Clinician Scientist Fellowship
About this scheme
Key information
Applications are considered from any area of our funding remit, including population, prevention and early detection/diagnosis research, but with the exception of any interventional clinical study/trial and drug discovery.
You should:
- Have obtained a higher degree (MD/PhD) in a cancer-relevant research area
- Have obtained your CCT and hold consultant status, or a national training number (NTN or NTN(A)) and at the time of award have clear plans for obtaining your CCT
- Have the support of an appropriate research group and supervisor at a UK university or research institute1
- Be able to demonstrate that you meet the range of skills and experience as outlined in the 'developing independence’ career stage in our Fellowships Competency Framework
You should not:
- Have held any previous substantive postdoctoral fellowships
- Have a tenured academic post at a higher education institute or research institute.
1Fellowships must be hosted in a UK university or research institute. Short periods of research experience away from the host institution may be requested and must be fully justified.
Please refer to the documents in the section 'How to apply to this scheme' for the latest guidance.
In these guidelines, we have set clearer expectations for organisations hosting CRUK-funded fellows, to ensure access to training, career progression support, and a clear and transparent commitment towards CRUK fellows' future career trajectory at the host institution.
Funding support is provided for:
- Your salary at the appropriate speciality registrar or honorary consultant grade
- Salary for one research/technical support post, but the need for assistance will need to be fully justified in your application
- Associated running expenses
- Equipment costs up to £25,000
- Relocation costs up to £1,000 if you wish to take up your fellowship at a new host institution (see application guidelines for more details)
Additional support
Our fellowships offer a range of benefits beyond funding, including access to networking and training opportunities, flexible working policies and an accelerated route through the Tier 1 visa system.
How to apply to this scheme
Application process
Applications for this scheme are considered twice a year, and the application process has two stages:
(optional) Eligibility Enquiry Form: If you would like to enquire about a potential application, please submit a CV and an Eligibility Enquiry Form to the CRUK Office*. We will check that your proposal is within remit and advise you on whether the Fellowship scheme is appropriate for you. This information will also help us guide any conversation you might like to have about your application.
*Please complete and send us your form ideally at least 1 month and no later than 2 weeks before a submission deadline to help us best assist you.
1. Outline applications:
-
- Submit your outline application through our Flexi-Grant system
- Your application will be reviewed by the Research Careers Committee
- If successful, your application will be shortlisted and you will be invited to submit a full application. You have the option to defer your full submission by one round
2. Full applications:
-
- Submit your full application through our Flexi-Grant system. It must be approved by your Host Institution before the submission deadline
- Your application will be reviewed by one of our Expert Review Panels (ERPs), who will provide comments on your application ahead of your interview
- You will be interviewed by an ERP who will consider your application, your presentation at interview, and your responses to questions, before they make a recommendation to the Research Careers Committee
- The Research Careers Committee will make a final decision on funding
Please note the Research Careers Committee has a restriction on the number of applications it can accept, and generally only considers two submissions per applicant at the same career stage. If you are applying for a second time, you must contact us before starting a new application.
Timelines
|
Outline application deadline |
Committee Shortlisting |
Full application deadline |
Interview and Committee Review |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27 March 2025 | June 2025 | 11 September 2025 | November 2025 |
| 2 October 2025 | December 2025 | TBC February 2026 | May 2026 |
Before you begin your application
Please refer to the following documents for the latest guidance.
You must read:
The Research Careers Committee will judge your proposal on:
- Scientific excellence: whether you have a strong scientific rationale to support the proposed research proposal.
- Cancer-relevance: the value of the proposed work in advancing the fundamental understanding of cancer or improving how cancer is diagnosed and/or treated.
- Your own track record and potential to produce outstanding results
- The strength of your research team and research environment
The 5 year rolling success rate (financial year 2020-2025) from application to funding for this scheme is 16.2%.
Case studies
Read advice from successful applicants.
Dr Marnix Jansen
Marnix talked to us about how he successfully applied for a CRUK Clinician Scientist Fellowship, and how it is enabling him to build a career in translational research.
Dr Michelle Lockley
Michelle told us how the support she received during her Clinician Scientist Fellowship helped her develop scientific independence and learn how to lead a lab team, and how she made the next step with an Advanced Clinician Scientist Fellowship.
Dr Ultan McDermott
Ultan talked to us about how his Clinician Scientist Fellowship has created time to develop as both a clinician and a scientist, and how he manages the competing demands of the dual role.
Dr Ferdia Gallagher
Ferdia talked to us about what CRUK funding has helped him to achieve, from his clinical PhD to his current Fellowship, and his experience as a clinician of participating in multidisciplinary collaborations in imaging research.
Dr Serena Nik-Zainal
Serena explains why she chose CRUK to further her career, and her research to decipher the mutational signatures that occur in cancer cells.
Dr Geoff Higgins
Geoff shares his advice on planning a grant application and preparing for a fellowship interview, and his experience of how clinical academic careers are changing with increasing funding opportunities.
Applications are assessed by international, Expert Review Panels and funding decisions are made by the Research Careers Committee.
Cancer Research UK contact details
Please contact the relevant Research Grants Manager if you have questions about your eligibility or require any assistance with your application or active award.
For London (except Imperial and ICR), The North East, Scotland, and Northern Ireland
Dr Catherine Cremona, Research Grants Manager: fellowships@cancer.org.uk
For Cambridge, Oxford, and The South East and West
Dr Elisabetta Gamen, Research Grants Manager: fellowships@cancer.org.uk
For London (Imperial and ICR only), The Midlands, The North West and Wales
Dr Fran Smith, Research Grants Manager: fellowships@cancer.org.uk
Please contact our research careers programme managers if you would like to hear more about the support we offer e.g. CRUK Fellow meetings, activities and training, and to share any potential challenges you might face: fellowships@cancer.org.uk
Please refer to the 'How to apply to this scheme tab' for further details and dates for the current funding round.
More career development opportunities for researchers
We offer a range of fellowships, bursaries and other support to help outstanding scientists and clinicians develop their independent research careers.
Disability and accessibility support
We offer additional support for grant applicants and grant holders who are disabled or have a long-term health condition.