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Medical Research Council

Early independence: clinician scientist fellowship

A fellowship for clinicians building an independent health research career.

OpenMedical Research CouncilUnited Kingdom

This fellowship supports talented clinically active researchers who have gained a higher research degree and are moving towards research independence. It supports salary, research, training and development, alongside justified project costs.

It is for registered healthcare professionals with a PhD or equivalent, career consolidation and productivity across past appointments, and plans to establis…

In scope: research within MRC remit to improve human health, from basic studies with relevance to mechanisms of disease to translational and developmental clinical research. MRC science areas include infections and immunity; molecular and cellular medicine; population and systems medicine; neurosciences and mental health; translation; global health; methodology; and public health. Global health research should align with MRC’s core remit spanning biomedical discovery research to early translational research. Normally, fellowships would not be a suitable route to establish longitudinal population studies. Until further notice, only applications for core infrastructure support for existing longitudinal population studies with previous MRC support will be accepted.

CycleiHow often this grant runs — e.g. annually, on a rolling basis, or a one-off call.One-off
Next deadlineiThe next date applications are due. Rolling means you can apply any time.2 Sept 2026
Decision timeiTypical time from the deadline to the funder's decision.—
Project durationiHow long the funded work is expected to run.60 months
Award typeiThe form of funding — grant, equity, loan, tax credit, etc.In-kind assistance
Match fundingiThe share of project costs you must cover yourself. 0% = fully funded.20%
Funding pooliThe total budget available across all awards in this round.—

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Last verified: 27 Aug 2026Funder reference: ukri-post-181592Source: www.ukri.org