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Clinician Scientist Fellowship

Cancer Research UK

Overview

This fellowship supports clinician scientists who have gained a higher research degree, have some postdoctoral experience and are ready to make the first step towards developing their own research niche.

Key information

Timelines

Applications are reviewed twice per year. Upcoming application deadline (full): 19 February 2026.

Funding period

5 years

Funding amount

Typically up to £1m

The applicant

You can apply for a Clinician Scientist Fellowship if you’re a clinician who:

is eligible to complete your training, practices medicine in the UK and holds GMC registration (or will hold, if currently practicing outside the UK)

has a higher degree (MD/PhD)

has a national training number (NTN or NTN(A)) with clear plans for obtaining your Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) by the end of your fellowship, or has already obtained your CCT or equivalent

has the support of an appropriate research group and supervisor at an eligible UK university or research institute (or Cancer Research UK core-funded institute, provided you don’t receive core funding)

can demonstrate that you meet the range of skills and experience outlined in the ‘Develop independence’ section of our competency framework

You may not apply if you have previously held another postdoctoral fellowship similar to a Clinician Scientist Fellowship (with the exception of NIHR Clinical Lectureships) or if you hold a permanent academic position at a higher education institute or research institute that supports your salary.

View our competency framework

Clinical service commitments

You’ll need to remain clinically active during your fellowship. We want to ensure fellows have sufficient protected research time whilst balancing clinical training and duties required for your speciality.

For consultants or equivalent, we expect that you spend no more than 20-40% of your time or two to four Programmed Activities on clinical activity. We expect the higher number of clinical sessions to be particularly relevant for individuals in craft specialities.

If you’ve obtained your CCT, your research proposal should ideally link to your clinical specialism.

For clinical trainees, you can make a case for up to 50% of your time towards your clinical commitments ie up to five Programmed Activities with sufficient justification.

Host institutions

All our fellows are hosted in UK universities, medical schools, hospitals or research institutes. Most UK university departments are eligible, but if unclear please contact us before applying to check your host institution is eligible. You can be hosted by one of our institutes as long as your salary is not core funded at the time of application.

At the outline application stage, you will have to identify a host organisation for your award.

You may request to undertake a period of postdoctoral research training outside of the UK for a period of your fellowship, as long as it fits with your research proposal and career ambitions. To do this, please name the proposed institution and group you plan to work with alongside a strong justification for this request as part of the research proposal. This shouldn’t normally be anywhere you’ve previously worked.

Expectations for host institutions

We expect host institutions to:

provide you with a full-time position for the duration of the award

provide you with the appropriate academic status and benefits equivalent to academic staff developing their own research niche who are able to co-supervise PhD students and recruit a small number of support staff eg a technician

provide you with a practical working environment and associated staff, including required office or lab space and specialist facilities, where required

ensure a supportive research and training environment, including providing you and your staff with relevant training, mentoring and support in line with our Continuing Professional Development (CPD) policy and the Researcher Development Concordat

ensure there is a clear process of onboarding and planning when you join, including workload expectations and clear communication about a formal review and/or promotion process with objective assessment criteria and expected timelines 

Host institutions must also take responsibility for ensuring any funding application content they approve for submission is not in breach of our research integrity guidelines.

AI Based Application Success Predictor

Successful CRUK applications tend to have the following strengths:

✔ 1. Clear Scientific Merit & Innovation

Applications must articulate a compelling research question with robust methodology and novelty. Innovative approaches that could lead to substantial advances in cancer biology, therapy, imaging, prevention, or data science are favoured.

✔ 2. Relevance to Cancer and Translational Potential

Projects should clearly relate to understanding, preventing or treating cancer. Translational impact — e.g., potential to improve diagnosis, treatment or patient outcomes — is particularly valued in clinical and translational schemes.

✔ 3. Strong Applicant Track Record & Environment

Reviewers assess the investigator’s prior achievements, training, and evidence of independence (especially for fellowships), as well as institutional support and access to resources necessary to complete the project successfully.

✔ 4. Feasibility & Deliverables

CRUK reviewers look for realistic timelines, achievable milestones and a clear plan for measuring outcomes within the funding period. Strong proposals use preliminary data effectively to support feasibility.

✔ 5. Collaboration & Multidisciplinarity (when appropriate)

Collaborative or multidisciplinary plans — especially those integrating physical sciences, engineering, computational/data science or clinical networks — are often competitive in relevant schemes like Multidisciplinary Project Awards.

✔ 6. Engagement with Funding Mechanisms

Understanding the specific aims and review priorities of each scheme (e.g., translational emphasis for clinical schemes) and carefully aligning the application narrative with these priorities improves chances of success.

🛠 Practical Application Tips

✔ Register in Flexi-Grant early and ensure host institution endorsement before submission. Cancer Research UK Flexigrant
✔ Align with CRUK’s mission — link research goals to cancer outcomes and patient benefit. Cancer Research UK
✔ Budget judiciously — justify requested resources relative to deliverables.
✔ Provide robust preliminary data where possible to strengthen feasibility arguments.
✔ Demonstrate institutional support and mentorship for fellowships.

📌 Summary: Cancer Research UK Funding at a Glance

Category	Examples of Schemes	Focus
Fellowships	Career Development; Clinical Future Leaders	Research independence, leadership
Clinical/Translational	Clinical Research Funding Scheme	Patient-oriented and translational studies
Collaborative/Project Grants	Multidisciplinary Project Award	Collaborative cancer research
International Fellowships	AACR–CRUK Transatlantic	Postdoc international collaborations
Training Fellowships	CRTF (centre-specific)	PhD training for clinicians

Specialties

Cancer

Eligibility Requirements

Our core eligibility criteria are outlined below. You may contact us for an informal and confidential discussion of your proposal prior to submitting your application. We’ll advise on your eligibility and provide guidance on submitting your application.

If you would like to enquire about a potential application, please submit a CV and an eligibility enquiry form.

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: Cancer Research UK

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: 2 Redman Place, London, E20 1JQ

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