Grant Types & Guidelines

The BHF offers the following types of research grants (applicants wishing to undertake a clinical trial should seek advice on which funding scheme to follow).

Please click on the grant name to open the grant guidelines:

Project Grants – For short term research projects lasting up to 3 years.

Programme Grants – For long term support reviewed on a 5 year rolling basis.

Fellowships - Non-Clinical

• PhD Studentship – To provide a foundation training in research.
• Advanced Training Award – To provide researchers within one year of submitting a PhD with an opportunity to re-train and gain additional expertise. Candidates must be moving into a different field of science (e.g. from cell biology to bioinformatics or entering cardiovascular science from a different discipline).
• Intermediate Basic Science Research Fellowship – To provide a career opportunity for talented individuals hoping to become research leaders.
• Career Re-entry Fellowship – To provide an opportunity to re-establish a career in cardiovascular science after a break of more than two years.
• Senior Basic Science Research Fellowship – To provide a career opportunity for outstanding individuals who are expected to reach Readership or Chair level within 5 years.

Fellowships - Clinical

• MBPhD Studentship – To allow talented medical students to complete a PhD before completion of their foundation programme; restricted to UK institutions that have recognised MBPhD programmes.
• Clinical Research Training Fellowship – To provide a training in research after Foundation Year 2 and before consultant status (CCT).
• Intermediate Clinical Research Fellowship – To provide a career opportunity for individuals with an established research record who intend to become leaders in academic medical research. NTN will be exchanged for NTN(A) on appointment, and the individual may progress to consultant level during the fellowship.
• Clinical Research Leave Fellowship – To provide an opportunity for NHS consultants with a recent research record to carry out research in a recognised UK centre of excellence in cardiovascular medicine.
• Senior Clinical Research Fellowship – To provide a career opportunity for outstanding individuals who are expected to reach Readership or Chair level within 10 years.

Travel Fellowships – To enable an experienced researcher to undertake a visit to a distinguished laboratory abroad, either for a short period to acquire specialist knowledge or expertise, or for a longer period to carry out a research project that could not be done in the UK.

Personal Chairs – The BHF’s expectation is that its professors appointed to recognized UK centres of excellence will bring research leadership at an internationally competitive level and a commitment to training future cardiovascular scientists. How the proposed candidate supports and enhances the university’s overall cardiovascular research strategy and the added value to the BHF of making the award are also important considerations.  

New Horizons Grants - To encourage scientists from outside traditional cardiovascular biology to engage in cardiovascular research we will award one-off grants of up £300,000 and not more than three years’ duration to groups of scientists who can bring novel expertise to cardiovascular research. 

Infrastructure Grants - We are prepared to consider applications for up to £500,000 towards the costs of providing essential infrastructure to support cardiovascular science in any academic institution.

Strategic Initiatives - We are prepared to consider two different types of strategic award, a strategic capital award and a strategic appointment.

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