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)

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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.

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Funding: Suicide and self-harm researchJuly

24/07/2025 12:00 pm    Medical Research Foundation    Post-doctoral;   Open - 33 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.

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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 - 39 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?

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Control: Treatment as usual. Applicants to define and justify.
4. 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.

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Funding: Children and young people’s mental healthAugust

15/08/2025 1:00 pm    NIHR    Post-doctoral;   Open - 55 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.

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Funding: Neurosciences and mental health research grantSeptember

04/09/2025 4:00 pm    Medical Research Council    Early career;   Post-doctoral;   Open - 75 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.

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Neurosciences and mental health: new investigator fundingSeptember

04/09/2025 4:00 pm    Medical Research Council    Early career;   Open - 75 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

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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.

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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.

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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

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.

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