Opportunities
The School has several funding opportunities for those who want to start or continue their career in primary care research. Currently there are annual competitions for PhD Studentships, Seedcorn and Bridging Awards and Undergraduate Internships.
NIHR SPCR Nursing and Commercial Research Fellowships- Applications Now Open!
As members of the NIHR School for Primary Care Research (SPCR), we are pleased to offer one of 11 SPCR-funded Nursing Commercial Research Fellowships for 2026.
Applications are open to primary care nurses interested in developing their career in commercial research in primary and community care settings.
Fellows will gain skills in commercial research delivery, academic development, strategic systems working, and cross‑sector collaboration.
A total of 11 Fellows will be appointed, hosted across the SPCR member institutions plus Newcastle and Birmingham. Fellows will join a supportive cohort with mentorship, supervision, shared learning, and access to SPCR training. The QMUL-based post will be hosted at the Centre for Primary Care - Wolfson Institute of Population Health , where overall supervision will be provided.
The role is part-time (0.4 or 0.5 FTE) for a fixed term up to 18 months (all posts to end by 31 March 2028).
Salary: Equivalent to current NHS/academic salary (pro rata; capped at £74,896)
Job description and person specification
Deadline for applications (covering letter and CV): 8th June 2026.
The shortlisting and interview process will be local. We are aiming for the successful candidate to be in post by September 1 2026.
For further information including the job description and person specification, please contact: Naomi Cocks n.cocks@qmul.ac.uk
Wellcome-funded PhD Programme for Primary Care
QMUL leads the Wellcome-funded PhD Programme for Primary Care Clinicians. We build upon the success of the last Wellcome-funded flagship programme which supported 5 years of enrolment from 2017-2025. The scheme is aimed at supporting the most promising medically qualified clinicians who wish to undertake rigorous research training, leading to the award of a PhD.
Applications for 2026 are now closed.
SPCR Career Development Award
The SPCR Career Development Awards enable early career researchers to develop their career in primary care research, building networks and working with local supervisory teams. This award can be used to support a researcher who would like to work towards applying for a PhD. Or it can support an early career post doctoral researcher, to develop applications for grant funding, a personal fellowship or relevant training.
Applications for this award have now closed. Upcoming awards will be advertised here.
Seedcorn and Bridging awards (no external webpages)
This award is provided every year and can be used to support researchers from any professional background for short periods of time, usually up to a maximum 1-year duration, while they develop applications for national training awards or external grant funding. Recipients should use the funded time to focus on their career development, building networks and working with local supervisory teams/mentors. The amount available is £10,000 for Seedcorn and £10,000 for Bridging each year. Applications close early in the calendar year (Feb/March) for awards commencing the April onwards (all funds must be spent by the March of the following year).
The Seedcorn Bridging award for 2026 is now closed.
This funding supports internships for undergraduate students. Students from a number of disciplinary backgrounds are able to apply as long as they can demonstrate an interest in primary care research. These are short term internships over the summer months. They normally comprise of a particular piece of work that academics or practitioners have designed which take place in a research environment.
Applications for this internship have now closed. Upcoming internships will be advertised here.
SPCR PhD Studentships
The 2026/27 SPCR PhD Studentships are now open! Deadline for submission is Monday the 1st of June 2026. Please follow this link for more details SPCR PhD Studentships.