NIHR Postdoctoral Award (formerly Advanced Fellowship)
The NIHR Advanced Fellowship has been replaced by the Postdoctoral Award: 2 to 5 years of salary, research and training funding for postdoctoral researchers from any health or care background. Cohorts open in April and October.
Scheme details
- Funding range
- Salary (including up to 40% practice time), a support post for up to 3 years, research, training and conference costs (£2,000 per FTE year); no strict cap on other costs; 2 to 5 years FTE, held at 50% to 100%
- Career stage
- Mid-career
- Scheme type
- Individual
- Eligibility
- PhD or MD (or thesis submitted), not holding a chair; any postdoctoral stage. Host must be an HEI, NHS body, local authority or other health or care provider in England; devolved nations did not take part in Cohorts 1 to 3. Research must be within NIHR's applied health and care remit.
- Format & limits
- Scientific abstract, Plain English summary and Working with people and communities summary: 3,500 characters each; Detailed research plan: 10 pages; Narrative CV: 3 pages; Career development programme: 3 pages; References: 3 pages
- Deadline
- Upcoming Advanced Fellowship discontinued (last round closed 23 January 2025) · Postdoctoral Award Cohort 3 closed 16 June 2026 · Cohort 4 expected to open October 2026 and close December 2026 (est.)
View official scheme page
https://www.nihr.ac.uk/career-development/research-career-funding-programmes/postdoctoral/postdoctoral-award
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Last updated: 2026-09-24
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