Opportunities Update

Mental Health Research GroupsMay

05/03/2025 12:00 am → 28/05/2025 1:00 pm NIHR Post-doctoral; Underway

Applications open on Wednesday 5th March

This scheme supports proposals for up to £11m, for a period of up to 5 years, to partner institutions with low or no mental health research capacity (and close to areas of high mental health need) with HEIs with more experience and expertise in mental health research. It is expected that this funding will enable delivery of a five-year research and capacity building programme focused on local applied mental health research needs.

Eligibility

HEIs based in England with limited existing applied mental health research capacity who are keen to establish or expand into applied mental health research within a local target area.

Participate: Consensus building exercise for ECRs with experience conducting qualitative research with mental health service usersMay

30/05/2025 12:00 am University of Leicester Early career; Ends in 7 days

Dr Justine Anthony is inviting early career researchers with experience conducting qualitative research with mental health service users to participate in a consensus-building exercise. The aim of this study is to identify the key characteristics that make qualitative research with mental health service users effective, sensitive, and methodologically sound. If accepted, researchers will be compensated for their participation.

The study consists of the following:

· A single 2-hour online session via Microsoft Teams at a time convenient for participants. During the session, you will use the Nominal Group Technique to generate and rank key ideas collaboratively.

· A structured ‘ranking’ exercise (via online survey) to rank ideas based on various criteria.

· If interested, contributing as a co-author to a publication detailing the outputs of this process.

· A £20 shopping voucher as compensation for your time

If you meet the criteria, please fill in this expression of interest form by 30 May. If you have any questions regarding this study, please feel free to contact the lead researcher, Dr Justine Anthony (ja560@leicester.ac.uk)

This project is supported by the Mental Health Research Incubator’s 2024 Seed Fund, which seeks to increase research capacity in mental health and addiction researchers.

Eligibility

This project is seeking researchers who meet the following criteria:

· Identify as an early career researcher

· Have direct experience in qualitative research with mental health service users (i.e., led interviews/focus groups) and have conducted such research in the last 5-years.

· Are willing to participate in a structured online discussion to share insights and contribute to a consensus on best practices.

Funding: 3 PhDs for September 2026May

30/05/2025 12:00 am Mental Health Research UK Doctoral; Ends in 7 days

Mental Health Research UK (incorporating the Schizophrenia Research Fund) has announced a competition for 3 PhD Scholarships beginning September 2026.

1) Ivan Baines PhD scholarship: Optimising pharmacotherapy in the treatment of young people experiencing psychosis. Invites proposals for research that will improve the experience of young people who develop and live with psychosis when using anti-psychotic medication.

2) John Grace QC PhD scholarship: Transdiagnostic approaches to schizophrenia and related conditions. Invites proposals that explore Transdiagnositic approaches to better understand causes and treatment of schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders.

3) Clair Chilvers PhD scholarship: Epidemiology to impact mental health. Invites high-quality proposals that use epidemiological methods in their scientific approach to address pressing research questions.

Eligibility

Applications must come from prospective supervisors within UK universities, not from students. MHRUK does not fund: health services research; research into autism; or research that involves animals.

Only one application per university can be made for each individual scholarship. A university may apply for more than one scholarship if they wish.

Funded MSc in Clinical Research Delivery – King’s College LondonJune

01/06/2025 12:00 am NIHR Mental Health Translational Research Collaboration (MH-TRC) Mental Health Mission (MHM) Pre-doctoral; Ends in 9 days

NIHR Mental Health Translational Research Collaboration (MH-TRC) Mental Health Mission (MHM), in partnership with King’s College London and the University of Exeter, are offering 11 fully funded MSc courses in Clinical Research Delivery. 4 of these funded places will be situated in King’s College London.

The MSc Clinical Research Delivery is a part-time, three-year online course that is designed to equip healthcare professionals with the knowledge and skills to lead and support clinical research delivery. It enables participation in clinical research within an area of interest, as part of existing research studies, whilst being supported under the supervision and mentorship of a senior researcher.

Applicants should complete the King’s online application process for the MSc Clinical Research Delivery. The personal statement submitted for that MSc application must include a brief sentence stating that you have also applied for this specific scholarship and how the NIHR MH-TRC Mental Health Mission Scholarship would impact you and your local/professional communities.

Eligibility

To be eligible for one of the four fully funded places at King’s, applicants must be:

Experienced mental health practitioners, including:
Mental Health Nurses (RMNs)
Clinical Psychologists and Counselling Psychologists
Psychiatrists and Psychiatric Trainees
Midwives involved in perinatal mental health care
AHPs working in mental health
Registered therapists working in clinical mental health settings
Research staff involved in mental health studies
Currently domiciled in the UK;
Employed by a UK healthcare provider organisation during their studies;
Able to nominate an experienced healthcare researcher to supervise their development of the research capabilities that form part of the Clinician Researcher Credentials Framework;
Have the support of their employer to undertake their studies alongside their employment, ensuring they can dedicate approximately 600 hours per academic year (equivalent to two days per week) to study.

Funded MSc in Clinical Research Delivery – University of ExeterJune

01/06/2025 12:00 am NIHR Mental Health Translational Research Collaboration (MH-TRC) Mental Health Mission (MHM) Pre-doctoral; Ends in 9 days

NIHR Mental Health Translational Research Collaboration (MH-TRC) Mental Health Mission (MHM), in partnership with King’s College London and the University of Exeter, are offering 11 fully funded MSc courses in Clinical Research Delivery. 7 of these funded places will be situated in the University of Exeter.

The MSc Clinical Research Delivery is a part-time, three-year online course that is designed to equip healthcare professionals with the knowledge and skills to lead and support clinical research delivery. It supports practising clinical professionals aspiring to work in the clinical research delivery workforce. Through the programme, clinical professionals will continue developing their patient-centred approach to research delivery and understanding of measures of health outcomes. With a strong emphasis on using reflective practice to apply and transfer learning from the course, they will develop themselves as an adaptable, reflexive practitioner ready to lead clinical research delivery.

To apply, please complete the relevant section of the University of Exeter’s Expression of Interest form, which must be completed in full and uploaded to your application for a place on the course.

Eligibility

Normally a minimum 2.2 Honours degree (or equivalent) in a relevant discipline. Relevant clinical or professional experience (more than two years post-qualification) may be taken into consideration as evidence of equivalency.

Applicants will be experienced healthcare professionals from any registered healthcare discipline, such as medicine, nursing, midwifery and the allied health professions (including pharmacists and healthcare scientists), or those who have worked in a relevant role for at least two years (e.g. clinical trials manager, clinical research practitioners, university postdoctoral researcher). The target audience for this programme are clinical researchers based in NHS / public funded healthcare settings in England. They also welcome applicants from academia, social care, the devolved UK nations and countries outside the UK for whom the content is relevant.

Webinar: Children and young people’s mental health funding callJune

03/06/2025 1:30 pm → 03/06/2025 2:45 pm NIHR Post-doctoral; Starts in 11 days

Online

The NIHR are running a webinar to support applications to the ‘Children and Young Peoples Mental Health’ funding call and their other commissioned funding opportunities closing on the same date. This webinar will focus on each funding opportunity as well as general tips for applying. There will be a Q&A at the end.

Funding: Living Well with Psychosis – Research and ServicesJune

06/06/2025 11:00 am Maudsley Charity Post-doctoral; Open - 14 days to go

Approximately £3m available to fund initiatives and research at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College London that improve the treatment and care, and support the recovery of people affected by psychosis. The Living Well with Psychosis programme supports work that focuses on people affected by psychosis, including those living with diagnoses like bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and schizoaffective disorder.

Priority areas:

People affected by psychosis having a greater voice and influence over their own care
Increased access to and engagement with high quality personalised and effective therapy and medication
Increased access to and engagement with high-quality, culturally appropriate peer and family support, information, and advice
The impact of racism and discrimination on access to appropriate care at the right time is addressed
Innovation leading to increased access to and engagement with help to avoid or reduce problematic cannabis usee
People affected by psychosis have a better experience of crisis
Better use of data to understand risk and target care
Improved opportunities for employment and volunteering

Maudsley Charity do not expect to fund projects of less than £150,000. There is no maximum, but applicants should consider the total funding available when considering the size of their bid.

Eligibility

Applications must be from South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and Kings College London. Research projects that include work based at South London and Maudsley must show evidence at Expression of Interest stage that the appropriate teams and individuals at the Trust have bought into the work and are actively engaged in a partnership. It is preferred that these projects to be joint proposals with South London and Maudsley but it is recognised this may not be appropriate in some cases.

Introductory Clinical Research Training FellowshipsJune

09/06/2025 11:59 pm NIHR Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre Early career; Pre-doctoral; Open - 18 days to go

The NIHR Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) is inviting applications for a new Introductory Clinical Research Training Scheme. Introductory fellowships will be funded for up to 24 months at 0.4 FTE. The appointed candidates will each work with a supervisor and research team based at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN).

The aims of this scheme are to: provide clinicians an opportunity to work alongside research teams, to gain a better understanding of the research process, and gain a range of research skills; provide protected time for clinical health professionals to develop an application for a NIHR Pre-doctoral Clinical and Practitioner Academic Fellowship (PCAF) or a similar research career development award; develop a cohort of research aware clinicians who will act as research champions in their clinical areas; and to raise the profile and improve understanding of research among nurses, midwives and AHPs more widely.

Interviews are planned to take place Thursday 03 July 2025.

Eligibility

King’s Health Partners employed and clinically active nurses, midwives and allied health professionals (AHPs) who wish to develop a clinical academic career in mental health or neuroscience research but have had limited research experience to date. Doctors and clinical psychologists are not eligible to apply.

Webinar: Exploring lived experience with creative artsJune

11/06/2025 1:00 pm → 11/06/2025 2:00 pm NIHR ARCs Any; Starts in 19 days

Three short 10-minute talks present projects that have used creative arts such as poetry, theatre and illustration, to explore the lived experiences of different groups.

This webinar is chaired by NIHR ARC Greater Manchester’s Prof Caroline Sanders, Professor of Medical Sociology at University of Manchester. Her recent and current work has a major focus patient and carer experiences of health and healthcare. She leads on Public Involvement and Engagement for the NIHR ARC Greater Manchester.

Early career researcher collaborative research grantsJune

16/05/2025 12:00 am → 29/06/2025 11:59 pm BACP Early career; Post-doctoral; Underway

Up to £50,000 is available for collaborative research grants to support early career researchers.

These grants are intended to support early career researchers to undertake high-quality, ethical research contributing to the evidence base for counselling, psychotherapy or coaching and conducted within new or existing collaborative research groups or networks. The project should last no longer than 24 months.

Eligibility

Projects funded under this stream would not typically be expected to last longer than 24 months.

Projects must be led by a UK-based early career researcher, include a minimum of two different partners (academic, non-academic, industry or those with lived experience of counselling, psychotherapy or coaching) from multiple UK or international academic institutions.

Teams from across more than one department or discipline, but from the same organisation, are not considered collaborative and therefore not eligible for this grant.

Projects should also sit within BACP’s definition of client-focused research in counselling, psychotherapy or coaching and appropriately involve people with lived experience (PLE) of counselling, psychotherapy or coaching throughout the research process (not simply as research participants)

PhD or early career researcher secondary data analysis grantsJune

16/05/2025 12:00 am → 29/06/2025 11:59 pm BACP Doctoral; Early career; Underway

Up to a maximum total of £30,000 per project is available.

These secondary data analysis grants are intended to support early career researchers or PhD students to undertake high-quality, ethical research contributing to the evidence base for counselling, psychotherapy or coaching in order to gain maximum research impact from existing data. The project should last no longer than 24 months.

Eligibility

PhD students are defined as someone in the process of applying for a PhD or currently enrolled in a PhD programme at a UK institution.

Projects funded under this stream would not typically be expected to last longer than 24 months, unless they include funding for a PhD. They must be led by a UK-based early career researcher or PhD student, as well as by a UK-based partner who has access to a formal research ethics committee.

Funding: Suicide and self-harm researchJuly

24/07/2025 12:00 pm Medical Research Foundation Post-doctoral; Open - 62 days to go

The Medical Research Foundation is inviting applications from mid-career scientists who are making a transition to independence, and working to strengthen understanding in the medical research field of suicide and self-harm. Applicants may apply for a Fellowship over a maximum of a 3-year period (pro-rata for part-time positions). The aim of this funding call is to fund outstanding mid-career researchers to advance knowledge in the field of suicide and self-harm. The proposed research must have suicide and/or self-harm as its primary focus, however researchers with a track record in a related field who would like to focus their experience on this area are encouraged to apply.

All areas of research relevant to suicide and self-harm will be considered; the applications may be broad in scope or focused on a particular aspect of suicide and/or self-harm. Research may incorporate diverse perspectives, such as biomedical science, social science and clinical work. Research proposals investigating the following themes are particularly encouraged:

Protective factors for suicide
The association between social media use and suicide
Self-harm trajectories across the life span

Applicants are encouraged to explore opportunities for multi-disciplinary collaborations and the meaningful inclusion of Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) activities, where appropriate, for the proposal.

Eligibility

This competition is open to all UK-based researchers and clinical academics at eligible institutions (UK HEIs, Research Council research institutes, hospitals, and other independent research organisations). Applicants must hold a PhD, DPhil, MD or doctorate in a relevant area and be conducting their research at an eligible institution. Partnerships outside of academia are allowed, providing the collaboration will advance the research project in line with the aims of the funding call. Clinical academics and applicants with clinical duties are encouraged to apply.

This competition is for mid-career researchers. Mid-career researchers are those with extensive postdoctoral experience and in the process of, or ready for, transition to research independence. Applicants should be taking steps to start their own research group. This grant is not intended to support those who have already secured substantial research funds and/or have already established their own research group (e.g. Senior Lecturers, Professors, MRC and other funders’ Senior Fellows), or those that already hold a fully funded position in their Research Organisation. Applicants who have held an early career fellowship may still be eligible.

Funding: A behavioural intervention for anxiety disorder in adults with a moderate to severe learning disabilityJuly

30/07/2025 1:00 pm NIHR Early career; Post-doctoral; Open - 68 days to go

The NIHR’s Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Programme is looking to fund research into a behavioural intervention for anxiety disorder in adults with a moderate to severe learning disability. This is a two-staged commissioned funding opportunity. To apply for the first stage you should submit an outline application. If invited to the second stage, you will then need to complete a full application.

Research question: What is the clinical and cost-effectiveness of a behavioural intervention to treat anxiety disorder in adults with a moderate to severe learning disability?

Patient group: Adults with a moderate to severe learning disability and an anxiety disorder. Applications are encouraged which include recruitment from geographic populations with high disease burden which have been historically underserved by research activity in this field.
Intervention: A behavioural intervention suitable for the patient group and aimed at reducing symptoms of anxiety. Applications should be informed by the recently completed HTA feasibility study but need not be restricted to the intervention described if another can be justified within the remit of the HTA Programme. Applicants to define and justify the exact intervention but it should be manualised and suitable for delivery in the NHS.
Control: Treatment as usual. Applicants to define and justify.
Important outcomes: Symptoms of anxiety. Other outcomes include: quality of life; mental health; behaviours that challenge; social engagement; acceptance of intervention to patients, carers and therapists; adherence; medication use; adverse effects and cost effectiveness.

This funding opportunity is eligible for a SWAT/SWAR (study within a trial or study within a review).

Eligibility

The HTA Programme will support evidence synthesis including systematic reviews, modelling studies and meta-analyses, randomised controlled trials (blinded and unblinded), non-randomised trials (where appropriate), network meta-analysis and expected Value of Information studies, cohort studies (retrospective or prospective), complex and innovative trials including adaptive designs and platform studies, modelling studies and health economic models and international studies.

The HTA Programme will not support hypothesis testing, proof of concept studies or research for ‘newly developed’ or ‘adapted’ interventions without existing proof of efficacy, phase 2 trials, assessment of the information or the effect of educational interventions on an individual’s knowledge or behaviour (unless directly linked to a discrete health outcome), research on new equipment, standalone pilot or feasibility studies unless requested within a commissioning brief, or PhD research or fellowship projects.

Funding: Children and young people’s mental healthAugust

15/08/2025 1:00 pm NIHR Post-doctoral; Open - 84 days to go

The NIHR’s Public Health Research (PHR) Programme is looking to fund research which evaluates the effectiveness of interventions in supporting the promotion and protection of the mental health of babies, children and young people.

The research proposal must answer the question: Which interventions are effective and cost effective in supporting the promotion and protection of the mental health of babies, children and young people?

There is a wide range of contexts within which interventions might be delivered, including via parents, early years providers, education settings, community organisations and others. This funding opportunity is predominantly interested in the evaluation of interventions operating at a population level, rather than at an individual level, and those which address health inequalities.

This is a 2-stage funding opportunity. To apply for the first stage, researchers must submit an outline application. If invited to the second stage, researchers will then need to complete a full application.

Eligibility

This opportunity does not fund:

studies of specific disease or conditions
treatments research where primary outcomes are social care outcomes – see our Research programme for Social Care
the development of new websites, apps, or software

It is not a call for evaluations of interventions related to the treatment of specific pathologies, for example eating disorders.

Funding: Neurosciences and mental health research grantSeptember

04/09/2025 4:00 pm Medical Research Council Early career; Post-doctoral; Open - 104 days to go

This supports research projects focused on neurosciences and mental health. The aim is to transform the understanding of physiology and behaviour of the human nervous system throughout the life course in health, illness, as well as how to treat and prevent disorders of the brain. The scope includes the following areas:

neurodegeneration;
clinical neurology and neuroinflammation;
mental health;
addictions and substance misuse;
behavioural and learning disorders including autism;
cognitive and behavioural neuroscience and cognitive systems;
sensory neuroscience including vision and hearing;
neurobiology and neurophysiology;
underpinning support, such as neuroimaging; technology, brain banking and neuroinformatics.

MRC applicant led research grants: are suitable for focused short or long-term research projects; can support method development; can support development and continuation of research infrastructures and resources specifically relevant to the needs of our research communities, that cannot be supported through other routes; and may involve more than one research group or organisation

Eligibility

To lead a project, you must be based at an eligible organisation.

Neurosciences and mental health: new investigator fundingSeptember

04/09/2025 4:00 pm Medical Research Council Early career; Open - 104 days to go

New investigator grants support individuals who have not previously led a research team or been awarded a substantial grant as fellow or project lead (formally known as principal investigator). Apply for funding to research neurosciences and mental health and take the next step towards becoming an independent researcher. You must have the skills and experience to ‘transition to independence’ and the support of a host research organisation eligible for Medical Research Council (MRC) funding.

There is no limit to the funding you can apply for, but the typical full economic cost of a project is under £1 million. MRC will usually fund 80% of the full economic cost. This funding usually lasts three years and covers up to 50% of your salary.

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply as a new investigator you must:

have research organisation support
show that your skills and experience match those in the ‘transition to independence’ stage of the MRC applicant skills and experience table
use this grant to support your long-term career goals and chosen career route
demonstrate you are the sole intellectual leader of the application and the proposed work
focus your application within the research area of neurosciences and mental health

Funding: Children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing
Rayne Foundation Post-doctoral; Open-ended
The Rayne Foundation funds project and salary costs of usually £10,000 to £30,000 per year for up to three years for projects that support children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing.

They specifically focus on projects that offer mental health and wellbeing support to children and young people and their families/carers in challenging circumstances and where there is a lack of help. They fund work that:

– Supports early childhood (0-5 years including the perinatal period) with family/carer interventions that aim to reduce the impact of early childhood trauma.

– Supports children and young people who are care experienced, on the edge of care, or leaving care, with interventions that prioritise improved mental health and well-being.

Applications for creative and artistic approaches to achieving progress in this priority area are also strongly encouraged.

Eligibility

This is a rolling, open grants programme with no deadline. Individuals and/or organisations must be working or based inside the UK.

The Rayne Foundation are open to receiving Expressions of Interest from voluntary, statutory, and not-for-profit organisations (including CICs and CIOs).

Statutory organisations must consider how a grant will enable transformation over and above the funding required to deliver statutory obligations. For-profit organisations need to make the case that charitable funding is necessary to enable transformative change. Statutory and for-profit organisations are expected to work collaboratively with the wider voluntary sector.

Associate Principal Investigator (PI) Scheme
NIHR Early career; Open-ended
The Associate Principal Investigator Scheme aims to develop health and care professionals to become the Principal Investigators (PIs) of the future

Eligibility

The scheme is open to any health and care professional willing to make a significant contribution to the conduct and delivery of a study at a local level over a period of six months.

Reviewer Development Scheme
NIHR Early career; Open-ended
An opportunity to hone your skills in peer reviewing and to review current research. Participants will receive constructive feedback on their reviews as well as receiving insights into how other experienced reviewers have approached pieces.

Membership of the scheme lasts for 5 years, or until participants have completed 5 reviews in the scheme/have been recruited as a Committee Member Development Scheme participant – whichever comes first. You may leave the scheme at any time or transfer to the NIHR’s community of reviewers as a peer reviewer once you feel ready.

Eligibility

You must be close to completing your PhD or within 10 years of completing your PhD, and have not yet held a grant as Lead Applicant (excluding fellowships) of over £100,000.

The Scheme is also open to all UK Speciality Registrars, Advanced Clinical Practitioners and Nurses and Midwives on Band 6 or above.

All of the latest and upcoming funding and career development opportunities for mental health and addiction researchers.

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Associate Principal Investigator (PI) Scheme NIHR Early career; Open-endedThe Associate Principal Investigator Scheme aims to develop health and care professionals to become the Principal Investigators (PIs) of the future

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Associate Principal Investigator (PI) Scheme
NIHR Early career; Open-ended
The Associate Principal Investigator Scheme aims to develop health and care professionals to become the Principal Investigators (PIs) of the future