Opportunities Update

Funding: Early independence: BBSRC fellowshipsApril

30/04/2026 9:00 am → 22/04/2026 4:00 pm UK Research and Innovation (UKRI): Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) Early career; Ended

Apply for a Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) fellowship to further your career through an early independence research fellowship.

You must:

be based at a UK research organisation eligible for BBSRC funding
meet the individual eligibility criteria
hold a PhD qualification or have relevant research experience combined with clear evidence of leadership potential

There is no limit on the value of the grant. BBSRC will fund 80% of the full economic cost.

Your fellowship will last three years. You can work full time or part time (pro rata).

Eligibility

This funding opportunity is open to early career researchers (as well as to a diversity of research and innovation staff including Research Technical Professionals and Research Software Engineers) wishing to carry out independent research. Applicants on an upward trajectory to pursuing working independently and developing research leadership are encouraged to apply .

You should be able to demonstrate appropriate and relevant research or innovation experience. You must also be able to evidence reasonable scientific and technical skills and competencies, in line with the ambitions of the BBSRC fellowship scheme.

This could be through:

recent completion of a PhD or other higher qualification
relevant employment within a research or innovation environment

You do not need to hold, or be studying for, a PhD in order to apply. However, if you are currently studying for a PhD, you are only eligible if you are expecting to have submitted your PhD thesis before the BBSRC fellowship interview with the condition of having been awarded the PhD by your fellowship project start date.

Funding: Junior faculty research grantsMay

01/05/2026 11:59 pm Huo Family Foundation Post-doctoral; Ends in 8 days

The Huo Family Foundation invites applications for junior faculty research grants to support early-career researchers to develop further their own research vision and help establish a research group. These grants are to support new lecturers/assistant professors at the start of their careers to foster their independence and gain experience of managing and leading research projects and teams.

Proposals should be tackling key questions within the broad topic of the effects of usage of and exposure to digital technologies on brain development and function (including physiological responses), social behaviour and interactions, and the well-being and mental health of children and young people.

Grants are for up to a three-year term. The grant amount is up to £170,000 / US$229,500 per year. The grant should begin in January 2027. Grants will be paid in instalments annually in advance. Grant funds are not to be used to support the lead applicant’s salary. It is expected that their employing college or university will cover the salary of the applicant for the duration of the grant.

Eligibility

The applicant must hold a PhD or equivalent degree in a relevant field, which may include but is not limited to neuroscience, psychology, psychiatry, epidemiology, public health, computer science, social science, economics.
The applicant should be a new lecturer/assistant professor at degree-awarding colleges and universities in the UK or the US. Your appointment should be permanent, open-ended, or on a long-term rolling basis, or a tenure-track position; if your institution has both academic and research fellow tracks, they are considered equivalent.
The salary of the applicant must be covered by their respective employing organisation(s) for the duration of the award.
Your employing college or university should have an appropriate charitable or tax-exempt status. Researchers based at hospitals or research institutes must apply via their affiliated university.
The applicant must have started their junior faculty position in January 2023 or later i.e. at the time of award be within four years of taking up their permanent/tenure-track position. Allowances will be made for part-time work, career breaks (for example, parental leave or long-term sickness) and other significant amounts of time spent outside research (for example, clinical training); if you started your position before January 2023 and would like to discuss an allowance, please contact science@huofamilyfoundation.org.

Funding: Early-career fellowships – the effect and impact of usage of digital technology on young peopleMay

01/05/2026 11:59 pm Huo Family Foundation Early career; Ends in 8 days

The Huo Family Foundation is offering an early-career fellowship on: Effects of the usage of Digital Technology on Brain Development, Social Behaviours and Mental Health in Children and Young People.

They invite applications for early-career fellowships to support talented and promising postdoctoral researchers on the path to independence. These fellowships are to allow early-career researchers to design, plan and deliver their own innovative research project, and to make the transition to independent researcher.

Eligibility

Applicants must hold a PhD or equivalent degree in a relevant field, which may include but is not limited to neuroscience, psychology, psychiatry, epidemiology, public health, computer science, social science, economics.
Applicants must have completed their PhD in January 2023 or later i.e. at the time of award be within four years of completing PhD. Allowances will be made for part-time work, career breaks (for example, parental leave or long-term sickness) and other significant amounts of time spent outside research (for example, clinical training); if you completed your PhD before January 2023 and would like to discuss an allowance, please contact science@huofamilyfoundation.org.
Applicants must not have their first permanent/ tenure-track position.

Job: Post-doctoral Research FellowMay

05/05/2026 10:00 am Goldsmiths, University of London Early career; Open - 11 days to go

Applications are invited for a Postdoctoral Research Fellow post for a funded research project exploring suicidality among older adult users of social care. The project is based at Goldsmiths University supervised by Dr Hilary Norman and Dr Rebecca Charlton (Psychology), in collaboration with Dr Lisa Marzano, Dr Bastien Chabe-Ferret and Pam Hodges (Middlesex University), Dr Manuela Deidda (University of Glasgow) and Louise Keane and Scarlett MacDonald (social care practitioners and co-chairs of strategic nurse advisory councils in London and the South East respectively).

The post holder will be responsible for working with stakeholders, including experts by experience; developing research objectives and processes; obtaining ethical approval; and conducting research involving primary data collection and analysis (predominantly qualitative, plus quantitative surveys). The project is based at Goldsmiths University of London, and some travel will be required within England.

This post is full time and will be offered on a fixed term basis up to 31 August 2028, with a start date as soon as possible. Salary will be Grade 7 up to Spine Point 36 of the Goldsmiths Salary Scale (annual salary £44,753 – £49,738).

Eligibility

The successful candidate should have a PhD in psychology, or in another field relevant to the project. They should have strong qualitative and quantitative research skills. Experience with participatory research is desirable. They should be able to demonstrate experience publishing in peer-reviewed journals. The applicant should also have the ability to work independently, and excellent interpersonal, written and oral skills. A DBS check will be required.

Funding: Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Researcher-led: primary researchMay

05/05/2026 1:00 pm NIHR Early career; Post-doctoral; Open - 11 days to go

Our Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Programme is looking to fund primary research through our researcher-led workstream. We are interested in receiving proposals addressing any health problem in areas not otherwise well covered in our HTA Programme portfolio.

The HTA Programme funds the assessment of technologies for which there is already evidence that they can be effective, but where more evidence is needed. Interventions should be compared to the current best alternative. The evidence generated should inform clinicians/specialists, policy makers and the public before these technologies can become standard care.

This is a 2-stage, researcher-led 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.

Eligibility

The HTA Programme will support:

randomised controlled trials (blinded and unblinded)
non-randomised trials, where appropriate
cohort studies (retrospective or prospective) with suitable methods to allow comparative effectiveness research
complex and innovative trials including adaptive designs and platform studies
modelling studies and health economic models
international studies
assessment of various technologies, including:
- procedures
- safeguarding interventions
- social work interventions
- therapeutic drugs
- devices
- talking therapies
- diagnostic tests
- settings of care
- screening programmes

Funding: Mental Health Data PrizeMay

08/05/2026 12:00 am Social Finance and the Wellcome Trust Early career; Post-doctoral; Open - 14 days to go

The Mental Health Data Prize is an open challenge that provides innovation funding, tailored support and a diverse learning community, supporting teams across the UK to develop scalable tools that use existing mental health data to drive new insights and approaches.

The Mental Health Data Prize will provide teams with the opportunity to develop their data tool concepts from initial ideas to working prototypes, running across two 9‑month phases.

July 2026 – March 2027: Six teams will be selected to prototype their data tool. Each team will receive grant funding of up to £100,000.
June 2027 – February 2028: Three winning teams will be selected at the end of the prototyping phase to further develop and scale their data tool. Each team will receive funding of up to £300,000.

Alongside innovation funding, participants will have access to:

Group workshops and expert surgeries.
Team mentoring and tailored support.
Workshops that guide meaningful integration of lived experience throughout the development process.
Opportunities to showcase prototypes and gather peer and user feedback through ‘Show and Tell’ sessions.
Opportunities for connection, collaboration and knowledge sharing with a diverse network of experts across mental health science and related fields.

Eligibility

At the full application stage, teams will be asked to name a lead applicant organisation which is able to receive the grant funding on behalf of the team. Lead applicant organisations:

Must be based in the UK
Should be based at either a higher education institution, a research institute, a non-academic healthcare organisation, or a not-for-profit organisation

Applicants will also be asked to detail all co-applicants involved in their team. Co-applicants:

Can be based anywhere in the world apart from mainland China
Should be based at either a higher education institution, a research institute, a non-academic healthcare organisation, a not-for-profit organisation, a commercial organisation, or self-employed (for example a freelance data scientist).

All applicants must be able to sign up to a set of standard grant conditions, which will be made available at the launch of the application window in February 2026.

Funding: Major Research FellowshipsMay

08/05/2026 4:00 pm Leverhulme Trust Post-doctoral; Open - 14 days to go

These fellowships are for well-established, distinguished researchers in the humanities and social sciences to complete a piece of original research. They are particularly aimed at those who are or have been prevented by routine duties from completing a programme of original research.

Replacement salary costs are provided for the duration of the Fellowship. The Fellowships fund the salary costs (normally starting at the most junior point of the lecturer scale at the institution concerned) of an individual to undertake the normal duties of the applicant for the duration of the Fellowship.

A Major Research Fellow may also request research expenses up to an annual maximum of £6,000. If such funds are required they must be requested as part of the application procedure.

The duration of a Fellowship is for two or three years, to start at the beginning of the academic year following receipt of the offer letter.

Eligibility

Applicants must be employed at an eligible UK university (i.e. with research degree awarding powers).
They should be able to demonstrate scholarship at the highest level, but they need not already be of professorial standing.
Candidates should state explicitly what the proposed outcomes of their research will be.
Previous holders of a Major Research Fellowship are not eligible to apply.

Funding: Philip Leverhulme PrizesMay

14/05/2026 4:00 pm Leverhulme Trust Post-doctoral; Open - 20 days to go

These prizes are for researchers at an early stage of their careers whose work has had international impact and whose future research career is exceptionally promising – to use for any research purpose

Philip Leverhulme Prizes have been offered since 2001 in commemoration of the contribution to the work of the Trust made by Philip Leverhulme, the Third Viscount Leverhulme and grandson of William Hesketh Lever, the founder of the Trust.

Each prize is worth £100,000.

The funding is available over 2 to 3 years.

Eligibility

Nominees must hold either a permanent post or a long-term fellowship in a UK University with research degree awarding powers that would extend beyond the duration of the Philip Leverhulme Prize. Those otherwise without salary are not eligible to be nominated.
Nominees should normally have been awarded their doctoral degree not more than ten years prior to the closing date of 14 May 2026. The award date is considered to be the date shown on the degree certificate. However, nominations are accepted for those who do not meet this requirement if they have had a distinct career break. Please note that the only eligible career breaks for this funding scheme are for caring responsibilities or due to illness.
Prizes are awarded to individuals. The Trust Board will not consider making an award where two (or more) nominations are received for substantially the same body of work.

Event: Wolfson Summer School 2026June

07/06/2026 12:00 am Wolfson Centre for Young People's Mental Health, Cardiff University Pre-doctoral; Open - 44 days to go

The aim of the programme is to give prospective researchers from both clinical and non-clinical backgrounds a grounding in youth mental health research, focused mainly on the wide-ranging work we do at the Wolfson Centre.

The summer school is delivered by world-leading researchers based at the Wolfson Centre. They will lead talks and small group sessions in their areas of expertise, with a focus on understanding the causes of adolescent mental health problems that can inform new effective ways to offer practical help to young people.

The summer school includes talks on a range of topics in youth mental health research methods and findings, drawing on the disciplines of epidemiology, genetics, neuroscience and intervention development, including:

Challenges for youth mental health and the current landscape
Global perspectives on mental health programmes and policies
Preventing depression in youth
Mental health in schools and evaluation of complex interventions
Psychiatric genetics research in youth mental health
Suicide and self-harm in youth

The summer school also includes small group sessions on topics including research career advice, the importance of involving the public in research, and how researchers can help ensure findings are translated into government policy.

Funding: Using physical activity and circadian-based interventions to reduce anxiety and depression in young peopleJune

29/06/2026 3:00 pm Wellcome Trust Post-doctoral; Open - 66 days to go

This award will fund mechanistically informed trials of interventions for anxiety and depression in young people aged 10-18 years. Successful teams will build on existing mechanistic evidence to develop more precise and effective early interventions that have the potential to scale.

Up to £1-4 million per grant is available for interventions that improve youth mental health by targeting circadian rhythms (such as, but not limited to, sleep timing, sleep quality and daily light exposure) and/or physical activity (such as, but not limited to, aerobic exercise, dance classes, walking programmes and app-based exercise programmes).

Research projects are expected to:

Propose a circadian-based and/or physical activity intervention for young people between 10 and 18 years at risk of or experiencing anxiety and/or depression in the UK and/or Africa.
Provide existing evidence for the proposed intervention and a clear rationale explaining why this evidence is expected to translate effectively to the chosen population and age range.
Include measurement of both circadian rhythms and physical activity across the 24-hour cycle. While the intervention can focus on circadian rhythms and/or physical activity, both circadian rhythms and physical activity must be measured.
Outline a well-powered randomised controlled trial or an equivalently rigorous causal design to investigate hypothesised mechanisms of efficacy (these can be biological, psychological, environmental and/or social) and explain how the main components of the intervention are expected to produce therapeutic effects.
Meaningfully integrate lived experience expertise relevant to the research topic in the research team.
Include collaborations between diverse and multidisciplinary teams covering expertise in trials, mental health science and the science of circadian systems and/or physical activity relevant to the proposed work.
Demonstrate early thinking about how the intervention could be implemented, scaled, and adapted for real world use.

Funding: INSIGHT Programme
NIHR Pre-doctoral; Open-ended
Funding for a wide range of engagement activities and research masters places for current students and recent graduates within registered healthcare, social work and public health professions.

The INSIGHT Programme is led by participating institutions across 12 regions in England. These opportunities showcase the range of research careers available and can help equip you with the skills and training to undertake research. This includes careers combining research and practice.

To be eligible to apply, you’ll need to be: an undergraduate student, postgraduate student, or early career professional and working towards or have recently completed your professional registration with one of the approved regulatory bodies (not including doctors and dentists).

Eligibility

The research Masters places and opportunities are open to students and recent graduates from a diverse group of professions. Supported professions are:

nurses and midwives
allied health professionals comprising of:
- art, music and drama therapists
- dental care professionals
- dieticians
- occupational therapists
- operating department practitioners
- orthoptists
- osteopaths
- paramedics
- physiotherapists
- podiatrists
- prosthetists and orthotists
- diagnostic and therapeutic radiographers
- speech and language therapists
pharmacists
healthcare scientists
registered social work professionals
registered public health professionals
other registered health and care professions (not including doctors and dentists) that can register with one of the approved regulatory bodies

Healthcare scientists should be registered with the Academy of Healthcare Science, the Health and Care Professions Council or any other Professional Standards Authority-accredited register. If you are registered with any other professional body regulator, please get in contact with the NIHR before starting an application.

Funding: Wellcome Early Career AwardsJuly

21/07/2026 3:00 pm Wellcome Trust Early career; Open - 88 days to go

This scheme provides funding (your salary and up to £400,000 for research expenses) for early-career researchers from any discipline who are ready to develop their research identity. Through innovative projects, they will deliver shifts in understanding related to human life, health and wellbeing. By the end of the award, they will be ready to lead their own independent research programme.

You can apply to this scheme if you are an early-career researcher and you are ready to design, plan and deliver your own innovative research project that aims to:

advance understanding in your field and/or
develop methodologies, conceptual frameworks, tools or techniques that could benefit health-related research.

During the award, we expect you to:

expand your technical skills and/or your experience of different research methodologies or frameworks
build a collaborative network with other researchers in your field
develop your people management skills
advance your understanding of how to complete research responsibly and promote a positive and inclusive culture.

Eligibility

You must have:

completed a PhD (for example, in the life sciences) or an equivalent higher research degree. You must have passed your viva examination by the application deadline.

if you have not started a PhD or equivalent degree, at least four years’ equivalent research experience (for example, in the humanities and social sciences).

You may also have some postdoctoral experience in your proposed field of study, but no more than three years at the point of the application deadline unless you can demonstrate how other factors have impacted on your research career. When we review how much postdoctoral experience you have, we will allow for part-time work, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, career breaks (for example, parental leave or long-term sick leave) and other significant amounts of time spent outside research (for example, clinical training).

Funding: Experimental medicine stage oneOctober

30/04/2026 9:00 am → 07/10/2026 9:00 am UK Research and Innovation (UKRI): Medical Research Council (MRC) Post-doctoral; Starts in 6 days

Apply for funding to investigate the causes, progression and treatment of human disease.

Your project must:

focus on a mechanistic hypothesis
include an experimental intervention or challenge in humans

You must be a researcher based at a research organisation eligible to apply for MRC funding. If you are taking the next step towards becoming an independent researcher, you may be eligible to apply as a ‘new investigator.

There is no limit to the amount of funding you can apply for or the length of your project. We will fund 80% of your project’s full economic cost.

Eligibility

To lead a project, you must be based at an eligible organisation. Check if your organisation is eligible.

To be eligible to apply for this funding opportunity you must:

show that you will direct the project and be actively engaged in the work
be looking to investigate the causes, progression and treatment of human disease

For applicants who do not have a contract of employment for the duration of the proposed project, by submitting an application the research organisation is confirming that, if it is successful:

contracts will be extended beyond the end date of the project
all necessary support for the project and the applicants will be provided, including mentorship and career development for early career researchers

Parent Carer Research Network
MHID and the Charlie Waller Trust Any; Open-ended
The Parent Carer Research Network (PCRN) was set up to champion the voices of parents and carers in children and young people’s mental health research. It connects researchers with interested parents and carers who have lived experience with children and young people’s mental health and would like to become involved in research.

If you are a mental health or addiction researcher, you are able to send any opportunities to be reviewed and featured in the PCRN’s next newsletter. The network has been founded by parents with lived experience, the Charlie Waller Trust, and research teams at the Universities of Birmingham and Oxford.

The PCRN is a useful way to establish collaborative relationships, incorporate lived experience to your research and develop safe, inclusive and accessible research. Working with the PCRN provides support in developing your project and exploring funding sources, support with your application to work with the network and resources on good practice e.g. advice around facilitation and communication with parents and carers.

📧 You can also email the team at parentcarerresearchnetwork@psych.ox.ac.uk if you’d like to have a chat or discuss a potential opportunity

Eligibility

The opportunities (research or PPI) must be targeted to parents or carers, and there are a few steps you’ll need to carry out. They have also created a Guide for Researchers, containing important points to consider and a checklist summary of key reminders.

Funding: Housing, place and the built environment for an ageing populationDecember

08/12/2026 1:00 pm NIHR Post-doctoral; Open - 228 days to go

The NIHR’s Public Health Research (PHR) Programme is looking to fund research into the health and health inequality effects of housing and the physical and social aspects of place, on older people’s health, including mental health.

This is a 2-stage 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.

To be eligible for funding, proposed studies must:

- evaluate the impact of real-world interventions on health and health inequalities in the UK
- include interventions that are provided, delivered or funded outside of the NHS

be generalisable and have the potential to create impact at population-level

focus on the wider determinants of health with health-related outcomes
evaluate the impact of an intervention on the population

We frequently fund the following methods:

natural experiments
randomised controlled trials
non randomised studies (where justified)
mixed methods studies
feasibility studies
modelling studies
health economics modelling
cohort studies
intervention optimisation before evaluation

We will screen all applications to ensure that they are in remit and competitive. Any applications that do not fit the criteria will not be considered. We will let you know if this is the case.

To be within remit of the PHR Programme applications must be within the scope of the programme and give robust evidence for the need, value and importance of the research to the public. The primary outcome of a study should be a meaningful and justifiable health-related outcome.

Eligibility

You can apply to an PHR funding opportunity if you are:

a researcher with skills and experience relevant to the proposed study
based in the UK

Funding: Sir Halley Stewart Trust Small Grants
Sir Halley Stewart Trust Doctoral; Early career; Post-doctoral; Open-ended
The Trust has three priority areas: Medical, Social and Religious, with education being a central theme that runs across all grants. The Trust funds projects that focus on the prevention (rather than the alleviation) of human suffering

Up to £5,000 in total, is available; this should cover the entire project or be the major funding contribution. The total project should cost no more than £5,000. This grant is aimed at small scoping or pilot projects. A limited number of Small grants are awarded each year.

Small Grant applications are considered all year round and there are no application deadlines.

All Trust funded projects must have strong dissemination plans, to ensure a positive impact on the immediate beneficiaries, service-delivery partners, wider stakeholders and policy-makers. Appropriate evaluation plans must also be integral to project designs, as should demonstrable outcome measures and longer-term impact aims capable of monitoring and measurement.

Evidence of strong Equality, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EEDI), together with appropriate Safeguarding, are fundamental requirements for applications to be successful.

2025,2026,OPENENDED 2026-04-2408:08:46 2026-12-31 00:00:00

Funding call: Courses and conferences for early career researchers
NIHR MH-TRC Mission Doctoral; Early career; Pre-doctoral; Open-ended
The NIHR Mental Health Translational Research Collaboration Mission (MH-TRC Mission) Capacity Development workstream presents an exciting opportunity for early career researchers linked to the MH-TRC Mission. To support your training and development we are launching a rolling funding call for fees and travel expenses to enable attendance at relevant courses and conferences. Applications are also welcome from PhD candidates seeking co-funding for PhD tuition fees. You can apply for funding covering up to 50% of PhD tuition fees (up to £15,000) provided you have already secured the rest of the funding.

We ask you to complete an application form below with details of the funding you require and how the PhD/course/conference relates to the objectives of the MH-TRC Mission.

Successful applicants must use the best value for money method of travel. Accommodation and subsistence (meals, beverages and limited incidental costs) should be in line with value for money principles, and claimants should not benefit.

All applications will be reviewed and applicants notified of the outcome on a monthly basis. We intend to have this rolling funding call open until 31 October 2027.

Eligibility

Funding requests must be well aligned with Mission objectives.

Funding: MRC new investigator research grant: applicant-led
Medical Research Council (MRC) Early career; Open-ended
Apply for funding to take the next step towards becoming an independent researcher. Your research must be in the remit of the Medical Research Council (MRC).

You must have the skills and experience to ‘transition to independence’ and the support of an eligible host research organisation.

There is no limit to the funding you can apply for, but the typical full economic cost (FEC) of a project is under £1 million. MRC will usually fund 80% of the FEC. 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
be able to 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
be able to demonstrate you are the sole intellectual leader of the application and the proposed work

If you meet the eligibility criteria, you can also apply if you:

are employed as a postdoctoral research assistant, although this grant cannot start until your current work finishes
hold a lecturer appointment, a junior fellowship or another research staff position
hold, or have held, an early career training fellowship such as an MRC skills development fellowship
are not currently based at the eligible research organisation that has agreed to host your new investigator award
are either a non-clinical or clinically active researcher
have any number of years of experience

You are limited to submitting a maximum of two applications as project lead across MRC’s applicant-led responsive funding opportunities (research, partnership and new investigator) in a rolling 12-month period

Funding: MRC partnership grant applicant-led
Medical Research Council (MRC) Early career; Post-doctoral; Open-ended

Opening date to be announced soon

Apply for funding to support partnerships to carry out novel collaborative activities between a team of researchers, with interdisciplinarity encouraged where appropriate. We are looking to fund applicant-led partnerships between a team of researchers carrying out novel collaborative activities or capabilities that add value to high-quality research activities. These can be already supported by existing funding or will underpin future funding within the remit of the Medical Research Council (MRC).

We fund partnerships working to transform our understanding of human health and disease, to accelerate diagnosis, advance treatment and prevent human illness.

The grant will allow you to establish novel high-value collaborative activities or capabilities and add value to high-quality research activities supported by existing funding, or underpin future funding in our remit build capacity in an area of unmet need.

Funding is available for between 18 months and five years.

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply for this funding opportunity you must:

show that you will direct the project and be actively engaged in the work, or contribute to the academic leadership of the partnership
demonstrate that you and your team have the right expertise and experience to deliver the aims of the partnership, using interdisciplinary approaches where appropriate

Partnership grants are not designed to primarily support research. If you would like to apply for funding for a research project, you should instead consider a research grant.

You are also not eligible to apply for this funding opportunity as a project lead if you are based at an international research organisation. This does not include project leads from MRC Unit The Gambia or MRC/UVRI Uganda Research Unit at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Funding: UK Gut-Immune-Brain Axis Network Mobility Awards
UK Gut-Immune-Brain Axis Network (GIBA) Early career; Post-doctoral; Open-ended
Funds are available to encourage and support mobility between academic institutions and also with industry partners. The awards aim to promote the movement of researchers and technicians between different research settings to facilitate knowledge transfer between academics. Beneficiaries of the mobility awards can be at any career stage. The mobility award funds may be used to:

Initiate a new collaboration; Strengthen an existing collaboration; Learn a new technique; Make use of existing resources outside the host institute; Facilitate the integration of different GIBA-relevant techniques; Lead to a funding application; Explore new technology transfer projects

Mobility awards may be between £500 for short-term visits to facilitate in-person collaborative activities, and up to £5,000 for longer-term and/or bilateral visits. Maximum duration is 3 months.

This is a rolling call where applications will be reviewed bimonthly by the network leadership team. Successful applicants will be notified within a week of the review meeting.

2025,2026,OPENENDED 2026-04-2408:08:46 2027-12-31 17:00:00

Funding: MRC new investigator research grant: applicant-ledOctober

30/04/2026 9:00 am → 01/10/2028 9:00 am UK Research and Innovation (UKRI): Medical Research Council (MRC) Early career; Open - 891 days to go

Apply for funding to take the next step towards becoming an independent researcher. Your research must be in the remit of the Medical Research Council (MRC).

You must have:

the skills and experience to ‘transition to independence’
the support of an eligible host research organisation

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

This funding call operates on a rolling basis; shortlisting decision meetings will be held twice a year (or more frequently), and funding decision meetings will be held twice a year. Applicants will be informed of funding decisions within 10 working days of the funding decision meeting.

Eligibility

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

have research organisation support
be able to 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
be able to demonstrate you are the sole intellectual leader of the application and the proposed work

If you meet the eligibility criteria, you can also apply if you:

are employed as a postdoctoral research assistant, although this grant cannot start until your current work finishes
hold a lecturer appointment, a junior fellowship or another research staff position
hold, or have held, an early career training fellowship such as an MRC skills development fellowship
are not currently based at the eligible research organisation that has agreed to host your new investigator award
are either a non-clinical or clinically active researcher
have any number of years of experience

Funding: MRC research grant: applicant-ledOctober

30/04/2026 9:00 am → 01/10/2028 9:00 am UK Research and Innovation (UKRI): Medical Research Council (MRC) Early career; Post-doctoral; Open - 891 days to go

Apply for funding to support research within the remit of the Medical Research Council (MRC).

You must be employed by an eligible research organisation.
You can involve more than one research group or organisation in the project.

There is no limit to the funding you can apply for, but it should be appropriate to the project. We will usually fund up to 80% of your project’s full economic cost (FEC). Funding is available for between 18 months to five years.

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply for this funding opportunity you must show that you will direct the project and be actively engaged in the work.

For applicants who do not have a contract of employment for the duration of the proposed project, by submitting an application, the research organisation is confirming if it is successful:

contracts will be extended beyond the end date of the project
all necessary support for the project and the applicants will be provided, including mentorship and career development for early career researchers

Funding: MRC partnership grant: applicant-ledOctober

30/04/2026 9:00 am → 01/10/2028 9:00 am UK Research and Innovation (UKRI): Medical Research Council (MRC) Post-doctoral; Open - 891 days to go

Apply for funding to support partnerships to carry out novel collaborative activities between a team of researchers, with interdisciplinarity encouraged where appropriate. You must be employed by an eligible research organisation.

The grant will allow you to:

establish novel high-value collaborative activities or capabilities
add value to high-quality research activities supported by existing funding, or underpin future funding in our remit build capacity in an area of unmet need

Funding is available for between 18 months and five years. You are strongly encouraged to contact us before applying for advice. Applications out of scope will be rejected.

Eligibility

This funding opportunity is open to organisations with standard eligibility. Check if your organisation is eligible.

To be eligible to apply for this funding opportunity you must:

show that you will direct the project and be actively engaged in the work, or contribute to the academic leadership of the partnership
demonstrate that you and your team have the right expertise and experience to deliver the aims of the partnership, using interdisciplinary approaches where appropriate

For applicants who do not have a contract of employment for the duration of the proposed project, by submitting an application the research organisation is confirming, if it is successful:

contracts will be extended beyond the end date of the project
all necessary support for the project and the applicants will be provided, including mentorship and career development for early career researchers

Funding: Daphne Jackson fellowship
Daphne Jackson Trust Early career; Post-doctoral; Open-ended

These fellowships are for those looking to return to a research career after a break of two or more years for family, health or caring reasons. The aim is to give participants the confidence and skills they need to make a successful return to research.

They provide an opportunity to balance a personalised retraining programme with a challenging research project, in a supportive UK university or research establishment.

They are flexible, with at least 100 hours retraining per year, and part-time – usually completed over three years at 0.5 full-time equivalent.

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply, you must fulfil the basic criteria as outlined below:

you should currently be on a research career break of at least two years’ duration from a paid research position taken for family, health or caring reasons
you need to be resident in the UK at the time of application and have the right to work in the UK for at least 12 months with a clear route to subsequent visa progression
- please contact us first if you are planning to apply for a fellowship in the Republic of Ireland
you should hold a research doctorate
- or alternatively, have had at least three years’ research experience before your career break, with evidence of research impacts and outcomes
- we define a doctorate to be completed on the date of its successful examination/viva
- qualification and experience requirements vary for Research Technical Professional Fellowships

You should not have undertaken the following during your career break from research:

paid research work of any number of hours per week or duration
lectured to undergraduate degree level for more than six hours a week
studied for a Master’s or any form of professional qualification in a field related to the proposed fellowship as this could be defined as retraining even if it did not involve a research component

Limited voluntary and unpaid research during your career break will be considered on a case-by-case basis

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.

It is a six month in-work training opportunity, providing practical experience for health and care professionals starting their research career. People who would not normally have the opportunity to take part in clinical research in their day-to-day role have the chance to experience what it means to work on and deliver an NIHR portfolio trial under the mentorship of an enthusiastic Local Principal Investigator (PI). A Principal Investigator is an individual responsible for the conduct of a research study at a site.

Associate Principal Investigators receive formal recognition of engagement in NIHR Portfolio research studies through the certification of Associate PI status, endorsed by the NIHR and Royal Colleges.

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.

Eligibility

Eligibility

Eligibility

Eligibility

Eligibility

Eligibility

Eligibility

Eligibility

Eligibility

Eligibility

Eligibility

Eligibility

Eligibility

Eligibility

Eligibility

Eligibility

Eligibility

Eligibility

Eligibility

Eligibility

Eligibility

Eligibility