Cohort two of the NIHR Future Leader Fellowship scheme will open soon, with an anticipated deadline of January 2027.
The NIHR scheme is open to health and care professionals, doctors and dentists. The seven-year award provides protected research time and leadership development opportunities. It will enable awardees to transition from postdoctoral researcher to research leadership roles. Experienced postdoctoral health and care professional who are proposing research within NIHR remit and don't yet hold a professorial post are encourage to apply.
If you are in a tenured post below the level of chair, you will need to provide very strong justification as to the added benefits the FLF will bring to your career progression
Duration: 7 years Funder Deadline: January 2027 University nominations: eligible organisations can nominate a maximum of three eligible applicants for each NIHR FLF funding opportunity. If a contracting organisation nominates two or three individuals. It must ensure a spread of nominees across professions, gender and ethnicity.
We are restricted to a maximum of three applications. If you are interested in applying to this scheme, please complete the Expression of Interest (EoI) form by 4pm on 30 July at the very latest.
Applicants without a PhD but with a Professional Doctorate: You must also contact NIHR (personal.awards@nihr.ac.uk) by 13 July to discuss your eligibility and cc Dr Laura Wisby on any correspondence. Eligibility will need to be confirmed and sent to Dr Laura Wisby by 30 July.
FLF Tapered Salary and host commitment: To ensure the successful development of researchers, the NIHR FLF comes with a requirement for the contracting organisation to commit significant support. This includes:
- an increasing percentage of the lead applicant's salary costs as their fellowship progresses
- a commitment to providing an open-ended UK-based independent research or innovation position
You must discuss your potential application with the Head of Department (including the above tapered salary and open-ended position commitments) and get confirmation of their approval to apply before you submit the University EoI. For details of the tapered salary percentages, please see the call guidance above.
The University selection panel will meet on 13 August to discuss the EoIs and select applicants to apply to the NIHR FLF scheme. Panel membership details will be confirmed and provided to potential applicants after the 30 July EoI deadline.
If you have not completed the above EoI form, you will not be considered in the university process. Anyone not going through this process will not be able to apply to the cohort two call.