Blog
Introducing our new Fellowship schemes
Our research strategy marks an exciting shift in how we support the cardiovascular research community. At its core, the strategy is designed to deliver bold, transformative science while building capacity for the future
A key part of this vision is a major investment in Fellowships, ensuring that talented researchers at every career stage have the support they need to thrive and lead.
Our updated Fellowship portfolio reflects this commitment. We’ve streamlined and modernised our schemes to provide clearer pathways for career progression, greater flexibility, and enhanced resources for training and development.
New Fellowship Schemes
Our six new Fellowship schemes are now open to applicants, alongside our existing schemes. These aim to provide enhanced support and flexibility across key stages of academic careers.
Early Career Fellowships
The Discovery Research Early Career Fellowship and Clinical Early Career Research Fellowship aim to support researchers following successful completion of their PhD studies and represent the first step towards scientific independence. They will provide salaries for the Fellow and a part-time research technician or assistant, alongside research costs, for up to four years.
Future Leaders Fellowships
The Future Leaders Fellowship will allow researchers to establish themselves as leaders in their field, accelerating their transition to independence and enabling them to drive bold, innovative research.
Our Discovery Research Future Leaders and Clinical Future Leaders Fellowships will provide funding for up to seven years to embed flexibility and provide longer term stability. Both will provide salaries for the Fellow and a research technician, assistant or post-doctoral research associate, alongside research costs.
Senior Fellowships
The Discovery Research Senior Fellowship and Clinical Senior Research Fellowship are aimed at the most talented and independent researchers to expand their research portfolio towards programmatic grants.
We expect universities to provide long-term stability for individuals at this career stage and, to facilitate the transition to a fully funded position, we will pay 50 per cent of the Fellow’s salary. Alongside this, the award will provide salary for two associated posts and research costs. This scheme will be limited to up to five years.
New supporting funds
To improve support packages for Fellows, we have introduced additional supporting funds to Fellowships. These include:
- Caring responsibility fund – Up to £200 per year towards expenses directly related to caring responsibilities incurred as a result of Fellowship activities such as attending conferences, training, or collaborator visits. This fund is available for all Fellowships.
- Training fund – Up to £750 per year for Early Career Fellowships to provide financial support for the Fellow’s research and development needs such as workshops, training or coaching.
- Discretionary fund – For Future Leaders and Senior Fellowships, up to £1000 per year to provide flexible financial support for the Fellow’s research and development needs.
Fellowship Opportunities
We have also introduced dedicated ‘entry-points’ targeted to specific individuals, to help better frame their application throughout the review process and provide extra support where applicable. Full eligibility criteria are available on each webpage.
Returning from a career break - To support talented researchers returning from a career break of at least six months, all of our new Fellowship schemes are open to career re-entry applicants.
Transitioning from industry to academia - Our Discovery Research Fellowships are open to industry applicants, to support talented scientists returning to academia and encourage greater mobility between sectors.
International applicants - To grow the strength, breadth and diversity of the UK’s cardiovascular research workforce, each of our Discovery and Clinical Research Fellowships are open to international researchers who have been working outside the UK for a minimum of 3 years.
Watch our webinar
Watch our webinar to find out more about our Fellowship offerings and hear answers to some frequently asked questions. Our FAQs will also provide further guidance on eligibility, application requirements, and the new Fellowship schemes.