BHF Research Professorship awards aim to build world class leadership and capacity to deliver high-impact cardiovascular research, which has the potential to disrupt current paradigms across a broad spectrum of relevant disciplines.
The scheme supports exceptional cardiovascular researchers to further expand the scope and impact of their research and build critical mass in a specific field at their institutions, while also serving as ambassadors for BHF.
BHF reserves the option to make strategic appointments, or issue targeted calls for Research Professorship applications in specific research fields, in line with strategic priorities. Please see current BHF Research Professors.
In brief
Funding:
The BHF Research Professor scheme provides flexible funding of up to £400,000 per year. Funding is not linked to any specific research programme but is intended to enhance the scope and impact of the Professor’s portfolio of research activities. Please refer to our Costing Policy for Research Professorship for permitted spend.
Duration:
Research Professorship awards are granted for an initial period of five years and may be renewed once, for a maximum total duration of ten years.
Candidate:
The Research Professorship scheme seeks to support exceptional cardiovascular researchers and leaders who are positioned to attain and sustain international leadership in their field.
Application process:
There are 2 key stages: (1) Nomination, (2) Full application and interview. Research Professorship nominations are accepted throughout the year but will be reviewed concurrently and competitively. The deadline for nominations is 15 September 2026 with outcomes communicated in October 2026. Full applications will be considered once a year, with a deadline of 23 June 2027 following a nomination approval.
In exceptional circumstances, such as the international recruitment of a suitable principal investigator, the BHF is prepared to consider applications for BHF Research Professorships outside the annual cycle.
What we are looking for
- Scientific excellence with a track record of impactful research relevant to the BHF mission, which is internationally competitive and demonstrates potential to become internationally leading and disrupt current paradigms in the field.
- Research leadership at least at national level and capacity to attain and/or sustain such leadership at international level.
- Ability to attract institutional support commensurate with leadership role and trajectory, which demonstrates the university’s strategic commitment to enhancing its research capacity in the field.
- Active advocate for cardiovascular science and commitment to representing BHF as an ambassador as required and to upholding BHF values.
Who can apply
- A leading principal investigator with an internationally competitive track record in research in a field relevant to the BHF mission.
- A leading principal investigator substantively employed by a UK academic/research institution and conducts the majority of their research activities in the UK.
- A leading principal investigator who leads one or more major research programmes with substantial ongoing funding.
- A leading principal investigator who has research as primary role, with limited administrative or teaching responsibilities. Please note that clinical activity should be limited and/or aligned to the research.
What funding is offered
The BHF Research Professor scheme provides flexible funding of up to £400,000 per year. Funding is not linked to any specific research programme but is intended to enhance the scope and impact of the Professor’s portfolio of research activities. An indicative budget will be requested as part of the application. These are flexible awards, and the indicative proposed use of funding may be modified post-award at the Research Professor’s discretion, within the remit of the application.
It is the expectation that candidates applying for a Research Professorship will be tenured within the host institution, therefore, the support offered should not be used to support the Professor's salary without prior BHF approval on the basis of exceptional circumstances.
Research Professorship funding may be used for:
- research workforce – clinical time (for staff fully employed on the NHS only, may not be used for existing university posts), project staff, bridging salaries or stipends, scholarships, technical and support staff
- directly incurred research costs
- translation and commercialisation activities – excluding costs relating to protection, management and exploitation of intellectual property
- collaboration and partnerships
- training costs
- equipment costs – purchase and/or maintenance
- PPI, engagement, and outreach
- travel – including meetings and conferences
If you have expenditure in mind and are not clear if BHF would cover it, please refer to our Costing Policy for Research Professorship. Funds cannot be used to support administrative posts.
Residency requirements do not apply for BHF Research Professors, and international candidates are eligible to apply for accelerated endorsement of the UK Global Talent Visa. However, candidates must have obtained residency permission before the start of the award. Read more information on residency requirements.
Duration
Research Professorship awards are granted for an initial period of 5 years and may be renewed once, following a site visit, for a maximum total duration of 10 years.
Approximately four years into the award, the Research Professor will be requested to submit a concise Overview Report. This report will assist the Chairs and Programme Grants Committee in identifying any areas requiring attention in preparation for the subsequent full renewal application and associated review process, which will include a site visit. At the point of renewal, the level of continued support will be evaluated. Should renewal of funding not be recommended, the Research Professorship will terminate at the five-year mark.
The maximum duration of an award is 10 years. The Research Professorship funding will end after a period of 10 years.
BHF reserves the right to review and alter the nature of support provided.
How to apply and what to submit
The appointment process consists of 2 steps:
Step 1: Nomination
The first step towards an application for a BHF Research Professorship award is nomination by a senior leader of the host university’s faculty (e.g. Dean or equivalent). Each nomination will be assessed by the BHF to determine whether the candidate should be invited to submit a full application for a Research Professorship. The evaluation will consider several key factors, including the leadership of the candidate, the standing and future potential of their research programmes, the institution’s commitment to supporting the appointment, and the added value and potential impact the proposed Research Professorship would deliver for the BHF in line with our research strategy. Nominations will be reviewed and assessed by the BHF Leadership Team. The next deadline for nominations will be 15 September 2026. Please see Research Professorship nomination guidance for further information.
Step 2: Full application and interview
If the Research Professorship nomination is approved and appropriate funding for one or more programmes of research in relevant fields, from BHF and/or other funder(s), is in place, the candidate will be invited to complete a full online application form.
At this stage, applications undergo a rigorous external assessment of both the candidate’s scientific excellence and leadership and the institution’s commitment and ambitions, through independent reviews from the research community. Candidates will have the opportunity to submit a formal rebuttal responding to the written peer reviews. Following this assessment, the Chairs and Programme Grants Committee will determine whether the candidate should progress to the final interview stage. Full applications are reviewed once per year; for nominations accepted in October 2026, the deadline for submission is 23 June 2027. Research Professorship full application details and reviewer guidance will be available in Autumn 2026.
Following full application and subject to a positive recommendation by the Chairs and Programme Grants Committee, the Research Professor candidate will be invited to interview by a panel as the final stage of assessment. This panel may include the Chief Scientific and Medical Officer, BHF Directors, representatives of the Chairs and Programme Grants Committee and external subject experts.
The purpose of the interview is to address any queries arising from the full application and to make a final assessment of the candidate’s suitability to receive a BHF Research Professorship award, in competition with other applications that are under assessment in that round. For full applications approved for progression in 2027, interviews will be held in October/November 2027.
A final decision on appointment will be made by the Chairs and Programme Grants Committee following the recommendation of the interview panel.
Simplified flowchart outlining our decision process
To help applicants better understand how their proposals are assessed, please see BHF independent review guidelines.