Funding and opportunities

Resources

• Explain This. A series of short, accessible microlearning resources to help people working in healthcare improvement understand key concepts and approaches. Access the resources here.
• How to develop a PPI group. PPI in Action webinar series, led by Christina King and Sarah Murray – both Chairs of PPI research groups. Available on YouTube.
• New e-learning on research now available. Research skills are increasingly recognised as core professional capabilities, not just optional extras. Sign up for 2 e-learning modules to build your skills and knowledge about research. The ‘What is Health Research?’ modules, available on the NHS Learning Hub, include a foundation level course for anyone new to research and an intermediate level for those wanting to develop their understanding further. They can be completed at your own pace, anytime, anywhere.
• Share your study with thousands of research ready volunteers! The NIHR (National Institute for Health and Care Research) hosts a UK-wide registry for research being conducted at local hospitals, GP surgeries, in care or community settings or at home, across all health and care specialties. The NIHR Be Part of Research platform is a free online service that seeks to match volunteers to studies – A short video guide is available on YouTube. You will first need to have registered your study with the NIHR Research Delivery Network Portfolio (and/or be in receipt of NIHR funding) and have Research Ethics Committee approval to be able to use the service as a recruitment tool.
• New e-learning on research now available. Build your skills and knowledge about research by signing up for two e-learning modules launched in partnership with the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The ‘What is Health Research?’ modules, available on the NHS Learning Hub, include a foundation level course for anyone new to research and an intermediate level for those wanting to develop their understanding further.

Inclusive research opportunities and resources

• PRO EDI—A Tool to Help Systematic Reviewers Make Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Assessments. Systematic reviews are often not clear about who is represented within a body of evidence. PRO EDI was developed to help systematic review authors extract and report equity-related participant data to support greater transparency and more informed judgments about applicability. PRO EDI has two main components: a participant characteristics table and guidance on how to use the extracted characteristics data within reviews. PRO EDI recommends that six participant characteristics should be extracted for all included studies in a review: age, sex, gender, ethnicity, race and ancestry, socioeconomic status, and location. Other characteristics (e.g., disability) may be important for some reviews. PRO EDI is relevant for all systematic reviews, not just those with an equity focus. The tool has been piloted in several reviews and is publicly available via Trial Forge. See the complete article and links.
• The Inclusive Research Hub. Resources created by the Inclusive Research Collective in collaboration with the University of Bristol’s People Development Team. The Hub offers a starting point for researchers across disciplines to critically reflect on their practice, access key concepts, and explore practical ideas for change.
• Inclusive Research: Key Concepts and Practical Strategies. Interesting long read / blog post by Dr Elizabeth Morrow, Prof Tushna Vandrevala and Prof Fiona M. Ross, introducing and discussing the what and how of inclusive research.
• Paul Hamlyn Foundation supports people with unusual or radical ideas to improve the life chances and opportunities of people in the UK. The Foundation is focused on leading change and designing solutions to overcome inequality. Various funds are currently open, focusing on Migration, Youth, Arts Based Learning and India.  Priority is given to people and organisations with direct lived experience of the issue they want to explore.
• Nuffield Foundation Racial Diversity UK Fund. Research funding to understand the barriers and pathways to a racially just and inclusive society. Outline application deadline in October 2026.

Project/programme grants and funding

Four Nations access to NIHR funding

Since 2023, health and social care researchers from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have had increased access to health and social care research funding from the NIHR. Five NIHR research programmes became accessible in autumn 2023:

• Evidence Synthesis
• Invention for Innovation (i4i)
• Research for Social Care (RfSC)
• Programme Grants for Applied Research programme (PGfAR)
• Programme Development Grants

NHS Research Scotland

Chief Scientist Office Response Mode Funding Schemes. Applications should fall within the remit of two committees: the Translational Clinical Studies Research Committee or the Health Improvement, Protection and Services Research Committee. Funding is for up to 36 months and a total of £350,000 at 80% Full Economic Cost. The next deadline for outline applications is June 26. Full details here.

Ymchwil Iechyd a Gofal Cymru – Health and Care Research Wales

View a full list of current opportunities.

HSC R&D Division Northern Ireland

PPI in Research Support Small Grant Scheme: grants to facilitate the involvement of patients, carers, and public in the research process as partners rather than participants, and to encourage innovative practice in the delivery of PPI through the development of new ways of working with patients, carers and the public. Open call. Further details on the HSC R&D website

Applying for Funding – advice and support for Northern Ireland applicants. For those in NI considering applications to NIHR grant schemes, researchers can discuss applications with members of HSC R&D Division. Further information and contacts on the HSC R&D website.

National Institute of Health Research (NIHR)

All funding opportunities from NIHR can be found online.

Open calls include themed calls for funding opportunities that focus on priority research areas. Various funding opportunities available – current themes include Dementia, MND, Brain Tumour, Work Health (working age adults living with chronic health conditions). See the above NIHR website link for details.

• Health Technology Assessment: Early intervention programmes for infants with an increased chance of neurodisability. Closing date 15 July 13:00.
• Health Technology Assessment: What is the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of specialist palliative care support in care home settings? Closing date 15 July 13:00.
• Public Health Research: Loneliness in the community. Research that evaluates the health and health inequality impacts of community initiatives that aim to address loneliness at a population level. Outline application closing date 16 August 13:00.
• Public Health Research: School readiness and the home learning environment. Research into the effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness, of interventions seeking to improve the home learning environment and school readiness for children in the UK. Outline application closing date 18 August 13:00.

Medical Research Council (MRC)

All funding opportunities from MRC can be found online. Open calls include:

• Researching ME/CFS priority area. No closing date.  

Please see MRC funding for personal fellowships below, as the MRC offers a number of opportunities for individual fellowships and funding.

Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)

All funding opportunities from ESRC can be found online. ESRC’s funding remit includes economic, social, behavioural and human data science.

Open calls for topics in ESRC’s remit include:

• ESRC responsive mode: research grants round two. No closing date.
• ESRC responsive mode: new investigator grants round two. No closing date.
• ESRC responsive mode: secondary data analysis round two. No closing date.

Wellcome  

All funding opportunities from Wellcome can be found online.

Leverhulme Trust 

All funding opportunities from Leverhulme Trust can be found online.

Nuffield Foundation 

All funding opportunities from Nuffield Foundation can be found online.  Open calls include:

• Racial Diversity UK Fund. Closes October 2026.

Other funders and charities

• Parkinson’s UK Excellence Network Grants, small grants for 2026. The grant scheme returned on 13 April. Services can apply for up to £12,000 for projects within the following themed categories:
  • no diagnosis without support (including mental health)
  • improving research participation
  • connected care closer to the community.

  Key dates: Wednesday 3 June 2026, 17:00 : Deadline to submit expressions of interest. Friday 3 July 2026, 17:00: Final deadline for Round 1 applications.

• BBC Children in Need Grants. Apply for funding in one of the following priority areas: preventing mental health issues, alleviating the impact of poverty and deprivation, reducing social inequity for marginalised children and young people, addressing the impact of family related challenges. Priorities for funding differ by geographical region in the UK. Full details on the BBC Children in Need website.

Fellowships and clinical academic opportunities

Parkinson’s UK senior research fellowship round for 2026

Senior research fellowships are for people who want to specialise in Parkinson’s research by establishing their own independent research group. These awards provide applicants with funds they need to to set up their own project teams as they develop their careers. Fellowships are initially for three years and for up to £300,000. Applicants should have a strong track record of original and productive research in their area, and be able to demonstrate the progress they’ve made in moving towards independence. Deadline for proposal applications is 1 July 16:00. View more details on the senior research fellowship.

National Institute of Health Research (NIHR)

Find all NIHR fellowships under the Research career development funding programmes. Highlights include:

• Principal Investigator Pipeline Programme (PIPP). Offers AHPs in England the opportunity to develop as Principal Investigators on NIHR portfolio studies. The next application deadline is 29 May 2026 13:00.

MRC

• Daphne Jackson fellowship. For researchers returning after a career break. No closing date.

Stroke Association

All funding opportunities from the Stroke Association can be found on their website.
A new round of fellowships are being launched in 2026. These include:

• Lectureships – closing date for applications is 13 July 2026 13:00
• Postgraduate Fellowships (PhD Studentships) – opening July 2026

Wellcome

• Early-Career Awards  provides funding for early-career researchers from any discipline who are ready to develop their research identity. By the end of the award, they will be ready to lead their own independent research programme. Closing date 21 July 2026.

PhDs

Other PhD opportunities

We now share funded project-based PhD opportunities, sourced from findaphd.com 

Note, that there may be opportunities to apply for funding with institutions to pursue other PhD topics and we encourage you to contact relevant universities to explore this. 

Latest opportunities: 

• How do children learn to read and spell irregular words? Australian Catholic University, North Sydney. No Deadline.
• An investigation of language abilities and neurocognitive mechanisms in older adults with age-related hearing loss. Newcastle University. Deadline May 20.
• Joint NIHR PhD Studentship – Understanding pathways of care for people with multiple long-term conditions (MLTC) in NHS hospital care. Newcastle University. Deadline May 24.
• Making clinical trials more inclusive by using behavioural science to improve communication. University of Liverpool. Deadline May 25.
• Exploring the care and treatment gap for people with likely dementia in prison. University of the West of Scotland. Deadline June 15.
• Reach, Impact, Equity and Cost Evaluation of Childsmile: Scotland’s National Child Oral Health Improvement Programme. University of Glasgow. Deadline June 30.
• Wearable AI for Total Communication Support. King’s College London. Deadline July 24.