Centre for Translational Medicine

Call guidance for the postdoctoral Clinical Research Excellence Fellowships (CREFs) is available below. Please read the call guidance carefully before applying. A recording of a Q&A webinar is also available to support applicants. 

Fellowships applications should be submitted via an online application form. Please make sure to complete the following steps before the application deadline on Sunday 26 January 2025 11:59pm GMT. 

1. Complete and submit the online application form. You will be asked to upload two documents alongside your application: (1) a signed approval form and (2) a two-page document outlining the scientific rationale and experiment design.

2. Separately, the first supervisor should complete an online primary supervisor/line manager form by the same deadline.  

You can contact the Centre at translationalmedicine@kcl.ac.uk to request a list of questions on the online application form.

Key Dates:

• Application deadline - Sunday 26 January 2025 11:59pm GMT
• Interview - w/c 17 March 2025
• Fellowships start – Autumn 2025

Applications are open for the Centre for Translational Medicine (CTM) Post Doctoral Clinical Research Excellence Fellowships; this scheme offers up to 24 months full-time protected research time for health professionals at the postdoctoral stage of clinical academic training. The scheme is open to any postdoctoral health professional working or planning to work in translational medical research.

Individuals currently working outside a King’s Health Partners (KHP) organisation are able and welcome to apply.

These fellowships are designed to provide a period of protected research time, to support individuals to apply for more substantial, competitive research funding to further their clinical academic career. The time should be used to generate data to support subsequent funding applications, deliver research outputs such as peer reviewed articles, and build research skills and/or collaborations.

A key success metric of the scheme will be obtaining competitive external funding for the next stage of research training eg. Clinician Scientist, Intermediate or Advanced fellowships (or equivalent). 

The ambition of this call is to support exceptional health professional researchers to become the next generation of clinical academic leaders. Successful applicants will have access to a programme of research training and career development through King’s Clinical Academic Training Office (KCATO) and other entities across the KHP organisations. This will include mentoring, research skills training, professional development and grant/publication writing support. 

To facilitate training in Translational Medicine, fellows will receive supervision by clinical or academic colleagues with a proven track record in translational medical research including successful supervision of external peer-reviewed personal fellowship-holders. Supervisors must be employed by one of the KHP organisations, and supervisors may support only one fellowship application per round. 

Please visit 'how to apply' above for details of the application process.

Successful applicants will be required to submit regular reports on progress.

Queries can be sent to the CTM team delivering the call via translationalmedicine@kcl.ac.uk.

Funding seeks to support fellows to develop and deliver on projects in translational medical research, particularly studies of disease mechanisms in humans and the translation of these insights into early detection and interventions. This includes use of diagnostics and devices, patient-reported outcome measures, and the development of proof of concepts, such as through early phase clinical studies of new treatments and development of advanced therapies.  Fellows’ research projects should align to the priority areas and themes summarised in Figure 1 and demonstrate clear contributions to the strategic priority areas for health research at the KHP organisations, including how the research will seek to reduce health inequity. Discovery science projects and/or those involving animal models are not eligible. 

We particularly encourage applications that:

• Aim to harness combined strengths across King’s College London faculties and KHP organisations;
• Bring together multidisciplinary, cross-partner and/or cross-faculty research and expertise, which may be reflected in the supervisory team;
• Connect mental and physical health (and/or links to the NIHR Maudsley BRC).

Figure 1: Priority areas for funding:

Collaborations 

Applications that incorporate collaboration with external NHS, University or industry partners, and co-supervisors will be considered. Successful fellows may undertake periods of training in institutions of collaborators where appropriately justified eg. where expertise, technologies or techniques are not currently available across KHP. In such cases, applicants are encouraged to outline how any new capabilities learned externally will be brought back for wider dissemination.

Outputs from the fellowship

For the duration of the fellowship, in addition to pursing their research projects, recipients will:

• Prepare for future research fellowship application(s) for submission to external funding bodies, such as a Research Council, Charity or NIHR, to support a further period of research activity eg. clinician scientist fellowship, advanced or intermediate fellowship.
• Publish their research outputs in peer-reviewed journals;
• Prepare and present their research at internal and external meetings;
• Actively participate in research meetings and public engagement activities.

Candidate Eligibility 

• Health professionals (registered with a UK health professional regulatory body) are eligible to apply, including nurses, midwives, doctors, dentists, pharmacists, healthcare scientists, psychologists and all other registered professions allied to healthcare. 
• Researchers/scientists who are not registered health professionals are not eligible.
• Applicants should have a doctoral degree in a relevant research area, eg., PhD, MDRes.
• The aim of the fellowship is to provide protected research time embedded and supported in the optimal environment for clinical academic career progression. Successful Fellows will have the opportunity to be based at King’s College London (fixed term contract) or to maintain their NHS employment if they currently hold substantive employment for the duration of the fellowship at one of the KHP partner trusts (South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust).  This decision should be made in conjunction with your sponsor to allow you to be based wherever is best for the type of research activity, optimal research supervision/ mentoring, support structures/professional development, requirements for professional registration and validation etc
• We welcome applications from individuals based outside KHP organisations.
• This scheme aims to support researchers who are intending to pursue a clinical academic career i.e. maintain both clinical professional activity and research in the long-term. An outline of the plan to achieve this is required in the application.
• We encourage applications from non-medical health professionals; our ambition is to broaden the health professions represented amongst CTM funded fellows, this includes nurses, midwives, doctors, dentists, pharmacists, healthcare scientists, psychologists and all other registered professions allied to healthcare.
• We welcome applications from candidates from underrepresented groups for this scheme, irrespective of gender identity, disabilities, neuro-divergence, race or ethnicity, religion, or other personal circumstances. 

Supervisor eligibility 

• Supervision must be provided by research-active staff employed by one of the KHP organisations. At least one supervisor must be a King’s College London employee or hold an adjunct appointment
• Supervisors should have a track record of successful supervision of clinical Post doctoral fellows, successfully supporting them to obtain external competitive intermediate/advanced fellowship funding
• At least one supervisor must be a clinical academic health professional.

Funding available

• Fellow salary: This scheme seeks to match the current salary of fellows during the research period, the maximum salary envelope is £180,000 (this includes the total salary costs for up to two years, including all on costs, ie., pension and NI contributions. But not including on call costs). Therefore, applicants should cost their salary based on their salary in September 2025 (see “costings” below).
• This fellowship can be taken at less than 100% FTE (minimum 50% FTE) however the total length of the fellowship remains at a maximum of two years; applications must indicate a work plan which is achievable in the allocated time.
• Use of research platforms should be costed into the application.
• Up to £10,000 per annum (pro rata) can be requested for research running costs/consumables. As part of this fellowship, it will be expected you have a budget line for PPIE activity. This may come out of the consumables budget or another source but needs to be indicated in the application.
• Each fellow will also have access to up to £1,000 per year flexible bursary eg. for travel to meetings or external training not provided by KHP organisations.

Fellowship contracts and salary source 

Fellowships are offered for up to two years with full salary covered (up to a total of £180,000, including on costs). Maintaining clinical skills (up to a maximum of 2 PAs/0.2FTE per week) is encouraged as part of the full-time fellowship period, in order to avoid deskilling clinically.

If a part-time work plan is proposed, this should be articulated in the application form. The minimum FTE for the fellowship is 0.5FTE. Fellowships will not be offered for longer than two years.

Successful applicants are expected to start the fellowship in September 2025. Flexibility on start date will be considered on a case-by case-basis.

Costings 

For external candidates, the supervisor should assist with costings for the application. Total salary for applied FTE over the two-year period September 2025 – September 2027 should be calculated including all on costs (not including on call costs). 

Salary cost: For NHS salaries, the NHS Trust Research and Development (R&D) office will help determine salary costs for the duration of the project. Please request this straight away, as it can take up to four weeks for a costing request to be processed

 NHS Trust R&D office contacts are:

• Joint R&D Office of the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, Lauren Moult, lauren.moult@kcl.ac.uk) 
• Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust R&D Office rdcosting@gstt.nhs.uk 
• King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust R&D Office kch-tr.rd-researchcosting@nhs.net

For King’s College London salary costings, please use Worktribe. Local King’s College London Business / School Manager or Departmental Research Support Officers can guide you to completing a Worktribe costing. The total salary cost as a stand-alone budget, internal funding. Successful candidates will be required to provide recent pay slips as evidence of their current salary

The use of research platforms should be costed into the application

Research running costs/consumables should be costed up to a maximum of £10,000 per year, pro-rated (total maximum £20,000 for two years).

Selection process

After an initial eligibility check, an independent representative review panel from across KHP, including patient/public representation, will evaluate all applications. Applications will be ranked, and shortlisted candidates will be invited to interview where the panel will assess: 

• The research track record of the candidate;
• The training and development plan, including plans for future clinical academic career progression and leveraging external fellowship funding; 
• The quality of the research project described; 
• Contribution towards positive outcomes for patients and/or communities contribution towards enhancing health equity;
• Strength of the PPI/E plans;
• Suitability of the supervisory team; 
• Alignment of research with the strategic research priorities across KHP organisations; 
• Relevance to the four priority research domains; 
• Value for money and justification of the funding requested.

How many fellowships will be awarded in this call? 

There were five awards in the first cohort. Find out more here. We expect to award between five and ten fellowships in the current round. We anticipate similar numbers for year three.

Would a collaborative translational project across institutions be acceptable - with supervisors across institutions?

Projects can be collaborative across institutions. The scheme aims to build capacity across King’s Health Partners (KHP), so fellows should be strongly embedded in the partnership, and the primary supervisor/line manager should be employed through an organisation of KHP. Additional supervisors/collaborators from outside KHP are permitted.

Is this fellowship a bridging scheme to a substantive academic post?

The fellowships are designed to provide protected time for clinical academics aiming to continue a clinical academic pathway. As a standalone programme, it is not directly linked to a substantive pathway. However, it should be used as a route to building research experience and track record in preparation for next stage competitive clinical academic funding. Securing further funding after the fellowship is a key success metric for this fellowship scheme.
 

Are external candidates eligible to apply?

Yes, both internal and external candidates to King’s Health Partners can apply.

Do I need to have received my doctorate (PhD) before the fellowship start date in order to apply? Or is its submission sufficient to make an application?

Applicants must hold a relevant PhD or MD(Res), or have submitted the thesis for examination at the time of application.  The doctorate must have been awarded by the time the fellowship starts. Note that we currently plan to release another call for this scheme, starting in autumn 2026.  MBBS candidates are not eligible to apply for this scheme.

I completed my PhD a few years ago, am I eligible to apply?

Yes, as there are no limitations in this regard.

Are Consultants eligible to apply for the postdoctoral Clinical Research Excellence Fellowships?

Yes, the scheme is open to consultants. Note there is a maximum salary envelope of £180,000 available via the scheme (includes the total salary costs for up to two years, including all employer on costs, ie, pension and NI contributions, but not including on call costs). There is an upcoming CTM funding scheme specifically for consultants and senior health professionals, expected to open in early January 2025.

Are international PhD Students able to apply?

These fellowships are for postdoctoral candidates. Applicants will need the right to work in the UK. They will be employed by one of the KHP organisations for the duration of the fellowship. This contract will be set up locally so it is worthwhile speaking with your prospective supervisor/line manager ahead of making an application to agree the steps required to undertake the fellowship.

I did not graduate in the UK. Can I still apply if I have a medical degree but halfway through General Medical Council (GMC) registration?

In such cases, applications will be reviewed taking into account the specific situation of the candidate and their proposed research project. Note that if the proposed research requires any patient facing work at KHP, then GMC registration will be a requirement. All applicants must hold a postgraduate research degree (PhD or MD).

Is there any flexibility with start date?

Appointments can be taken up in September 2025 or earlier if possible. Requests for a later start date should be communicated in the application and will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Do you need a contract within KHP to apply and can this be solely NHS, or does it need to be joint with a university?

The scheme is open to any applicant currently employed at one of the KHP organisations and to external applicants. Successful Fellows will have the opportunity to be based at King’s College London (fixed term contract) or to maintain their NHS employment if they currently hold substantive employment for the duration of the fellowship at one of the KHP partner trusts (South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust).

What is the maximum length of the fellowship?

The maximum length for the fellowship is two years whether taken up on a full-time or part-time basis. The fellowship has been designed to support health professionals to obtain further competitive clinical academic funding.

I cannot attend the interview on the dates provided. Is there any possibility of scheduling an alternative interview date?

Tentative dates for the interview are indicated in the application document (w/c 17 March 2025). These will be confirmed closer to the time. Shortlisted candidates will be expected to attend an interview in person (unless exceptional circumstances – please outline these in your application).

Does the fellowship require publication in high impact factor journal for a successful candidate? 

The research track record of the candidate is one of the assessment criteria that will be used in shortlisting applications. Whilst peer-reviewed publications are important, criteria will be assessed in multiple ways, including other research outputs relevant to the type of research previously undertaken.

I am experiencing technical issues when completing the online application form.

Candidates are strongly advised to prepare their answers in advance. Candidates can contact the Centre via email at translationalmedicine@kcl.ac.uk to request a word version of the application from. Candidates are advised to complete the online form in one sitting to avoid technical issues.

The online form is programmed to retain information for 24 hours after you edit a response. If you experience issues with the form, we recommend clearing the cookies and cache data on your device before relaunching the online application form. It might be beneficial to change browsers – we recommend using Google Chrome. If the problem persists, please contact us at translationalmedicine@kcl.ac.uk.

What is the clinical/academic split permitted?

Up to two PAs of clinical work for full-time fellowship holders is permitted, to maintain clinical skills.  If applicants are considering more than 2PAs of clinical commitment, they would be expected to undertake the fellowship on a part time basis and maintain their existing clinical contract, but in revised form.

Arrangements should be agreed in consultation with the Clinical Director of the relevant Trust in advance, as part of the fellowship application. Applicants must submit a signed copy of the Approval Form as part of their fellowship application, where the support for the proposed workplan, including proposed arrangements for clinical commitments, should be articulated.

If shortlisted, we may request further details about the clinical component of the job plan, as well as arrangements for salary support once the fellowship has ended.

Can I undertake the fellowship part time?

Yes, fellowships can be undertaken part-time, where the allocated commitment to the research project should be no less than 0.5FTE for a period of up to two years. If a part-time work plan is proposed, this should be articulated in the application form.

Does the up to 20% clinical time covered by the fellowship have to be conducted in affiliated NHS Trusts, or can it be in other hospitals?

No, maintaining clinical skills to a maximum of 2PAs/0.2FTE is acceptable within the fellowship and can be conducted in any NHS Trust provided that a King’s Health Partners organisation is hosting the research. This must be pre-arranged with relevant clinical director and confirmed as part of the application.

If the fellowship is done part time does that reduce the amount of funding for consumables each year?

No. Applicants should cost in the appropriate amount for research costs/consumables in their application and justify the costings.

Do I need to undertake the fellowship part time if I would like to work on other research grants? 

Candidates should communicate any plans regarding this during the application process. This would need to be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

I am based at King’s College London. Do I need a KHP Honorary Passport to apply? 

All staff currently employed by one of the KHP organisations will need an honorary passport to provide clinical sessions/other services/have access to patient data at another KHP organisations. This can be sought prior to starting the fellowship but does not need to be in place in order to apply.

When the awards finish is there a guarantee to get back to 100% clinical if another type of research funding has not been secured?

The fellowships are designed to provide protected time for clinical academics aiming to continue on a clinical academic pathway.

Any arrangements regarding clinical work after the period of the fellowship should be discussed and agreed with the relevant Trust clinical director or equivalent, and articulated in the application. KHP CTM cannot commit to supporting salaries beyond the period of the fellowship.

I will be on maternity/paternity leave at the time of the interviews. Can I defer?

Please note any specific circumstances in your application. We will liaise with shortlisted candidates about the best way forward in such cases.

I am substantively employed by a King’s Health Partners organisation. What happens to my contract/PAs during the fellowship?

Your contract for the fellowship can be with any of the organisations of King’s Health Partners. Backfill arrangements should be agreed in consultation with the Clinical Director of the relevant Trust in advance, as part of the fellowship application and the ‘Approval Form’ required for submission. You should discuss plans for after the fellowship with relevant clinical colleagues as you pull together the application.

Is the funding specifically for the fellowship holder and/or for research assistance? 

The fellowships offer salary support for the fellowship holder only, plus research consumables budget.

Can I top-up my research and training budget with other grant funding?

Yes.

Can I use some of the salary allowance for bench fees and lab consumables? 

No, the fellowship funding will pay your salary in full (up to the maximum salary envelope). Bench fees and consumables must be costed separately at a maximum of £10,000 pa.

Will the grant be run through Worktribe at King’s College London?

Worktribe can be used to prepare a Standalone Budget for fellowships hosted at King’s College London, but the funding will not be run as a project through Worktribe after award. For those in other King’s Health Partners, candidates should consult their local Research & Development / Innovation teams for pre-award paperwork.

Is the fellowship call primarily for research projects in the discovery phase or would those in early implementation be eligible to apply?

Projects at either or both stages of research (discovery and/or early implementation) would be in remit for this scheme.

Our research spans high and low/middle income countries - if outputs have translational benefit across settings would this application still be considered or is there a preference for fellowships focusing solely on work in high income countries?

There is no requirement or preference for projects to concentrate solely on high income countries.

Are repurposed treatments considered alongside novel therapeutics in this funding call?

Yes, this could be viewed as precision medicine. The context and potential impact of such interventions should be fully justified.

Is this suitable for a physician with a view to leading an international collaborative prospective trial on novel treatments?

Large international trials can be a challenge, especially within a short two-year timeline, so this factor should be taken into consideration. Note that this fellowship funding call focuses on supporting the individual investigator.

I am interested to understand how this can be applicable to all backgrounds it is open to, as from reading this it appears to lean towards prioritisation of biomedical research.

The Centre for Translational Medicine is a strategic initiative across KHP designed to build capacity specifically at the stage of early translational medicine. We are aware this is not representative of all types of health research being conducted across the partner organisations. If this call does not fit with the research a potential candidate is interested in pursuing, candidates are encouraged to reach out to local colleagues, including research development and/or translationalmedicine@kcl.ac.uk to discuss further. 

Will you consider translational projects involving electronic health data?

Yes.

This call provided funding for the essential, often ‘hard to fund’ infrastructure to deliver high quality translational research.

Ten areas of activity have received awards, underpinning areas of clinical and academic excellence with emerging strengths and cross-cutting themes of data and diagnostics, to address the needs of patients and communities, and reduce health inequalities. 

This funding call aims to stimulate, accelerate and enhance translational medicine research across King’s Health Partners. Specifically, the funding will support the creation of pilot data, enabling substantive awards to be secured from external sources.

Applications for the call have now closed and we announced the successful projects in May 2024.

Timeline for next funding round:
Application open: w/c 3 February 2025
Application close: 30 March 2025
Outcome announcement: late May 2025

This fellowship scheme provides one year pump-prime funding to provide protected research time and training for predoctoral health professionals working in translational medicine. During the year, Fellows will develop external funding applications to support doctoral research.

Learn more about the fellows awarded in the first cohort.

The second round of the fellowship applications has now closed. Next application round is expected to open late 2025.