# EME/HTA Postdoctoral Award: Building Clinical Trials Experience

**Funder:** NIHR
**Consortium:** No
**Application:** 2-stage: outline application → full application → interview
**Eligible countries:** GB
**Official call:** https://www.nihr.ac.uk/funding/emehta-postdoctoral-award-building-clinical-trials-experience-funding-opportunity/2026435
**Last updated:** 30 Aug 2026

## Eligibility & scope

Postdoctoral award for researchers leading a clinical trial within EME or HTA Programme remit. Lead applicant must hold (or have submitted) a PhD/MD at time of application and must not already hold a Chair. UK institutions only (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales). Stand-alone mechanistic studies are out of remit for this specific opportunity.

## Summary

The EME/HTA-Postdoctoral Award: Building Clinical Trials Experience supports early-career researchers at UK institutions to design and conduct applied clinical trials within the NIHR Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation or Health Technology Assessment programme remit. Applicants must hold or have submitted a PhD or MD and not hold a Chair; the award emphasises inclusive research design and sex/gender considerations. Standalone mechanistic studies are not eligible; the focus is on trials addressing pressing clinical or health-system questions.

## Who should apply

- Early-career researchers holding or having submitted a PhD or MD
- Applicants based at institutions in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, or Wales
- Researchers designing applied clinical trials (not standalone mechanistic studies)
- Applicants committed to inclusive research design and sex/gender considerations
- Candidates building independence before applying for senior fellowship or grant schemes

## Key dates

- Two-stage process: outline application followed by full application
- Shortlisted applicants invited to interview in early 2027
- Apply via this opportunity only, not through general Postdoctoral Award, EME, or HTA schemes

## Tips for applicants

- Emphasise the clinical or health-system question your trial addresses; EME and HTA panels prioritise applied research over basic mechanism.
- Spell out your inclusive research design approach and sex/gender analysis plan in the full application, this is mandatory, not optional.
- Position yourself as an emerging trial leader, not a supporting investigator; the award funds independence, not consolidation of existing roles.

## Frequently asked questions

### What types of research are eligible for the EME/HTA-Postdoctoral Award?

Applied clinical trials within the NIHR Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation or Health Technology Assessment programme remit. Standalone mechanistic studies are not eligible.

### Who can apply for the EME/HTA-Postdoctoral Award?

Early-career researchers holding or having submitted a PhD or MD, based at UK institutions (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales), who do not hold a Chair.

### When will applicants hear back from the EME/HTA-Postdoctoral Award?

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to interview in early 2027; the full timeline for notification of outcomes will be confirmed by NIHR.

### Is inclusive research design required for this award?

Yes, applicants must demonstrate inclusive research design and sex/gender considerations as part of their trial proposal.

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Source: [The Great Grantsby](https://grantsby.eu/grants/nihr-eme-hta-postdoctoral-award-building-clinical-trial-2026) — EU grant monitoring for academic researchers. Always verify details on the funder's website before applying.

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