Organization: National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)

Type: Career development

Duration: 12, 18 or 24-months

Application deadline: November 4th,2025

ABOUT

The DSE award is a postdoctoral level funding opportunity. It supports early to mid-career researchers who want to gain specific skills and experience to underpin the next phase of their research career.

A DSE award must help you to develop the relevant and required skills to make a competitive NIHR personal award or NIHR research grant application. Applications to develop skills that are suited to research outside NIHR’s remit are not in scope for a DSE award.

Funding:

• the salary of the award holder for up to 2 years
• training and development costs, including any related travel and subsistence, up to £5,000 per year FTE
• conference costs up to £1,000 per year FTE
• mentorship costs up to £3,000

Limits on what you can apply for :

• 12 months
  • £5,000 training costs
  • £1,000 for conference or meeting costs
  • up to £3,000 towards mentorship costs
• 18 months
  • £7,500 training costs
  • £1,500 for conference or meeting costs
  • up to £3,000 towards mentorship costs
• 24 months
  • £10,000 training costs
  • £2,000 for conference or meeting costs
  • up to £3,000 towards mentorship costs

Eligibility

• have completed any relevant pre-registration training (, if you are applying as a clinical academic)
• have a proposed English contracting organisation that is an HEI, NHS body, or other provider of health and/or care services
• hold a relevant PhD or MD, or have submitted your thesis for examination at the time of application; you must have been awarded your PhD or MD by the time you start the award
• have not submitted a DSE application in the previous submission window

How to Apply:

Log in to NIHR award management system using the link below: 

NIHR awards management system

For more information:

Visit NIHR official website on the link below:

NIHR Academy remit for personal awards | NIHR