The Wellcome Trust is inviting applications for Doctoral Programmes for Healthcare Professionals based in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. This unique funding opportunity aims to support healthcare professional academics in world-leading research environments while fostering career progression through inclusive and innovative doctoral programmes. Successful applicants will receive substantial funding to develop multi-cohort programmes, providing exceptional research training and leadership opportunities in healthcare.

Background and Purpose

Healthcare systems globally face an increasing need for highly skilled professionals capable of conducting transformative research while advancing clinical practice. Wellcome’s Doctoral Programmes for Healthcare Professionals seek to address this need by funding programmes that train the next generation of healthcare professional academics in highly supportive, diverse, and inclusive research environments.

This funding opportunity is designed to support programme teams, rather than individual doctoral candidates. The aim is to retain talented researchers within the dual career pipeline and ensure that healthcare professionals can undertake doctoral research without compromising their clinical development.

The programmes funded under this call will contribute to Discovery Research, supporting a wide range of disciplines, including STEM, clinical sciences, allied health, population health, humanities, and social sciences, provided the research aligns with Wellcome’s remit.

Eligibility Criteria

Who Can Apply

Applications are open to established researchers based at eligible institutions in the UK who wish to lead doctoral programmes for healthcare professionals. Key points include:

• Lead Applicant: Must hold a permanent, open-ended, or long-term rolling contract at a UK-based eligible organisation, either academic or clinical, independent of this award. Must be recognised as a research leader with strong experience in doctoral-level research training.
• Coapplicants: Up to seven coapplicants may participate, based either at the same organisation or as part of a consortium with other eligible UK or Republic of Ireland institutions. Each coapplicant must have a permanent or guaranteed contract and experience in research training.
• Collaborators: Optional collaborators can support programme delivery without leading components. They may be from any organisation, including commercial entities, and do not receive payment from Wellcome.

Eligible Institutions

The lead administering organisation must be:

• Based in the UK.
• Able to comply with Wellcome’s grant conditions.
• A higher education institution, research institute, healthcare organisation, or not-for-profit research entity.
• Commercial organisations are not eligible as lead or coapplicant institutions.

Who Cannot Apply

Applicants should not apply if:

• Seeking funding for their own PhD/DPhil.
• Planning activities involving the transfer of funds to mainland China.
• Unable to dedicate sufficient time or resources to deliver the programme.
• Already leading or coapplying for more than two applications in this call.

Eligible Fellows

All fellows recruited must be healthcare professionals registered in the UK or Republic of Ireland, including but not limited to:

• Doctors
• Dentists
• Nurses
• Midwives
• Clinical psychologists
• Allied health professionals

The programmes may target specific professional or specialty groups but must maintain high standards of inclusivity and diversity in recruitment.

Programme Details

Funding and Cohorts

• Wellcome expects to fund approximately 12 programmes, with an average award of £12 million per programme.
• Funding will cover five intakes of doctoral fellows, with the first cohort beginning in autumn 2027.
• Each doctoral fellowship will be for three years, including up to 0.2 FTE for clinical time (0.4 FTE for craft specialties).

Costs Covered

Funding will support:

• Fellow PhD/DPhil registration and college fees
• Salaries for fellows, aligned to clinical status
• Research expenses (materials, consumables)
• Training, including technical, discipline-specific, and transferable skills
• Travel for conferences, collaborations, and meetings
• Career progression activities pre- and post-doctorally
• Programme recruitment costs
• Overseas allowances for fellows spending ≥12 months outside the UK or Republic of Ireland

Wellcome will not fund:

• Administrative costs for programme leadership
• Salaries for directors, co-directors, or supervisors
• Institutional overheads

Programme Structure

• Programmes may be hosted at a single institution or across multiple eligible institutions (consortium).
• Collaborative opportunities with industry and international organisations are encouraged.
• Programmes should incorporate mentoring, interdisciplinary opportunities, and career progression pathways, tailored to individual fellow needs.

Application Process

Application Timeline

• Deadline: 10 February 2026
• Applications must be submitted via the lead institution.
• Programmes should plan for five intakes, starting with the first cohort in autumn 2027.

How to Apply

1. Form a programme leadership team with a lead applicant and up to seven coapplicants.
2. Identify potential collaborators and secure their participation.
3. Confirm that your administrating institution and coapplicant organisations can meet grant conditions and provide letters of support.
4. Submit a detailed application including:
   • Training programme plan
   • Recruitment and career progression strategy
   • Programme management and governance plan
   • Proposed budget and allocation for fellows

Assessment Criteria

Applications will be assessed on:

1. Training Programme (50%) – Quality, ambition, integration with clinical practice, career support, and fostering positive research culture.
2. Team’s Skills and Experience (25%) – Research leadership, training expertise, supervisory capacity, and programme contributions.
3. Programme Management Plans (25%) – Recruitment strategy, EDI practices, institutional support, monitoring, and evaluation.

Important Considerations

• Programmes must fit within Wellcome’s Discovery Research remit.
• Must not overlap substantially with existing doctoral provisions.
• Programmes are expected to promote diversity, inclusivity, and positive research environments, supporting fellows from all backgrounds to thrive.
• Funding is flexible, enabling directors to tailor support to the needs of each fellow and cohort.

The Wellcome Doctoral Programmes for Healthcare Professionals offer a prestigious, fully funded opportunity for UK and Republic of Ireland institutions to train the next generation of research leaders in healthcare. This initiative fosters world-class research, interdisciplinary collaboration, and career progression for healthcare professionals, ensuring a sustainable dual career pipeline and innovation in clinical and academic research. Institutions with established researchers and supportive environments are encouraged to apply and shape the future of healthcare research.

Apply Here