The Medical Research Council’s Early Independence Clinician Scientist Fellowship supports registered healthcare professionals who already hold a PhD and are ready to step out of someone else’s group and lead their own. It funds your salary and research costs for up to five years, so you can establish your own research niche and start building a team while staying clinically active.
Applications opened at 9am on 21 October 2026 and close at 4pm UK time on 13 January 2027. Shortlisting takes place in May 2027, the funding decision meeting is on 30 June and 1 July 2027, and fellowships start between October 2027 and January 2028. The scheme now sits within UKRI’s new fellowship investment framework, so if you looked at the old clinician scientist fellowship in a previous round, read the guidance afresh.
Who can apply
- You must be a registered healthcare professional. That includes doctors, dentists and GPs, and also nurses, midwives, allied health professionals, healthcare scientists, pharmacists, clinical psychologists and vets.
- You need a PhD or equivalent, evidence of productivity and career development across your past posts, and research plans that are clearly your own rather than an extension of your group leader’s.
- Doctors and dentists should be at specialty registrar or consultant level (or the GP equivalent), with plans in place to finish specialty training if you have not done so. Other healthcare professionals must have completed their professional training.
- You must intend to be clinically active during or after the award, and your research must sit within MRC remit.
- There are no limits based on age or years since your PhD, and applicants of any nationality are welcome as long as the fellowship is hosted by an eligible UK organisation.
You cannot apply if you already hold a permanent post that gives you independence, have led grants that pay for your own research staff, or already hold a comparable early independence fellowship or new investigator award. You cannot apply for this and an MRC new investigator grant at the same time, and you get two attempts at any MRC fellowship.
What the fellowship covers
The MRC funds 80% of the full economic cost for up to five years, pro rata if you work part time. There is no upper limit, but costs must be justified and in proportion to someone establishing a group: your salary, a small number of research or technical staff, consumables, equipment, travel, training, public involvement and NHS research costs. If you are relocating to the UK, visa fees and the immigration health surcharge are covered for you and your dependants. You can also spend up to 12 months at a second organisation in the UK, overseas or in industry.
Your time is protected for research. You can do up to two clinical sessions a week (up to four for surgeons and other craft specialties, or where the clinical work feeds directly into the project) and up to six hours a week of teaching or other commitments.
Does it fit dementia research?
Neurosciences and mental health is one of the MRC’s core science areas, and the scheme covers everything from mechanisms of disease through to translational and clinical research. A number of charities co-fund fellowships through this route, including the Motor Neurone Disease Association, so check whether a joint award fits your work.
If you are weighing up whether you are ready, read our guide to securing your first research fellowship and the blog Am I Ready? Knowing When to Apply for Your First Research Fellowship.
How applications are assessed
Applications go to expert review and then a shortlisting panel. If you are shortlisted you receive the reviewers’ comments and respond to them at an in-person interview lasting around 20 to 25 minutes. As well as the usual vision, approach and capability sections, you need a statement from a sponsor who is a senior member of your host department, a host organisation support statement, details of your mentoring arrangements and a section on your clinical activities and training. For interview preparation, our blog on fellowship writing and interview tips is a good place to start.
How to apply
Applications are made through the UKRI Funding Service and submitted by your research office, so build their internal deadline into your plans. Questions about eligibility go to fellows@mrc.ukri.org, and if you have not yet been awarded your PhD you must contact them before applying.
Read the full details and apply
Visit funding web page
(https://www.ukri.org/opportunity/early-independence-clinician-scientist-fellowship/)