Research Professorships

This programme funds future leaders in England to promote effective translation of research.

This programme funds future leaders to promote effective translation of research.

A Research Professorship is a 5-year award, with up to 5 awards per year. It enables outstanding academics to work at a professorial level on health and care research.

Who can apply

We award Research Professorships through a system of nomination.

To be nominated, you must:

  • be based in England
  • be a health, public health or social care researcher or methodologist 
  • have an outstanding research record of clinical and applied health and care research
  • have demonstrated effective translation of research for improved health and care 

Individuals who work in any profession at one of the listed organisations can be nominated to apply:

  • an Higher Education Institution
  • NHS organisation 
  • other provider of health, public health and/or care services based in England

Are you based outside England?

Visit our Global Health Research Professorships page to nominate a researcher based in all 4 UK nations and Lower Middle Income Countries (LMICs).

Advice for host organisations

When a host organisation makes a nomination, these rules apply:

  • where 2 nominations are made, at least one must be female
  • where 1 nominee is made, they can be male or female
  • a maximum of 3 nominations can be made per HEI whether it is acting as the employing organisation or not

We are committed to actively and openly supporting and promoting equality, diversity and inclusion. As part of this commitment, host institutions are now able to nominate up to 3 individuals to the programme provided at least 1 applicant is from an ethnic minority group. This is additional to the requirement of ensuring that at least 1 applicant is female if more than 1 nomination is made as described above.

We recommend that nominating organisations undergo an internal selection process to prioritise candidates. If we receive more than the permitted number of applications from an host organisation, we will instruct the organisation to select which applications to put forward. We will remove the other applications from the process. We will also follow this process if we receive more than the permitted number of applications for an HEI as host organisation or academic partner.

Introduction to NIHR Research Professorships for host organisations

Watch our webinar for more information for host organisations.

How to submit a nomination

Nominations are through ARAMIS, our online research award management system

What happens after you submit your nomination

Our Research Professorships selection committee will assess your application. 

Case study - Professor Alastair Hay

Professor Alastair Hay is a GP and leading primary care researcher whose career has been supported by the NIHR Academy and NIHR research funding programmes. His work on reducing antibiotic resistance has produced policy-changing results as he investigates the best ways to improve patient care.

Contact us

Please contact us if you have any questions. Call 0113 532 8444 or email us.