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Clinical Study Grants

British Heart Foundation

The Clinical Study Grant supports funding for over £500,000 for:

Interventional clinical trials: trials of specific interventions or pathways of care for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease. Interventions include drugs, surgery, devices, psychological, physical and educational interventions. These are usually late phase clinical trials (phase III/IV).
Observational studies of specific patient groups that are hypothesis led and address a defined clinical question(s) over a fixed timescale (up to 5 years). The population of interest should be a patient population, who will usually be recruited within the NHS. The study should have a predefined outcome(s) that will lead to changes in clinical management directly or will inform the development of a clinical trial to test an intervention.
Clinical studies can include a mechanistic evaluation, either as a substudy within a clinical trial or as part of an observational study.
BHF encourages ambitious proposals for clinical studies that will have an impact on patient care, recognising that practice changing studies may require broad national or international collaboration and appropriate financial support.
There is no formal funding cap for Clinical Study Grants, but the committee will take into account value for money when making a funding decision (see Decision process for further details).

The scheme does not support funding for population based cohort studies or patient based cohort studies focusing on open ended epidemiological questions, or whose main focus is genetics/genomics or other omics analyses (please apply for either a Special Project Grant or a Programme Grant). For programmes of experimental medicine or programmes of clinical research, please apply for a Programme Grant.

If you are unsure which scheme is appropriate for your clinical study application, please email the Clinical Studies Committee team.

Grant duration

Grant duration is usually up to 5 years, with regular progress reports, initially annual reports. We will consider applications for clinical studies of longer duration.
We may consider a staged award based on proof of adequate recruitment and progress.
Clinical Study Grants cannot be renewed.

Award may include

Staff salaries. For example: research fellow, clinical trial co-ordinator, research nurse, where fully justified.

If support is requested for a clinical fellow, please justify why the study activities cannot be performed by a research nurse or other healthcare/trial management professional. The cost of the clinical fellow should be pro-rata for research activities on the grant, and should not include time spent in clinical training or clinical duties. Please note that Clinical Study Grants are not intended as a mechanism to support the undertaking of a PhD.
Research consumables directly attributable to the project.
Research equipment essential for the project.
Travel funding of up to £2,000 per year to present research at or attend scientific meetings relevant to the grant.
A Clinical Trials Set Up Fund of up to a maximum of £50,000, released prior to activation of the grant, to support the work required to obtain relevant permissions for clinical trials research, including clinical trials authorisation and ethical approvals, and to prepare for the trial. Find more about the Clinical Trials Set Up Fund.

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):

Predictor	Why It Helps / How It Shows Up in BHF’s Criteria
Strong track record (past publications, relevant experience)	Even for early-career fellowships, applicants are expected to show “evidence of exceptional research ability.” For senior grants, you need an internationally competitive profile.
Clear cardiovascular relevance / theme	All BHF funding is tied to heart & circulatory disease. Even if you’re transitioning from another discipline (e.g. data science, engineering), you must clearly show how you apply it to cardiovascular research.
Institutional support / host environment	For Fellowships, project or infrastructure grants, BHF asks for proof of institutional commitment (facilities, mentorship, governance of project, etc.). The infrastructure grants require co-funding locally from institution.
Feasibility and pilot/preliminary data / detailed project plan	Project grants, special project grants are rejected if hypothesis poorly described, lack of pilot data, weak experimental detail or power calculation.
Ambition / Novelty / Strategic Impact	BHF is increasingly emphasizing ambitious proposals (especially in Programme Grants), interdisciplinary or cross-disciplinary projects, novel approaches, translational potential.
Value for money and cost justification	Because BHF is a charity, proposals that use funds efficiently, justify costs, avoid unnecessary overhead, and deliver high impact per £ tend to score well.
Good mentorship / advisor support	For early career fellowships particularly, you must name a “Primary Academic Advisor,” show letters of support, show that host institution provides what is needed.
Flexible working / handling career breaks / diversity	BHF allows for part-time work, accommodates people returning from industry or taking career breaks; they encourage or allow such cases when justified.
Translational potential or clinical relevance	Especially in Clinical Fellowships, Clinical Studies, and large programme grants: showing that the work has potential to move toward patient benefit or influence clinical practice adds weight.
Well-justified budget	Especially for expensive items, equipment, staffing—when you request, the budget must be sensible, and for big items may need cost sharing or justification.

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.

Specialties

Cardiovascular Diseases

Eligibility Requirements

The principal investigator will be a researcher working in an established research institution in the UK. They must have a strong track record of trial management and management of high value grants, usually from BHF, and an internationally recognised research profile.
Any multicentre interventional clinical trial, while remaining under the scientific control of the principal investigator, should usually be managed by a UKCRC-registered Clinical Trials Unit (CTU) and should usually include a member of the CTU as a co-applicant or principal investigator unless there are clearly justified reasons for not doing so. Please see a list of accredited clinical trial units (CTUs) that have expertise in cardiovascular trials here.
For multicentre observational studies, applicants should consider a mentorship arrangement with a CTU. We will judge the need for this arrangement on a case by case basis.
A lay person can be included as a co-applicant on a Clinical Study Grant if they are making a significant contribution to the study. If you would like to include a lay person as a co-applicant on a Clinical Study Grant, they will need to accept our Standard Conditions of Grant.

Eligible Countries:

United Kingdom

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: British Heart Foundation

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: Compton House 2300 The Crescent Birmingham Business Park Birmingham B37 7YE

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