Postdoctoral Fellowships

Advanced Fellowship (AF)

This flexible Fellowship is available to anyone with a PhD who hasn’t yet been awarded a Chair. You could be from any health and care professional background but your research project must be within NIHR's remit.

This Fellowship can be between 2 and 5 years full-time. Part-time options are also available. If you are a clinical applicant, your Fellowship can include up to 40% clinical time.

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

Why apply

This Fellowship provides funding for:

• your salary
• a research project
• a research support post
• professional and academic training

If your application is successful, you will become a member of the NIHR Academy.

Who can apply

You should be committed to becoming a leading researcher in your field.

You may: 

• have recently completed a PhD but not yet established yourself as an independent researcher
• have established yourself as an independent researcher but are not yet recognised as an international leader in your field
• wish to transition into applied health research or social care research from a basic science background 
• wish to re-establish your research career following a significant career break

To be eligible you must:

• have been awarded a PhD or MD by the time you attend the interview
• not already hold a Chair at the point of application
• have completed your relevant pre-registration training if you are a clinical academic applicant

You also need to have a proposed host who is a:

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

Find out who holds a Advanced Fellowship on our Funding and Awards website

Are you a global health researcher?

If you are a global health researcher, you should apply for the Global Advanced Fellowship.

What we are looking for

You should be planning impactful research and be on your way to becoming a health or social care research leader.

How to apply

This funding opportunity opens in April and October each year. 

You will apply through ARAMIS, our online application system. 

What happens after you apply

Your application will be reviewed by the NIHR Advanced Fellowship Selection Committee.

If you reach the shortlist, you will be invited to interview in January or July.

Help with your application

• common characteristics of a great Fellowship application - advice from the co-chairs of the funding committee
• application guidance
• webinar: Learn more about the NIHR Advanced Fellowship

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Advanced Clinical and Practitioner Academic Fellowship (ACAF)

This Advanced Clinical and Practitioner Academic Fellowship (ACAF) supports postdoctoral researchers to develop their academic career alongside their health or care role. 

The Fellowship can last between 2 and 5 years if taken full-time, or can be part-time between 50% and 100% whole time equivalent. 

Between 20% and 40% of your funded time must be dedicated to development of your clinical service or practice role, which will be funded through the Fellowship.

Why apply

The Fellowship will provide you with an opportunity to undertake training that will further both your research skills, and your professional practice. The Fellowship offers funding to cover: 

• salary costs 
• the costs of an appropriate research project
• the costs of a tailored academic and professional development programme

If you are successful, you will become a member of the NIHR Academy.

Who can apply

The ACAF is open to postdoctoral health and care professionals (not including doctors and dentists). 

You may:

• have recently completed or soon be awarded a PhD but have yet to establish yourself as an independent researcher
• be starting to establish yourself as an independent researcher
• already be established as an independent researcher but be yet to be recognised as an international leader in your field
• be seeking to re-establish your research career following a significant career break
• be seeking to re-establish your research career following time back in health or care practice

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

What we are looking for

We are looking for ambitious individuals who are committed to developing a clinical academic or practitioner academic career. 

Get advice from the Chair of the Funding Committee

How to apply

You will apply through ARAMIS, our online application system. 

Help with your application

Find out more about applying:

• application guidance

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Advanced Local Authority Fellowship (ALAF)

The Advanced Local Authority Fellowship supports individuals based within English local authority settings to further their careers as health or social care researchers. You can combine postdoctoral research in an academic position with continued professional practice and development.

The Fellowship can be taken full-time over 2 to 5 years. Part-time options over a maximum of 10 years are also available.

Why apply

You can undertake research and research training while spending 20 to 40% of your time in professional practice or development.

This Fellowship provides funding for:

• your salary
• a research assistant
• a research project
• professional and academic training
• conference attendance 

If you are successful, you will become a member of the NIHR Academy.

Who can apply

You should have a PhD or professional doctorate. 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 any our other career development funding concurrently. 

What we are looking for

You should be committed to becoming a research leader in the local authority context. Your research project should be strategically important to your local authority but also applicable more widely.  

How to apply

This funding opportunity opens in April each year. 

You will apply through ARAMIS, our online application system. 

What happens after you apply

If your application is eligible, it will be considered by the funding committee.

Help with your application

Find out more about completing an application:

• advice from the Chair of the Funding Committee
• application guidance

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