF)

This flexible Fellowship enables you to complete a PhD in applied health or social care research. Your research project must be within NIHR’s remit.

Duration

The Fellowship is 3 years full-time, or part-time options are available.

Clinical applicants can include up to 20% clinical time.

Jointly funded Partnership Fellowships are available with charities or our industry partner. 

Why apply

This Fellowship provides funding for:

• your salary
• PhD tuition fees
• a research project
• professional and academic training
• conference attendance 
• patient and public involvement (PPI)
• open access fees

Who can apply

All health and social care professionals can apply for this scheme. You should be committed to becoming a leading researcher in your field.

As a clinical applicant (a doctor or a dentist), you must have completed any relevant pre-registration training. 

As a non-clinical applicant, you must have completed a first degree. We expect this to be a First Class or Upper Second-Class bachelor’s degree or equivalent.

You must have a proposed host who is an:

• Higher Education Institution 
• NHS Trust
• other provider of health and/or care services

If you have already registered for a PhD (or MPhil with transfer to PhD), you should not have been registered for more than 12 months at 100% whole time equivalent by the start of the funded period.

Find out who holds a Doctoral Fellowship 

What we’re looking for

We are looking for applicants who have the potential to develop into future leaders in our research environment. You will need to submit a high-quality research proposal with clear and impactful patient and public benefit. You should include a comprehensive training and development programme to further develop within your research career.

How to apply

You will apply online through ARAMIS, our online application system. 

Funding rounds open in April and October each year. 

After you apply

If your application is eligible, it will be considered by the Doctoral Fellowship Funding Committee.

If you reach the shortlist, you will be invited to interview in autumn or summer.

Help with your application

Find out more about completing an application:

• application guidance
• Chair’s report

What makes an NIHR Doctoral Fellowship application excellent?

Judith Rankin, Professor of Maternal and Child Health at the University of Newcastle, and the Chair of the NIHR Doctoral Fellowship Selection Committee, provides some top tips in her blog:

What makes an NIHR Doctoral Fellowship application excellent?

Learn more about our Doctoral Fellowship

Watch our webinar for more information about the Doctoral Fellowship:

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Doctoral Clinical and Practitioner Academic Fellowship (DCAF)

This Fellowship funds registered health and care professionals to undertake a PhD by research, alongside further professional development and practice. 

Duration

This Fellowship is 3 years, or up to 6 years part-time. 

Approximately 80% of your funded time will be spent working academically setting over the course of your Fellowship. The remaining 20% will be spent in practice and professional development. 

Why apply

This Fellowship will support you to develop your research skills and your professional skills in parallel.

It offers funding to cover: 

• your salary costs
• PhD tuition fees
• the costs of an appropriate research project
• the costs of tailored academic and professional development programmes

Who can apply

This Fellowship is open to graduate health and care professionals, not including doctors and dentists. You must have the support of the institution at which you intend to register for a PhD, and that of an appropriate provider of health and care services. 

To be eligible to apply, you must hold registration with one of the ICA Programme Eligible Regulatory Bodies by the proposed start date. 

What we’re looking for

We’re looking for applicants who are committed to developing both their research skills and their skills as a practitioner. You must be able to demonstrate how you will use the Fellowship to develop professionally alongside your academic training. 

How to apply

You will apply online through ARAMIS, our online application system. 

Funding rounds open in April and September each year.

Help with your application

• advice from the Chair of the Funding Committee
• programme funding committee
• application guidance

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Doctoral Local Authority Fellowship (DLAF)

These fellowships support individuals based within English local authority settings to develop as health or social care researchers. You can earn a PhD by research while continuing to practise and develop professionally.

The fellowship is 3 years full-time. Part-time options over a maximum of 6 years are also available.

Why apply

This Fellowship provides funding for:

• your salary
• PhD tuition fees
• a research project
• professional and academic training
• conference attendance 

You can keep your existing employment contract and salary for the duration of the Fellowship. 

Who can apply

You should be a graduate with some research experience. You could have a strong first degree or a Masters degree. To be eligible you must be employed in England by a:

• local authority
• provider of local authority commissioned services
• non-profit organisation (such as a charity) that provides services on behalf of a local authority, or supports a local authority in meeting its objectives

You do not need professional social worker or clinician status to apply to this scheme. Eligible clinicians and social workers are welcome to apply, but should not apply to another of our career development funding concurrently. 

Find out who has previously held a Doctoral Local Authority Fellowship

What we’re looking for

You should be committed to a career that combines research activity with continued practice and professional development. Your research project should be strategically important to your local authority and make a difference to policy, practice and people’s lives.

How to apply

You will apply online through ARAMIS, our online application system. 

Funding rounds open in September each year.

What happens after you apply

If your application is eligible, it will be considered by the Funding Committee.

If you reach the shortlist, you will be invited to interview.

Help with your application

Find out more about completing an application:

• application guidance
• Chair’s report
• summary for managers