Applications are open for the National Institute for Health and Care Research School for Primary Care Research (NIHR SPCR) Primary Care Clinical Fellowships 2026.
The fellowships are offered to support the development of the primary care clinical workforce into academic primary care research careers. They are designed to support early-career primary care research clinicians (pre- or post-doctoral) who demonstrate a clear commitment to a career in academic primary care.
The fellowships may be undertaken at any one of the nine universities within the NIHR SPCR: Bristol, Exeter, Keele, Manchester, Nottingham, Oxford, QMUL, Southampton and University College London.
Applications for Bristol welcome
The Centre for Academic Primary Care, University of Bristol, as a member of the NIHR SPCR, can support any primary or community healthcare professional at either pre- or post-doctoral level to apply for one of these awards.
The fellowships are designed to provide targeted support for career development, rather than to fully resource a stand-alone research project. The intention is to give fellows dedicated time and stability to advance their research ideas, strengthen their track record, build collaborations and prepare for larger funding applications. The award is not intended to fund a full research project. Training and development activities are included.
The award is for up to 24 months at 0.6 WTE maximum, starting no later than 1 October 2026.
For full details, eligibility criteria and how to apply, see the NIHR SPCR website.
The application deadline is: 2 March 2026, 13:00.
The (online) interviews are expected to be on: 22 and 23 April 2026.
Please contact Professor Debbie Sharp for further information: debbie.sharp@bristol.ac.uk.
Further information
About the Centre for Academic Primary Care
The Centre for Academic Primary Care (CAPC) at the University of Bristol is a leading centre for primary care research in the UK, one of ten forming the NIHR School for Primary Care Research. It sits within Bristol Medical School, an internationally recognised centre of excellence for population health research and teaching.
Follow on Bluesky: @capcbristol.bsky.social and LinkedIn
About the NIHR
The mission of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) is to improve the health and wealth of the nation through research. We do this by:
- Funding high quality, timely research that benefits the NHS, public health and social care;
- Investing in world-class expertise, facilities and a skilled delivery workforce to translate discoveries into improved treatments and services;
- Partnering with patients, service users, carers and communities, improving the relevance, quality and impact of our research;
- Attracting, training and supporting the best researchers to tackle complex health and social care challenges;
- Collaborating with other public funders, charities and industry to help shape a cohesive and globally competitive research system;
- Funding applied global health research and training to meet the needs of the poorest people in low and middle income countries.
NIHR is funded by the Department of Health and Social Care. Its work in low and middle income countries is principally funded through UK Aid from the UK government.
