# Research Programme for Social Care – Early Career Researcher

**Funder:** NIHR
**Budget:** Up to £300,000
**Duration:** 24 months
**Consortium:** Optional — up to 15 co-applicants; an experienced co-applicant must serve as a mentor to the ECR lead
**Application:** 2-stage: outline application → full application (SoECAT required at full stage only)
**Eligible countries:** GB
**Official call:** https://www.nihr.ac.uk/funding/rpsc-commissioned-call-june-2026/2026436-2026437-2026438
**Last updated:** 6 Sept 2026

## Eligibility & scope

ECR eligibility: PhD within last 5 years and/or no prior CI grant exceeding £100k. Applicant must be at a UK university, NHS body, or local authority. Reviewed separately from main pool; not in direct competition with larger awards. An experienced co-applicant must serve as mentor.

## Summary

This NIHR call funds early career researchers to lead social care research projects of up to £300,000 over 24 months. It targets researchers within 5 years of their PhD, or those who have not yet held a chief investigator grant over £100k, based at a UK university, NHS body, or local authority. Applications are reviewed in a separate pool from NIHR's main research programme, so ECR proposals are not competing against larger, more established awards, though an experienced co-applicant must mentor the lead applicant.

## Who should apply

- Researchers within 5 years of PhD completion, or without a prior CI grant over £100k
- Based at a UK university, NHS body, or local authority
- Social care-focused research projects
- Applicants able to secure an experienced mentor as co-applicant
- Those seeking a funding pool separate from NIHR's larger, more competitive awards

## Key dates

- Project start date cannot be before 1 December 2027 (application deadline not stated on page)
- Two-stage process: outline application, then full application with SoECAT required only at full stage
- 24-month project duration

## Tips for applicants

- Secure your mentor co-applicant early, this is a mandatory eligibility requirement, not an optional strengthener.
- Since projects can't start before December 2027, use the lead time to build your co-applicant team and refine scope even before the outline stage opens.
- Save detailed costings for the full application stage; the SoECAT is not required at outline stage, so keep that submission focused on the research case.

## Frequently asked questions

### How much funding does the NIHR Research Programme for Social Care Early Career Researcher award provide?

Up to £300,000 for a project lasting 24 months.

### Who counts as an early career researcher for this NIHR call?

Applicants must have received their PhD within the last 5 years and/or have no prior chief investigator grant exceeding £100k.

### Do I need a mentor or co-applicants to apply?

Co-applicants are optional (up to 15), but an experienced co-applicant must serve as a mentor to the ECR lead.

### When can a funded project start?

Projects cannot start before 1 December 2027; the application deadline itself is not stated on the funder's page.

### How many stages does the application process have?

Two stages: an outline application followed by a full application, with the Statement of Costs (SoECAT) required only at the full stage.

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Source: [The Great Grantsby](https://grantsby.eu/grants/nihr-research-programme-for-social-care-early-career-re-2026) — EU grant monitoring for academic researchers. Always verify details on the funder's website before applying.

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