NIHR opportunities

These programmes are suitable for a range of career paths and experience, and most welcome applications annually or multiple times a year.

Pre-Doctoral Fellowships

A 1-year Masters degree for people looking to start or advance a career in health research methodologies, in a range of specialisms.

Doctoral Fellowships 

A 3-year full time award that supports individuals to undertake a PhD in an area of NIHR research. Can be taken part or full-time, and include up to 20% clinical time.

Advanced Fellowships

A 2 to 5 year fellowship for those post-doctoral level and is aimed at several specific points of a researcher’s career development.

Development and Skills Enhancement Award

A post-doctoral level award supporting NIHR Academy members to gain specific skills and experience to underpin the next stage of their research career. Current themes include: health data science, clinical trials, and entrepreneurship and working with industry.

NIHR Academy Mentoring Programme

The NIHR Academy Mentoring Programme aims to support the academic and career development of our postdoctoral communities, by:

• promoting interdisciplinarity – mentors and mentees will be encouraged to consider seeking a mentor from a similar or complementary discipline or professional background, where appropriate
• supporting mentoring relationships between individuals from different organisations and institutions
• promoting equality, inclusion and diversity through engagement with, and learning from, under-represented groups
• extending the NIHR Academy mentoring offer to postdoctoral award holders from disciplines and professional backgrounds which may not have a strong mentoring tradition, or may not have had access to programmes such as this in the past

NIHR Short Placement Award for Research Collaboration (SPARC)

NIHR Short Placement Award for Research Collaboration (SPARC) scheme allows NIHR Academy Members (PhD or early career post-doctoral researchers) supported by NIHR infrastructure and NIHR Schools an opportunity to spend time in other parts of the NIHR; to network, train in a specific skill or collaborate with other researchers/specialists.

NIHR Visiting Speaker Award

NIHR Visiting Speaker Award (VSA) offers NIHR Academy Members based in the NIHR Infrastructure or NIHR Schools the opportunity to present their research in another part of the NIHR.