The NIHR is expected to launch the 2025 application round of NIHR Research Professorships round 16 and Global Research Professorships round 9 in late September or early October 2025, with an application deadline in early December 2025.
NIHR do not pre-announce their deadline or any changes to the scheme remit or eligibility criteria until the schemes are launched. NIHR will apply institutional application limits that necessitate an internal selection process. Therefore Oxford’s selection process has been launched in advance of the NIHR scheme launch to give applicants more time to prepare their applications.
All information below is subject to change and will be updated when the NIHR launch the schemes.
To receive updates on the scheme and the planned webinar (see details below) by email as additional information is released, please complete the form here. If you are interested in applying it is strongly recommended to complete this form. Please also check this page regularly for updates in late September and early October.
The internal selection process is now open to identify Oxford’s candidates for the NIHR Research Professorships round 16 (link points to round 15) and the Global Research Professorships round 9 (link points to round 8). The objective of these awards is to fund leaders in the early part of their careers to lead research and to strengthen health, public health and care research leadership at the highest academic levels. The Professorships enable the awardee to spend a fixed five-year period dedicated to translational research at Professorial level and develop research capacity to accelerate transfer of research ideas into improved health.
MSD will be hosting an online Q&A Session with members of the internal selection panel in early September 2025. The time and date will be confirmed as soon as possible and the webinar will be recorded for applicants who are not able to attend. To register interest in attending the webinar and in receiving emailed updates on the scheme, please complete this form.
Internal Selection Process
In previous rounds, the NIHR has restricted the number of applications that can be submitted per institution to:
- Three nominees for the NIHR Research Professorships (at least one of whom must be female and at least one of whom must be from an ethnic minority group) whose research has clear potential for benefiting patients, public health, or care users and carers in the UK.
- Two nominees for the NIHR Global Research Professorships (at least one of whom must be female) whose research has clear potential for benefiting patients, public health or care users and carers in LMICs.
Therefore, the Medical Sciences Division is running a co-ordinated process to select the applications that Oxford will put forward. Those wishing to apply must submit an application form and a short CV through IRAMS by 12 noon BST on Wednesday 24th September 2025 (provisional deadline, subject to change after the NIHR have announced their timeline). Departments must also provide Departmental Approval for your application in IRAMS before this deadline.
To fulfil the NIHR’s eligibility criteria, applicants must also log into HR Self Service and ensure their personal and diversity data is up to date.
The Medical Sciences Division is coordinating the internal selection process and aims to notify all candidates of the outcome of their internal application on around 15th October 2025. Current guidance on Oxford’s internal process, a summary of eligibility criteria for the schemes, and a recording of last year’s webinar can be accessed via the link below (documents will be updated after the schemes have launched).
Link to current guidance on Oxford’s internal process and summary of eligibility criteria
Please direct questions to research@medsci.ox.ac.uk. Further information about NIHR Research Professorship schemes and Guidance Notes for previous rounds of the two schemes are available on the NIHR website.
