+ More Filters

Reset Filters

Title

Funding Organization

Funding Type

Eligible Country

Deadline

Other (Select all that apply)

Show Expired Programs

Show Verified Programs

Not Verified

Global Advanced Fellowships (Cohort 2)

National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)

Overview

Opportunity status:

Open

Type:

Global health research

Funding available amount:

£750000.00

Opening date:

14 April 2026 at 1:00 pm

Closing date:

30 June 2026 at 1:00 pm

Reference ID:

2026/297

This postdoctoral level funding opportunity supports early to mid-career Global Health researchers to develop leadership capability and research expertise. To apply, you must be based at a higher education institution (HEI) or research institute in the UK or an Official Development Assistance (ODA) eligible low and middle income country (LMIC) in sub-Saharan Africa or South Asia.

You can apply to this funding opportunity if you are a postdoctoral researcher at any level. We welcome applications from different professional backgrounds, both clinical and non-clinical.

Funding is available for:

salary costs for the fellow, including clinical service or practice time
an applied research project to protect, detect and respond to Global Health security threats and challenges
a support post and their training and development
a tailored academic and professional development programme, including an annual conference budget
travel for fieldwork, collaboration and training
capacity strengthening for LMIC contracting or partner organisation
community engagement and involvement
knowledge mobilisation and research uptake
research inclusion

Your application must focus on addressing Global Health security threats and challenges, improving the ability of health systems to protect the health of the poorest, most vulnerable populations in ODA eligible countries in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. This includes maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health.

Your proposed research should aim to produce scalable solution focused evidence to support regional or broader impact.

This award will enable you to progress in your career by developing research leadership skills.

If your application is successful, you will be able to:

conduct high quality applied research addressing global health security threats and challenges
undertake a bespoke training and development programme to enhance your professional skills and knowledge
strengthen capacity for research in priority LMICs
build leadership and professional skills for career growth
become an NIHR Global Health Research Academy Member and access training opportunities via NIHR Learn
gain national and international recognition as an NIHR-affiliated researcher

AI Based Application Success Predictor

1. Clear patient benefit and impact on health or care

This is one of the strongest NIHR-specific predictors.

The most competitive applications clearly show how the research will:

improve patient outcomes
improve healthcare delivery
improve diagnosis or treatment
reduce burden on the NHS or social care systems
influence clinical practice or policy
benefit patients, carers, or the public

NIHR’s core mission is research “for the direct and primary benefit of patients and the public.”

2. Strong NHS, public health, or social care relevance

Successful proposals usually have clear relevance to:

the NHS
health service delivery
public health
social care
health inequalities
community-based care
prevention and service improvement

Projects disconnected from patient or health-system application tend to be less competitive.

3. Robust patient and public involvement (PPIE)

A hallmark of strong NIHR applications is meaningful Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE).

Competitive applications usually demonstrate:

patient co-design of research questions
public involvement in study planning
patient input into outcomes selection
dissemination plans involving patients/public partners

Weak or tokenistic PPI is a common reviewer concern.

4. Strong methodological rigor

Competitive proposals generally demonstrate:

clear research question
appropriate study design
robust statistics
realistic sample size
clear endpoints
validated outcome measures
feasibility and reproducibility

Methodological strength is central across all NIHR programmes.

5. Feasibility and deliverability

Reviewers place strong emphasis on:

achievable timelines
realistic recruitment plans
access to NHS sites/patient populations
experienced delivery teams
operational readiness
practical milestone planning

Strong ideas without a clear delivery plan often score lower.

6. Clear pathway to implementation

NIHR strongly values research that can move into practice.

Successful proposals often show:

implementation strategy
pathway to NHS adoption
policy relevance
guideline impact
cost-effectiveness or service benefit
measurable route to real-world use

Implementation-focused thinking is especially important in applied and health-services research.

7. Strong multidisciplinary collaboration

High-scoring applications often involve:

clinicians
nurses
allied health professionals
health economists
statisticians
epidemiologists
implementation scientists
patient/public representatives

Multidisciplinary collaboration strengthens both scientific and practical relevance.

8. Career-development strength (for NIHR fellowships)

For NIHR personal awards and fellowships, reviewers heavily assess:

applicant trajectory
leadership potential
training needs
mentorship quality
host institution support
long-term research career plan

NIHR Academy specifically funds researchers from predoctoral level through research professorships.

9. Value for money

NIHR reviewers consider:

budget justification
efficient use of public funding
cost-effectiveness
realistic resource planning

Budgets must align closely with project scope and expected impact.

10. Potential to influence policy, guidelines, or future funding

Strong proposals often:

generate evidence for NICE/NHS policy
support future clinical trials
contribute to service redesign
create pilot data for larger NIHR or MRC funding
produce scalable national impact

Projects with broader influence beyond one institution are especially competitive.

Common Reasons for Rejection

Frequent reviewer concerns include:

weak patient benefit
insufficient NHS relevance
poor or superficial PPIE
weak methodology
unrealistic recruitment or feasibility
unclear implementation pathway
poor justification of resources
lack of impact beyond academic publication

Specialties

Public Health

Eligibility Requirements

The scheme is open to all health, public health and social care research and methodology professions.

To apply, you must:

hold a relevant PhD or postgraduate medical research degree, or have submitted your thesis for examination at the time of application. You must have been awarded your PhD or postgraduate medical research degree by the time you attend interview
not already hold a Professorship or Chair at the point of application
for clinical applications you must have completed relevant pre-registration training
be employed by a Higher Education Institution (HEI) or Research Institute in official development assistance (ODA) eligible low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia or a HEI or Research Institute in the UK
propose research that directly and primarily benefit patients and the public in ODA eligible LMICs in sub-Saharan Africa or South Asia. It must also align with the NIHR Academy remit for Global Health Research personal career development awards

Your application will be assessed individually based on your experience and the opportunities that were available to you based on your professional background and circumstance. We recognise that career pathways and structures may vary in different countries. Please contact us if you have any queries surrounding your circumstances at ghrtp@nihr.ac.uk.

We strongly encourage applications from researchers employed by LMIC institutions in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia and these applications will be given strategic priority. Applications received under this strategic priority will have to meet the same quality threshold required for funding. They will be given priority if the number of fundable applications exceeds the maximum that can be funded in this round.

A postgraduate medical research degree is referred to as an MD in the UK. To be eligible for this award, you must have a research based postgraduate degree, either a PhD or medical research degree, as opposed to a professional medical degree or postgraduate speciality degree.

If you have not yet received your PhD or postgraduate medical research degree, your primary supervisor will need to be added to the application form as a participant to confirm that your thesis has been submitted for examination. Written evidence of the award from the awarding body of the PhD or postgraduate medical research degree will be required prior to interview.

For those not directly involved in delivering clinical, public health or care services, you will need to demonstrate how you will link with clinical, public health and care practice and/or policy colleagues in order to deliver your research for the benefit of patients, public health or social care users.

If you hold a Professional Doctorate, please contact us at ghrtp@nihr.ac.uk to confirm your eligibility before you start your application.

Career stage

You can apply for the award if you:

have recently completed or are soon to be awarded a PhD but are not established as an independent researcher. Your thesis must have been submitted at the time of application
are already established as an independent researcher but are not yet recognised as an international leader in your field
are looking to transition into applied health or social care research from a basic science or non-health or care research background
are seeking to re-establish a research career following a significant career break

Applicants making a transition

You can use a Global Advanced Fellowship to support a transition in your research career. This may be from an area of basic science or non-health and social care related research into a research area within NIHR’s remit. If you are aiming to use the fellowship in this way, you must clearly articulate how the research project and training and development programme proposed will enable you to make the transition. You must also describe the direction you see your research career going in as a result of the fellowship.

How many times can you reapply?

Individuals are eligible to be awarded up to 2 Global Advanced Fellowships sequentially. This must not total more than 8 years FTE of funding.

If you have previously been awarded an NIHR Advanced Fellowship or postdoctoral award you will be eligible to apply for 1 Global Advanced Fellowship with a duration that would not total more than 8 years FTE of funding for the 2 awards.

You will not be able to reapply for a period of 3 years after you have made 2 unsuccessful applications, unless invited to by the funding committee. A break of 3 years means you will be able to significantly develop your CV and experience before you apply again.

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: Grange Road Twickenham, TW1 3QU

Legal & Affiliation Disclaimer

Affiliation Disclaimer: Trialect operates independently and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or supported by any sponsors or organizations posting on the GrantsBoard platform. As an independent aggregator of publicly available funding opportunities, Trialect provides equal access to information for all users without endorsing any specific funding source, content, organization, or sponsor. Trialect assumes no responsibility for the content posted by sponsors or third parties.

Subscription Disclaimer: Upon logging into Trialect, you may choose to SUBSCRIBE to GrantsBoard for timely notifications of funding opportunities and to access exclusive benefits, such as priority alerts, reminders, personalized recommendations, and additional application support. However, users are advised to contact sponsors directly for any questions and are not required to subscribe to engage with funding opportunities.

Content Ownership and Copyright Disclaimer: Trialect respects the intellectual property rights of all organizations and individuals. All content posted on GrantsBoard is provided solely for informational purposes and remains the property of the original owners. Trialect does not claim ownership of, nor does it have any proprietary interest in, content provided by third-party sponsors. Users are encouraged to verify content and ownership directly with the posting sponsor.

Fair Use Disclaimer: The information and content available on GrantsBoard are compiled from publicly accessible sources in alignment with fair use principles under U.S. copyright law. Trialect serves as an aggregator of this content, offering it to users in good faith and with the understanding that it is available for public dissemination. Any organization or individual who believes their intellectual property rights have been violated is encouraged to contact us for prompt resolution.

Third-Party Posting Responsibility Disclaimer: Trialect is a neutral platform that allows third-party sponsors to post funding opportunities for informational purposes only. Sponsors are solely responsible for ensuring that their postings comply with copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws. Trialect assumes no liability for any copyright or intellectual property infringements in third-party content and will take appropriate action to address any substantiated claims.

Accuracy and Verification Disclaimer: Trialect makes no warranties regarding the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information provided by sponsors. Users are advised to verify the details of any funding opportunity directly with the sponsor before taking action. Trialect cannot be held liable for any discrepancies, omissions, or inaccuracies in third-party postings.

Notice and Takedown Policy: Trialect is committed to upholding copyright law and protecting the rights of intellectual property owners. If you believe that content on GrantsBoard infringes your copyright or intellectual property rights, please contact us with detailed information about the claim. Upon receipt of a valid notice, Trialect will promptly investigate and, where appropriate, remove or disable access to the infringing content.

View Funding Opportunity