Pre-doctoral Research Bursary
About this scheme
Key information
The Research Bursary provides short-term funding to allow clinicians and other health professionals to get involved in research projects early in their career.
The bursary should be used to give you a greater understanding of research before deciding whether to undertake a PhD or MD, and/or give you the time and resources to obtain preliminary data before applying for a PhD or MD.
You should be:
- a clinician, nurse or other medical professional
- working in any area of our funding remit
- based in the UK
You should not have:
- completed a PhD or MD
- already received Fellowship funding to allow you to undertake research, except if you hold an NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowship or equivalent.
Funding support is provided for:
- Up to £25,000 to cover salary and/or research expenses
Funding support is not provided for:
- Funding Masters courses
- Supporting costs of research that will contribute towards a PhD or MD
- Salary costs for applicants who have already registered for a PhD or MD.
CRUK-Pathological Society Predoctoral Research Bursary
Funding support up to a total of £45,000 for 12 months can be requested if your medical speciality is pathology, thanks to our partnership with the Pathological Society. Applicants claiming this increased funding must be members of the Society.
How to apply to this scheme
Overview of the application process
Applications for Research Bursaries are considered twice a year by the Research Careers Committee*. Timelines typically follow this schedule, but may vary:
| Applications open | Application deadline | Funding decision |
| 10 December 2021 | 24 March 2022 | May 2022 |
| Mid June 2022 | 13 September 2022 | November 2022 |
| Mid December 2021 | 15 March 2023 | May 2023 |
* The Research Careers Committee is a new CRUK Committee that combined and replaced both our previous Clinical Careers Committee and New Investigator Committee. The Research Careers Committee covers both remits and reviews all associated schemes.
If you are a pathologist, you should select the "CRUK-Pathological Society Pre-doctoral Research Bursary" scheme to apply for the joint funding.
Before making your application
If you have questions about the eligibility of your proposal for this scheme, or require any assistance with your application, please contact the Research Grants Manager.
Applications are considered on the basis of:
- Your research achievements to date.
- The scientific merit of your proposal.
- The research environment provided by the host department.
- The relevance to cancer research and our research strategy.
Applications are assessed by the Research Careers Committee.
Cancer Research UK contact details
Please contact your Research Grants Manager if you have questions about your eligibility for this scheme or require any assistance with your application or active award
For London (except for QMUL and UCL), Oxford, Birmingham, Southampton, The South of England and Wales
Dr Victoria Walker, Research Grants Manager: fellowships@cancer.org.uk
For London (QMUL and UCL only), Cambridge, Manchester, The North of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland
Dr Catherine Cremona, Research Grants Manager: fellowships@cancer.org.uk
Please contact Dr Marjolein (Lein) Schaap, Research Programme Manager, 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 Spring 2022 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.