BHF Clinical Research Training Fellowships

BHF Clinical Research Training Fellowship

Funds training of clinical researchers in acute care science to strengthen real-world implementation.

The British Heart Foundation Clinical Research Training Fellowship funds qualified clinicians at UK institutions to pursue a dedicated period of cardiovascular research training leading to a PhD (three years) or an MD or equivalent research degree (two years). The July 2026 round closes on 1 July 2026 at 17:00; the following round closes 13 January 2027. Late submissions are automatically rejected. Award funding covers the fellow's salary, research consumables typically capped at under £18,000 per year, tuition fees at the standard home student rate, and up to £3,000 for travel to scientific meetings over the full award period.

Applicants must typically have completed Foundation Year 2 but not yet hold a Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT), placing them in the clinical training pathway before consultant-level appointment. Non-UK residents are eligible to apply and may qualify for an accelerated endorsement under the UK Global Talent Visa scheme. Candidates who have already registered for a PhD may apply only within the first six months of their registration date, and the fellowship start date must fall within 12 months of that registration. The supervising clinician-scientist must commit at least 10% of their time to supervision and must hold their post at the host institution for the full duration of the fellowship.

Applications are submitted as a single PDF (maximum 20 MB, Arial 12pt font) through the online portal at researchgrants.bhf.org.uk. The research case must demonstrate a hypothesis-driven project aligned with BHF's cardiovascular and circulatory science mission. External peer review informs the committee decision. The scheme supports the BHF's goal of building a pipeline of clinically trained cardiovascular researchers who combine patient-facing expertise with laboratory or population-science skills, and is one of two annual rounds operating on a fixed deadline calendar.