Parkinson's UK / MRC Jointly Funded Fellowships

Parkinson's UK / MRC Clinical Research Training Fellowship

Funds clinical research training fellowships for registered healthcare professionals through Parkinson's United Kingdom and the Medical Research Council.

The Parkinson's UK / MRC Clinical Research Training Fellowship is a jointly funded three-year fellowship for registered healthcare professionals pursuing Parkinson's disease research. Parkinson's UK co-funds up to two slots per year within the Medical Research Council's standard Clinical Research Training Fellowship scheme, which is administered entirely by MRC through the UKRI grants portal. Two fellowship types are available under this scheme: professional doctorate training fellowships and capacity building post-doctoral training fellowships. The 2026 deadline for the Parkinson's UK-tagged slots is 2 September 2026, with an earlier MRC round deadline of 8 April 2026.

Eligibility is restricted to registered healthcare professionals; academic researchers without clinical registration are ineligible for this scheme and should instead consider the MRC Career Development Award co-funded slot. Lead applicants must be based at a UK university, research institute, NHS Trust, or statutory social care organisation. Applications are submitted through the UKRI portal with a Parkinson's UK joint funding form and cover letter included in the submission package. MRC manages review and award decisions; Parkinson's UK contributes co-funding for Parkinson's-relevant applications.

With up to two co-funded slots available per year, this scheme is highly competitive for the Parkinson's-specific component. Applicants should contact the Parkinson's UK research grants team early to confirm slot availability and to receive guidance on how the joint funding form should frame the Parkinson's relevance of the proposed research. Proposals that clearly articulate how the clinical research training will build a defined Parkinson's research capability — and how the fellowship connects to a longer-term clinical academic career plan — are best positioned in the review process.