NIHR Three Schools’ Dementia Research Programme Post-Doctoral Fellowships

The NIHR Three Schools’ Dementia Research Programme Post-Doctoral Fellowship Scheme is now closed for applications. 

Through this funding, early Post-Doctoral Researchers can develop independent careers in dementia research.

Deadline for applications: 5pm Friday 1st May 2026.

• Aims

  The Dementia Research Programme is dedicated to developing the evidence base for dementia-related practice in England. Our mission is to fund and support high-quality research that improves the wellbeing, independence, dignity, and quality of life of people living with dementia, their carers, families, and communities. The Dementia Research Programme also aims to build capacity in dementia research, supporting early- and mid-career researchers to become experts in their field and strengthening links between research, policy, and practice.

  As part of this mission, the Dementia Research Programme is offering Post-Doctoral Fellowships to support early-career researchers committed to developing independent careers in dementia research. These Fellowships will enable applicants to:

  • Establish collaborations across NIHR Schools
  • Undertake independent research
  • Publish findings
  • Develop new methodological skills
  • Prepare for future funding opportunities (e.g. NIHR Advanced Fellowships)

• Fellowship Remit

  Fellowship projects must align with the NIHR remit as well as the Dementia Research Programme remit, which includes research that:

  • Sustainably improves health and wellbeing outcomes for people living with dementia and/or strengthens support of their carers, families, and communities
  • Strengthens the evidence base for dementia care delivery, organisation, and workforce support.
  • Addresses inequalities in access, quality, or outcomes in dementia care.
  • Involves service users, carers, and communities as partners in research design and delivery.
  • Has clear paths to impact on policy, practice, and the broader dementia care field.

• Fellowship Details

  Fellowships will be available for up to 24 months full-time, but requests for part-time at minimum 3 days a week (0.6 FTE) will be considered. Applicants must be hosted by a Three Schools’ Member Institution (SPHR, SPCR, SSCR) for the duration of their award and have a dedicated supervisory team led by a senior academic with a background in dementia research. Fellowships should begin no later than December 2026 and must be completed by January 2029. The Host Institution will be awarded a fixed sum for the Fellowship which is not to exceed £160,000 to fund salary including 30% overheads, plus research, conference travel, training, and Working with People and Communities costs.

• Eligibility

  To be eligible for funding, applicants must: 

  • Hold a PhD awarded no more than 3 years (FTE equivalent) prior or expect to have a PhD awarded by interview stage (have submitted PhD thesis for examination and confirmed a viva date) in public health, primary care, social care or closely related subject with a focus relevant to dementia research. We encourage applicants with a PhD who may also have worked or be working within public health, primary care, or social care practice but wish to pursue an academic or practice-academic career.
  • Demonstrate an emerging track record of research excellence and commitment to developing an independent career in dementia research that is closely connected with public health, primary care and/or social care practice.
  • Be a UK citizen or have confirmed right to work in the UK for the duration of the award.

• Assessment Criteria

  Your application will be assessed using the following criteria as part of the shortlisting process:

  Applicant

  • A PhD awarded not more than 3 years (FTE equivalent) prior or submitted PhD thesis for examination (with confirmed date for viva) in public health, primary care, social care or related subject
  • Demonstrable academic excellence (e.g., academic prizes or commendations, high quality peer reviewed publications, grant capture, etc.)
  • Knowledge of dementia priorities across the Three Schools
  • Evidence of commitment to a research career in dementia either in academia or combined with practice
  • Evidence of potential as a career researcher or as a research practitioner
  • Experience in relevant research methods, dissemination, and collaboration

  Project

  • Relevance of proposed project/work to the Dementia Research Programme
  • Clear aims, appropriate design, and methodological rigour
  • Feasibility and potential for meaningful impact within the timeframe
  • Working with People and Communities – engagement with patients/service users, carers and/or the public in developing this proposal and active involvement throughout the proposed project
  • Strength of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI)
  • Fit between proposed project and proposed supervisory team interests and expertise
  • Likelihood of being able to secure a further personal award or research funding at end of this Fellowship

• Timeline and Funding Process

   

  February 2026	Call launches.
  February 2026 – April 2026	Applicants work with Three Schools’ supervisory team to develop and complete the application form.
  5pm Friday 1st May 2026	Deadline for completed applications.
  May 2026	Proposals are reviewed by the assessment panel and shortlisted candidates are invited to interview.
  10th, 11th June 2026	In-person interviews take place.
  July 2026	Applicants are notified of outcomes. Unsuccessful applicants received feedback and successful award letters are issued
  August 2026	Contracting with the host organisation.
  September 2026 – August 2028	Fellowship awards run.

   

• FAQ

  Can I propose an award duration longer than 24 months if my Fellowship is part-time?

  • The award should be 24 months full-time as standard, but requests for part-time at minimum 3 days a week (0.6 FTE) will be considered. If part-time, the proposed duration of the award should also be a maximum of 24 months. The awards can end no later than January 2029. The end date stipulation is because our programme ends on the 30th April 2029 and we therefore need to have completed the majority of programme operations by this time. The January end date does therefore allow for a little flexibility for small extensions in extenuating circumstances but we would be unable to guarantee continuation of any funding beyond the 30th of April 2029.

  What date does the ‘3 years post-PhD award date’ guidance relate to?

  • The ‘3 years post-PhD award date’ guidance is counted from the closing date for applications 1st May 2026. Please contact sscr-dementia@york.ac.uk if you have questions about your eligibility.

  If I can apply for a visa that affords me the right to work in the UK based on the success of my Fellowship application, am I eligible to apply?

  • To be eligible for the fellowship scheme, your right to work in the UK must be confirmed for the duration of the funding. The exact details of how you obtain this confirmation are subject to the employment processes of your Host Institution.

  Can I apply for this scheme as well as the SSCR Post-Doctoral Fellowship Scheme due the following week?

  • Yes, applicants are welcome to apply for both schemes, if eligible, but they are expected to acknowledge and understand the schemes have different remits/guidance and reflect this in their applications accordingly.

  Are there any restrictions on the number of mentors, supervisors, or collaborators that I can include in my proposal? 

  • Minimum requirements are outlined in the fellowship application form and additional supervisors can be added. For the Three Schools’ Dementia Fellowship, there must be collaborators from at least two of the Three Schools. The roles/numbers of supervisors and collaborators will be dependent on the fellowship plans and applicants can list all relevant persons for their award. Please note the maximum funding amount of £160,000 and that supervisor time will not be funded.

  I’m costing my project using the provided costing template. The only line for salaries says ‘Fellow Salary’. How do I submit costs for my Academic/HEI collaborators’ time?

  • Please add rows naming each collaborator, their role, Staff Grade, FTE and associated salary costs broken down by Financial Year. Please adjust the total Annual Cost of Posts formulas in row 18 accordingly. Note the Financial Year is 1 April – 31 March. Also please note the maximum funding amount of £160,000. Collaborators’ roles and activities during their time costed to the award must be clearly set out in the application form. 

  I am not currently eligible for this scheme. Will there be any similar schemes offered in future?

  • As the Three Schools’ Dementia Programme currently ends in April 2029, we don’t have any more schemes planned for the current phase. However, there is always the possibility the Programme will be renewed, in which case there will likely be more opportunities.

  What does it mean that the applicant must be hosted by a Three Schools’ Member Institution for the duration of their award? Does my Lead Supervisor need to be in post at a Three Schools’ Member Institution?

  • This means that your application would need to be made with the support of a Host Institution that is a member of one or more of the Three Schools – School for Primary Care Research (SPCR), School for Public Health Research (SPHR), School for Social Care Research (SSCR). Practically, this means:
    • Your lead supervisor would need to be a senior academic with a background in dementia research in post at one of the member institutions. They should be associated with the relevant department/centre/institute within the university that is in SPCR, SPHR, SSCR.  
    • Should your application be successful, your post would need to be contracted through that lead Three Schools’ member institution. This does not preclude the inclusion of co-supervisors and/or collaborators at institutions which are not currently members of one of the Three Schools.

  What are the Three Schools’ Member Institutions?

  SPCR
  University of Bristol
  University of Exeter
  Keele University
  University of Manchester
  University of Nottingham
  University of Oxford
  Queen Mary University of London
  University of Southampton
  University College London

  SPHR
  Public Health Research for Health Consortium – PHRESH – Birmingham, Warwick, and Keele
  University of Bristol
  University of Cambridge
  Fuse – Durham, Cumbria, Newcastle, Northumbria, Sunderland, and Teesside
  Imperial
  LiLaC – Liverpool and Lancaster
  London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
  University of Exeter
  University of Sheffield

  SSCR
  London School of Economics and Political Science
  University of Birmingham
  University of Bristol
  University of Leeds
  University of Sheffield
  University of York
  Leeds Beckett University