Imperial Health Charity Pre-Doc Research Fellowship 2027/28: Up to £85,000 for NHS Trust Research Staff
Imperial Health Charity is accepting applications for its 2027/28 Pre-Doc Research Fellowship, offering Trust staff time and resources to develop an academic research career and undertake a research project.
Deadline not clearly published; check the official source before planning around this.
Imperial Health Charity Pre-Doc Research Fellowship 2027/28: Up to £85,000 for NHS Trust Research Staff
The Imperial Health Charity Research Fellowship programme is a focused route into academic research for staff working in the Imperial health system. The charity says that applications for the 2027/28 programme are open and that the programme can provide up to £85,000 to cover salary and research costs. For this cycle, the charity has also made an important scope decision: it is only able to support Pre-Doc Research Fellows.
That combination makes this a useful opportunity for a particular kind of applicant. It is not a general public health grant, a scholarship for anyone studying medicine, or a postdoctoral award. It is intended for Trust staff who want protected time and resources to develop research skills and carry out a defined project before completing doctoral training. The public opportunity page does not display a closing date in its summary, so applicants should use the linked guidance notes and online form to confirm the live deadline and submission instructions before preparing a final application.
Key details
| Detail | Confirmed information |
|---|---|
| Funder | Imperial Health Charity |
| Opportunity | 2027/28 Research Fellowship programme, Pre-Doc Research Fellowship route |
| Funding | Up to £85,000 toward the fellow’s salary and research costs |
| Current status | Applications are described as open on the official programme page |
| Applicant group | Trust staff who want to pursue an academic research career |
| Fellowship level | Pre-doctoral only for the 2027/28 programme |
| Research focus | A proposed research project connected to the applicant’s development and the health service context |
| Deadline | Not stated on the public summary; confirm in the current guidance notes and application form |
| Location | Imperial health system, London, United Kingdom |
| Application route | Online application form linked from the official funding page |
| Questions | [email protected] |
| Official page | Imperial Health Charity funding for research |
The £85,000 figure is a maximum, not an automatic award. The charity describes it as funding to cover salary and research costs. A credible application should therefore show what level of protected research time is needed, which costs are essential to the project, and how the proposed work fits within the charity’s current guidance. Do not present the maximum as a guaranteed personal stipend.
What the fellowship offers
The central benefit is time to develop as a researcher while remaining connected to the health service. Many clinicians and other healthcare professionals have promising research questions but cannot make steady progress while carrying a full operational workload. A pre-doctoral fellowship can create the practical space to learn research methods, refine a question, collect or analyse evidence, and prepare for a later doctoral pathway.
Imperial Health Charity describes the fellowship programme as support for people who want to move forward in an academic research career. It also says that the fellowships provide the time and resources to develop research skills and undertake an individual research project. Those statements point to two related outcomes: the project itself must be worthwhile, and the applicant must be able to explain how the fellowship changes their research capability.
The award is therefore best understood as career-development funding attached to a research plan. A strong proposal will connect the applicant’s current role, the problem they see in practice, the methods they need to learn, and the change the project could make for patients, staff, services, or future research. A project that simply lists an interesting topic without explaining the applicant’s development needs is less well matched to the programme.
The charity’s public page also links to guidance notes, a sample application, and an online application form. Those documents are the controlling source for the detailed rules. They should be read before deciding whether a project is sufficiently mature, whether a particular cost is eligible, and what approvals or institutional support are needed.
Who this opportunity fits
The clearest fit is an employee of the relevant Trust who is considering an academic research career and needs structured pre-doctoral development. The public page uses the phrase “Trust staff,” so applicants should first confirm that their employer and employment status fall within the programme’s definition. The page does not establish that external university applicants, independent researchers, students without a Trust role, or staff from unrelated NHS organisations may apply.
The fellowship is not the right route for someone who has already completed a doctorate and is seeking postdoctoral salary support. The charity explicitly states that, because of changes to its funding, only Pre-Doc Research Fellows can be supported for 2027/28. Applicants at a later career stage should not assume that a postdoctoral project can be adapted into this call.
The best candidates will usually be able to show both a live research question and a realistic development gap. For example, an applicant may have strong clinical or service experience but need protected time to learn qualitative methods, trial design, health economics, data analysis, implementation science, or another method relevant to the proposed work. The exact disciplines and qualification requirements must come from the current guidance notes; they should not be guessed from the broad phrase “academic research career.”
Eligibility is only the starting point. A project should also be feasible within the fellowship period, supported by the applicant’s department, and connected to the service environment in which the findings could be used. If the work involves patients, identifiable data, clinical samples, staff interviews, or operational records, the applicant should identify the relevant governance route early and explain it accurately.
Funding and budget planning
The official summary confirms a ceiling of up to £85,000 for salary and research costs. It does not, on the public page, give a complete cost table or promise that every requested pound will be funded. Build the budget from the project rather than starting at the maximum.
Salary is likely to be the largest line for a fellowship whose purpose is protected research development. Explain the amount of time required and how that time will be released from ordinary duties. Research costs should be itemised with a clear connection to the workplan: for example, data access, participant involvement, specialist analysis, research assistance, training, or other necessary project expenses if the guidance permits them. Avoid padding the budget with attractive but non-essential purchases.
The budget should also make the employer’s role visible. A fellowship cannot create protected time on paper if the applicant’s department has not agreed how service coverage will work. Ask the relevant manager or research lead to review the time commitment, proposed start date, and practical effect on the applicant’s role. If the official form asks for institutional confirmation, arrange that well before submission rather than treating it as a last-minute signature.
Where the public information is silent, say so. Do not assume that tuition fees, conference travel, equipment, indirect costs, or doctoral registration are automatically eligible. Check the guidance notes and ask [email protected] about any cost that could materially change the proposal.
Application process and live timeline
The official page says that applications for the 2027/28 Research Fellowship are open. It directs applicants to information in the guidance notes and to an online application form for the Imperial Health Charity Pre-Doc Research Fellowship. The same page provides a sample application and lists [email protected] for questions.
The public summary does not state a closing date. That is a material unknown, not an invitation to wait. Open the current guidance notes, follow the application-form link, and record the deadline shown in the live system. If the form and the web page appear to disagree, contact the charity and keep a written record of the answer. A funding page can remain online after a portal closes, particularly when a programme runs annually.
Prepare the application in this order:
- Confirm that you are Trust staff and that the 2027/28 route is pre-doctoral.
- Read the current guidance notes from start to finish.
- Define the research question, intended outputs, development objectives, and timetable.
- Discuss protected time and operational cover with your manager or research lead.
- Build the budget from justified costs and check every line against the guidance.
- Complete the online form early enough to resolve missing documents or technical issues.
The exact list of mandatory attachments is not confirmed by the public summary. Treat the guidance notes and application form as authoritative for requirements such as a CV, project plan, references, departmental approval, costing details, ethics information, or evidence of training. Keep copies of the submitted form and any confirmation email.
How to prepare a convincing project
Start with a problem that is specific enough to study. “Improving patient care” is an aspiration, not a research question. State what is happening, who is affected, what is not yet known, and what evidence would change a decision. A service-based project might examine why an intervention is not reaching a particular group, how a pathway performs in practice, or whether a proposed improvement is acceptable and workable for staff and patients.
Then match the method to the question. A qualitative question needs an appropriate approach to interviews, observation, or thematic analysis. A quantitative question needs a defensible outcome, population, data source, and analysis plan. An implementation question needs attention to context, adoption, fidelity, and the people responsible for changing practice. Applicants do not need to pretend that every method is already mastered; the fellowship is partly about research development. They do need to show that the learning plan is deliberate and that expert supervision or collaboration is available.
Make the development case concrete. Instead of saying that the fellowship will “improve skills,” identify the capabilities to be gained and where they will be used. Examples might include completing a structured methods course, learning a particular analysis workflow, developing a patient-involvement process, or producing a protocol suitable for doctoral study. Tie each skill to a project milestone and a longer-term research objective.
Finally, explain the route to impact without overstating it. A pre-doctoral fellowship may produce a pilot dataset, service evaluation evidence, a refined protocol, a conference presentation, a manuscript, or a stronger doctoral application. It may not be able to prove a change in clinical outcomes within the award period. Reviewers are more likely to trust a modest, measurable plan than a promise to transform an entire service from a small preliminary study.
Common mistakes to avoid
The first mistake is applying to the wrong funding level. The 2027/28 programme is pre-doctoral only, so a completed-PhD project should not be described as though it were eligible simply because it concerns healthcare.
The second is treating the £85,000 ceiling as an entitlement. A budget should show the minimum resources needed for a feasible project and explain the relationship between salary time, research costs, and outputs.
The third is leaving employer support until the end. Research time affects rota planning, line management, and service delivery. A proposal that has no credible plan for release from ordinary duties may be difficult to approve even if the question is strong.
The fourth is ignoring approvals. Patient-facing or data-based work may require ethics review, information governance, data access permissions, or other institutional processes. Do not claim that approval is complete unless it is complete; instead, give a realistic sequence and responsible owner.
The fifth is relying on an old application or an archived deadline. The charity says the programme opens annually, but the public page does not publish the 2027/28 closing date in its visible summary. Use the live guidance and form, and confirm the date before submission.
Frequently asked questions
Is this a general scholarship for health students?
No. The public description is for Trust staff who want to pursue an academic research career. It is a research fellowship, not a general tuition award. Confirm the employer and applicant criteria in the current guidance notes.
Is the 2027/28 award postdoctoral?
No. Imperial Health Charity says that only Pre-Doc Research Fellows can be supported for the 2027/28 programme because of changes to its funding.
How much can one applicant receive?
The official summary states up to £85,000 to cover salary and research costs. The actual amount depends on the justified budget and the programme’s detailed rules.
What is the deadline?
The public funding page confirms that applications are open but does not display a deadline in its summary. Check the current guidance notes and online application form, or contact the charity before relying on a date.
Do I need a finished university offer or doctoral place?
That is not confirmed by the public summary. The programme is pre-doctoral, but the application form and guidance notes determine whether a doctoral registration, supervisor, or institutional offer is required. Do not infer this requirement either way.
Who can answer a detailed question?
The official page directs questions to [email protected]. Include the programme year, your Trust role, and the specific guidance paragraph or budget item that needs clarification.
Official next steps
Begin with the Imperial Health Charity funding for research page. Read the linked 2027/28 Pre-Doc Research Fellowship guidance notes, open the sample application, and use the live online form to confirm the deadline and required documents. Before submitting, verify your Trust eligibility, protected-time arrangement, research approvals pathway, and budget. The programme is a strong fit for a Trust employee with a focused health research question and a credible plan to build pre-doctoral research capability, but the charity’s current guidance—not a generic fellowship checklist—should decide whether the application is ready.