We have collated the funding opportunities for primary care researchers below. This list is maintained regularly but due to the nature of research funding, some details may have changed, so please review the funder websites for up-to-date information. It is also not an exhaustive list as new opportunities become available regularly.
List of funders who support primary care research: https://www.phpc.cam.ac.uk/find-funding-to-conduct-primary-care-research
Fellowships
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Funder |
Fellowship |
Amount |
Eligibility |
Timescales/Deadlines |
Notes and Weblinks |
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PREDOCTORAL |
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NIHR |
Predoctoral Award |
Full salary, full Masters fees at UK rate or £5000 for bespoke masters training per year, £1000 for PPIE, £1000 supervisory fees, £1000 conference fees and travel. Can apply for 12 months full time or 24 months if methodologist. Shorter period with reduced funding if you have a masters. Can include up to 20% paid clinical time in award. Can do part-time minimum 30% up to maximum of 4 years. |
Apply as one of 4 groups: Registered health and care professionals (HCPs) working in NHS settings, excluding doctors and dentists anyone working in a local authority, or an associated setting fully qualified general practitioners, general dental practitioners, community dentists and registered HCPs working in primary care settings applicants proposing to undertake training to develop as a methodologist in one of the applicable methodological areas. |
Opens in January, deadline in March |
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NIHR (ARC) |
ARC Fellowship (Research OR Impact) |
Up tp £12,500 backfill - pay employer to release fellow on a Thursday for 12 months. |
Anyone working in health, care and voluntary service settings in the East of England. |
Usually annually, deadline Nov/Dec or Jan depending on year. |
Online form. Requires approval from team, organisation, and a specific supervisor to be identified. No research costs funded.
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PhD |
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Wellcome/ University of Cambridge/UEA |
PhD Programme for Health Professionals Fellowship |
up to £300,000 |
Clinical health professionals, pre-CCT for doctors (although have given permission for GP to apply previously) |
Apply early November each year. Outcomes in Jan/Feb |
Up to 7 each year - 2 funded by Wellcome, 5 by universities.
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Wellcome |
SPCR PhD Programme for Primary Care Clinicians. |
Salary (with cap for GP/dentist), £25000 research costs in total, up to £10000 pa for tuition fees, conferences, courses |
GP or dentist in primary care, non medical healthcare professionals (allied healthcare professionals). |
Check if restarts for December 2026 as December 2025 was 5/5 rounds |
Up to 5 each year.
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NIHR |
Doctoral Award |
No strict budgetary cap but must be value for money and align with NIHR requirements. Funding for salary of award holder at the requested FTE (including up to 20% clinical/practice time if applicable), costs for approved research project, support for external consultancy or shared staff if strongly justified, open access publication fees, associated conference fees up to £3000, laptop costs up to £1000, costs for a suitable training and development plan which will lead to further professional development, working with peoples and communities costs and estates and indrect costs of host organisation is a HEI. |
Must hold a 1st or 2:1 bachelor's degree, or otherwise Master's, have prior research experience or training, not have a PhD by research. |
Opens twice yearly, April-June and October-January. |
3 year funding opportunity, taken 50% to 100% FTE
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Funding sources from the university website: https://www.student-funding.cam.ac.uk/
Please check when applying in case these change. It is worth checking before selecting a college to apply for as different colleges have different funding options
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Funder Fellowship |
Amount |
Eligibility |
Notes and Weblinks |
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Department level scholarships/independent of college |
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DPHPC MPhil Scholarship |
Up to £7250 |
All applicants automatically considered - rewarded on merit of application |
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College level |
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Emmanual college |
Automatically considered |
Up to £24000 per year |
Emmanual college |
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Wolfson College |
Automatically considered if Wolfson first choice |
£5000 for MPhil |
Wolfson College |
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Trinity College or Lucy Cavendish College
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Automatically considered if Trinity/Lucy Cavendish is first choice and application details global health or infectious disease theme is chosen. Individual who otherwise would be unable to afford undertaking the MPhil in this area. |
Tuition fees (£15,672 plus a maintenance allowance, up to £30,000 in total). |
Trinity College or Lucy Cavendish College
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External to university |
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Claire Wand Fund |
Apply via application - they will fund Research for dissertations leading to a higher degree alongside other small projects. |
Up to £22000 in a year so possibly £11000 each meeting, potentially part-fund fees |
Claire Wand Fund |
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