The Clinical Senior Research Fellowship (Clinical SRF) will support outstanding clinician scientists who are looking to grow their research group and have recently been awarded or are on a trajectory to a professorship.

Eligible candidates can apply for an award of up to 5 years, or an equivalent duration for part-time work. Candidates must hold (or be moving to) a position in an eligible host institution that will underwrite 50% of their salary. This scheme is also open to international applicants, as well as those returning from a career break.

Entry requirements

• The applicant should hold their CCT and can be trained in any clinical specialty (e.g. cardiology, cardiac/vascular surgery, emergency medicine, endocrinology and diabetes, general practice, neurology, public health, radiology) but the research proposed must be within BHF’s overall cardiovascular remit.
• Applicants will be established postdoctoral investigators, often having held a mid-career/intermediate clinical research postdoctoral fellowship. They must be able to show, by publications or otherwise, evidence of exceptional research ability.
• Successful applicants will usually have established their independent research group and will be looking to build upon this. They will have multiple impactful first/last author original research papers, a track record of substantial grant income, along with a record of training and supervising junior researchers.
• The applicant must not have held a tenured position for more than 2 years in the host institution. 
• Applicants who hold or have held a senior research fellowship previously may not be eligible for this scheme. Please get in touch at the earliest opportunity to check your eligibility.

Eligible candidates also include:

• Candidates returning to academia after a career break from medicine and science of more than 6 months 
• International candidates planning to come to the UK through the accelerated endorsement of the UK Global Talent Visa

Grant overview

• Up to 5 years duration, without extension.
• The host institution must demonstrate strong evidence of sustained research excellence in the cardiovascular field. This includes a significant critical mass of expertise in the field and necessary infrastructure to effectively support the applicant in successfully undertaking their research project.
• Part of the award may be spent overseas subject to a justified case being made.
• Applicants are strongly encouraged to name up to 2 mentors who can provide independent advice on career and professional development. The mentor(s) may be based in the host institution if external to the applicant’s group, although an individual based in a different organisation to ensure impartial support may be preferred. If more than one mentor is named, at least 1 must be in a different institution to the applicant. A letter of support from the nominated mentor(s) must be included with the application. 
• The Fellowship may be taken up on a part-time employment basis (at least 0.5 FTE), where appropriate, following discussion and agreement with us and the employing institution. For more information read about our Flexible working policies.
• A formal commitment to a tenured position or equivalent from the host institution upon successful completion of the applicant’s award will be required. This should be detailed in the letter of support from the Head of Department.

Award may include:

• 50% salary of applicant (at equivalent NHS banding).
  
  • Applicants are expected to apply for a job plan with 10 PAs. They can exceptionally make the case for a job plan of up to 12 PAs, if they are already a consultant in an established job plan holding more than 10 PAs, and where the additional PAs are covered by other sources (i.e the host university or NHS Trust). At least one clinical SPA must be included in the job plan.
  • Fellows should include justification of clinical sessions with their submitted job plan. BHF will normally allow up to 2 sessions (2 PAs) to be spent on clinical activity not directly contributing to the proposed research project and clinical research area of work. BHF recognises that more clinical sessions up to 50% clinical time may be appropriate to deliver the research, including when the project is directly related to the clinical work and/or highly patient-orientated in nature. Such requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis and will require a clear justification.
• Salary of 2 associated posts (post-doctoral research assistant, technician or equivalent support post) if required and fully justified.
• Research consumables directly attributable to the project. Consumables will not be provided overseas as facilities should be provided by the host department.
• Research equipment essential for the project. Equipment will not be provided overseas as facilities must be provided by the host department.
• Discretionary fund (up to £2,500 per award from BHF) to provide flexible financial support for the fellow’s research and development needs, including but not limited to professional development (such as workshops, training or coaching), research-related equipment, or any other resources that will help advance their fellowship experience. This fund is contingent on the host institution matching this amount, to bring the total fund up to £5,000 per award. Justification and breakdown for use of this fund does not need to be detailed within the application.
• Travel fund (up to £5,000 per award) to present research at or attend scientific meetings relevant to the grant.
• Contribution to expenses directly related to caring responsibilities incurred as a result of fellowship activities such as attending conferences, training, or collaborator visits (up to £1,000 per award). Justification and breakdown for use of this fund does not need to be detailed within the application.

For overseas visits of more than 6 months:

• One return economy fare for the Fellow, their partner and up to 2 dependent children
• Where there isn’t a public provision of healthcare (for example, USA), BHF will contribute towards healthcare insurance. Full details must be provided in the application.
• Housing contribution up to £3,000.

Case for Support

You will be asked to attach a single PDF document to your online application form containing the following information:

1. For resubmissions, include an unedited copy of the original feedback, followed by a detailed response, limited to 3 sides of A4, explaining how the revised application has changed from the original submission
2. Title of the proposed research
3. Abstract of the proposed investigation in 200 words or less
4. Background to the project and pilot data
5. Original hypothesis
6. Experimental details and design of proposed investigation
7. If requesting funding for a clinical study, include all information listed in the Clinical Study Guidelines (Interventional Study) or in the Clinical Study Guidelines (Observational Study). If you do not provide the information outlined in the guidelines, your application may be returned without formal consideration
8. Power calculations
9. Expected value of results
10. List of references relevant to the proposed project
11. Appendices should be a maximum of 3 sides of A4 containing only tables or figures essential to the understanding of the application. A Gantt chart should be included. Research papers whether published, in press or in preparation may not be attached (although hyperlinks can be provided).
12. Your proposed job plan of research and clinical activity. If you are already working as a consultant in an established job plan, please provide both your current and proposed job plan.

Sections 2-9 must not exceed 6 A4 sides. The PDF file size must not exceed 20MB.

Please ensure Arial font size 12 is used. If this font size is not used, the application will be rejected prior to formal consideration.

Additional document uploads that will be requested within pages on the application form:

• Full CV of the applicant including list of publications and academic email address
• Letter of support from the Head of Department where the Fellowship will be based, showing the academic institution's commitment to the applicant, including confirmation of any financial and career development support they will be providing. This should include confirmation that the institution will cover 50% of the candidate’s salary for the duration of the award and a matched discretionary fund. This should also include formal commitment to a tenured position or equivalent from the host institution upon successful completion of the award.
• If a second institution or overseas visit is proposed, include a letter of support from a senior investigator who will provide access to space, resources and scientific guidance for the duration of the stay. Please also ensure that the purpose of the visit is explained clearly, in terms of the duration, the research to be carried out and any training that will be acquired. 
• Supporting letters from collaborators
• Supporting letter from named mentor(s)
• Intellectual property agreements where relevant
• Valid copy of ethical approval if relevant
• Brief CV (2 A4 sides) of named staff for whom salary is requested
• Quotes obtained for any requested equipment with a value of £5,000 or more

How to apply

Potential applicants for this award are encouraged to contact the BHF Fellowships team for an informal discussion about their application before applying. Please send an email to fellowships@bhf.org.uk attaching a full CV (no more than 2 sides of A4) and brief project description (no more than 1 side of A4). Please also provide an estimate of the anticipated cost of the grant you will be applying for. 

• Read the information in How to apply.
• If you are applying for funding for a clinical study, also read:
  
  • Costing a clinical study
  • Costing a clinical research imaging scan
  • Clinical Trials Units
  • Clinical Study Guidelines 
• Log in to the online application form.
• Complete all the sections of the online application form.
• Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed.

When to apply

The next deadline for applications is 13 January 2027, 17:00. This is the deadline that your application must be fully submitted to BHF after being approved by your Head of Department and Administrative Authority. Applications submitted after this date will not be considered until the following deadline. The following application deadline is 16 June 2027. BHF reserves the right to modify deadline dates. 

AI Based Application Success Predictor

Some of BHF’s main funding mechanisms (current or forthcoming) are:

Early Career Research Fellowship (ECRF) – for non-clinician researchers within ~4 years post-PhD or in final year of PhD, or re-entry, etc. 

Clinical Early Career Research Fellowship – for clinically qualified doctors in specialist training to get protected research time. 

Project Grants – up to ~£500,000, 4 years, for UK institutions, for postdoctoral or above PIs. 

Programme Grants – large, ambitious, longer-term grants (5 years, renewable) for senior or strong mid-career PIs, to address strategic cardiovascular themes. 

Special Project Grants – large, imaginative research programmes with senior PIs and strong track record. 

Infrastructure Grants – institutions can apply for large sums (up to ~£1 million) to support infrastructure (equipment, facilities) for cardiovascular science. Senior investigators needed, plus institutional contribution. 

Clinical Study Grants – for large observational studies or late-phase clinical trials. 

Predictors of Success in BHF Grant Applications

From BHF’s own rules, past funding rounds, and what BHF says is important, here are what seem to correlate with successful applications (strong predictors):

What Weaknesses / Common Pitfalls Hurt Applications

Also worth noting what often leads to weaker success chances (things to avoid):

Vague hypothesis or aims; poor conceptual clarity.

Lack of experimental detail, power/sample size justification or preliminary data.

Weak institutional support or unclear mentorship.

Overscope / too ambitious for requested funding/time period.

Poor cost justification or too high budget without justification.

Not aligning with BHF’s strategic priorities.

Failing eligibility criteria (for example, being too senior or too junior for a particular fellowship; wrong host institution; insufficient cardiovascular relevance).

Practical Tips / Strategy to Improve Your Chances

Based on the above, here are some actionable tips if you plan to apply:

Match the correct scheme to your career stage — don’t apply for a senior grant if you’re early career; aim for ECRF or Clinical ECRF, etc.

Demonstrate a strong cardiovascular theme — if your background is outside, make sure you explain relevance very clearly.

Prepare strong preliminary data / pilot work / at least proof-of-concept if possible — even early career.

Secure good letters of support / mentorship / institutional backing — include letters that detail what resources the institution will supply, how you’ll be supported scientifically.

Ensure your proposal is feasible given time and budget — don’t ask for extremely ambitious scope if resources/time are constrained.

Innovate — think cross-disciplinary or new approaches, novel technologies, or translational angles.

Think about impact — clinical, public health, patient benefit, or at least how your findings could lead to further work or translation.

Be explicit about diversity, flexibility, career breaks if applicable — many schemes are now more accommodating; stating this clearly can help.

Read the peer review / guidance documents — BHF publishes review guidelines, forms, etc. Use those to shape your application. British Heart Foundation

Talk to existing or past BHF grantees — see examples of what worked, get feedback on your draft.