The Doctoral Clinical and Practitioner Academic Fellowship (DCAF) scheme funds registered health and care professionals to undertake a PhD by research and, concurrently, to undertake further professional development and practice. The scheme, which runs twice a year is part of the NIHR Integrated Clinical and Practitioner Academic (ICA) Programme.
The DCAF is a three-year award (up to six years part time), of which:
- approximately 80% of fellowship time will be spent working and developing academically, and
- approximately 20% of fellowship time will be spent in practice and undertaking professional development on a supernumary basis.
We require that applicants have the support of an English health and/or social care provider and an English university and hold a contract of employment with one of these organisations for the hours and duration of the fellowship. Further information on hosting arrangements can be found here.
DCAFs are available to health and social care professionals (excluding doctors or dentists) who are registered with an ICA eligible regulatory body.
The fellowship funds the full cost of:
- PhD tuition fees
- salary
- an appropriate research project
- tailored professional and academic training programmes.