1. Applicants must be registered health and care professionals.

The adopted definition of health and care professionals refers to regulated healthcare professionals who are currently registered with one of the national regulatory bodies, including:

• Nursing and Midwifery Council

• Health and Care Professions Council

• General Dental Council

• General Medical Council

• General Optical Council

• General Osteopathic Council

• General Chiropractic Council

• General Pharmaceutical Council

• Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland

• Academy for Healthcare Science*

*Registration as a Clinical Research Practitioner (CRP) with the Academy for Healthcare Science is not mandatory for your role. To be eligible for this bursary, you must be registered and provide your registration number as part of your application.

2.  Applicants should apply for their chosen course before applying for a bursary.

Applicants will be asked to enter their Applicant or Student Number in the bursary application form to confirm that they have done so and to calculate the amount of funding they need to complete the course.  

3. Working in the NHS or Public Healthcare in England

Applicants must work in the NHS or a publicly funded healthcare setting in England and intend to undertake the Research Practice Experience module in England for the duration of the course they have applied to study.

4. Consent to Share Application Information

Applicants must agree to share the information provided on the bursary application form with the universities delivering courses aligned with the Masters for Research Delivery Leadership and anonymised details with the bursary selection panel.

5. Agreement to Post-Course Follow-Up

Applicants must permit the NIHR to contact them about their experiences of the course and their ongoing career development for up to 5 years post completion of the course.

6. Employer Research & Development Support Required

Applicants must have the support of their employer's Research and Development department or equivalent to undertake the course.

7. Acknowledgement of Time Commitment

Applicants must understand the time commitment for the course and have made arrangements to ensure that they will have enough time to complete it. (Full time employees are strongly encouraged to agree to time off work for study time with their employer.)

8. Applications From Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland

The NIHR MRDL bursaries are funded through the Department of Health and Social Care and are therefore limited to staff working in England only. 

• However, the courses are available to students from the devolved nations. The theoretical modules are delivered online so can be completed from anywhere. You will need to find a local supervisor for the Research Practice Experience module. We suggest you speak to your line manager about this. 

• If you are based in Wales, you can contact research-training@wales.nhs.uk about the support they offer.

• If you are based in Scotland, you can visit Research Scotland to see what support they can offer.

If you have any further questions about the courses, please contact the university where you would like to study directly.

The courses could be available to those without a core profession/registration if they have relevant experience and career plans.

Potential learners should contact their preferred university to discuss their individual circumstances. See more information for their email addresses.

You can make an application for credit transfer or recognition of prior learning to the university you are applying to. If this is accepted, you will be able to start studying at Postgraduate Diploma level without completing the Postgraduate Certificate. Policies may vary between universities, so we recommend discussing the matter with your university of choice before commencing a course application at the earliest opportunity.

The entry requirements will be set by the higher education institutions offering the courses. For further information, please look at the relevant course pages.

• King’s College London

• Newcastle University

• University of Exeter

• University of Sheffield

You will need to study for 10-15 hours each week for a 15-credit module, whether from study leave or part-time working, as a minimum.  However, this will vary throughout the courses. Each qualification consists of 60 credits. 

• The Postgraduate Certificates are 60 credits.

• The Postgraduate Diplomas are 60 credits. 

• The full master's degrees are a further 60 credits.

60 credits equate to approximately 600 hours of learner activities (including teaching, supervision time, self-directed study, workplace learning and the preparation and completion of assignments), which will normally be completed part-time over a period of 10 months.

You should discuss this with your employer and preferred universities before applying.

The course fees will be set by the higher education institutions offering the courses. These will be in line with their other postgraduate course fees for similar courses.

For further information, please look at the relevant course pages.

• King’s College London

• Newcastle University

• University of Exeter

• University of Sheffield

Most students' Research Practice Experience module supervisor works in the same hospital as them, will complete the Research Practice Experience module where they work, however this will depend on where the experiences your Research Practice Experience module supervisor arranges for you are based.

Changing employers part way through the course is not generally recommended, however this can be accommodated under some circumstances. 

You will need to ensure that your new employer is supportive of you continuing with the course, and you have a suitable supervisor in place for your Research Practice Experience module.

Please note that bursary eligibility is linked to meeting the employment criteria of the Masters for Research Delivery Leadership programme, which includes being substantively employed within the NHS (or another eligible public sector organisation). If you change jobs or leave eligible employment and no longer meet these criteria, your bursary offer would be withdrawn from that point onwards. There would be no requirement to repay funding already received for periods when you met the eligibility criteria, but continued funding depends on ongoing eligibility.

If you are thinking of changing jobs in the next 12 months, it may be worth considering applying for the course the following year when you have established yourself in your new role.

Each university has its own leave of absence (study break) policy. If you have questions about taking a study break, please contact the university where you plan to study directly, as they will be able to advise on their specific process and requirements.

If you are receiving an NIHR bursary, you can take up to one year of study breaks in total during your course. This does not include time off for extenuating circumstances.

If you think you may need to take a study break, please contact your university and the Masters in Research Delivery Leadership programme team as soon as possible so they can advise you on the next steps.

You can make an application for credit transfer or recognition of prior learning to the higher education institution you are applying to. If this is accepted, you will be able to start studying at Postgraduate Diploma level without completing the Postgraduate Certificate.

Online modules

Assessment methods for the online theoretical modules may vary but typically include:

• Essays

• Reflective pieces

• Multiple choice questions

• Portfolios

• Peer review activities

Research Practice Experience (RPE)

The Research Practice Experience (RPE) focuses on applied learning. This includes learning through your own workplace and by taking part in existing research within wider research networks.

You will be supported throughout the module by a senior researcher, who will act as your RPE supervisor and mentor.

For further information about how the RPE module is assessed, please contact the relevant university.

We recommend contacting the following teams at your organisation or in your local area to help identify a suitable workplace-based supervisor:

• Research and Development Department

• Research and Innovation Department

• Primary Care Research Lead

• NIHR Regional Research Delivery Network (RRDN)

These teams are usually aware of local Principal Investigators and research studies taking place in your area and may be able to suggest staff who could act as your workplace-based supervisor.

If you are still unable to find a suitable supervisor, please contact the relevant university for further guidance. You can find their contact details in the More information section.

Yes. Before applying for one of the courses, please contact your Research and Development Department, Research and Innovation Department or Primary Care Research Lead to ask if there are local staff who may be willing to be your Research Practice Experience module supervisor. They will be aware of the Principal Investigators and research studies being undertaken in your area.

If you aren't able to find a suitable supervisor, your chosen university may be able to support you to find a suitable match if you are working in a publicly funded setting in England. Please contact the university as soon as possible if you need help in finding a supervisor.

Where possible, learners will be matched with a workplace-based supervisor within their own employing organisation.

If this is not possible, the universities will support learners based in England to find a suitable placement and supervisor at another organisation.

Your workplace-based supervisor will help you arrange the appropriate research permissions for the organisation where the RPE module will take place. This may include applying for a:

• Research Passport

• Letter of Access

• Honorary Research Contract

These arrangements must be in place before the RPE module begins.

To undertake the Research Practice Experience modules, learners will need to identify a suitable clinical research study (e.g. an NIHR Research Delivery Network Portfolio study) with a Principal Investigator who is willing to supervise them. For learners who are unable to do this, the universities will help learners based in England find a suitable research project aligned to their interests.

Learners need to agree on the arrangements for study leave with their employer. It is important that learners are able to undertake the workplace-based Research Practice Experience modules when staff conducting the clinical research study are available to support them.

These arrangements must be in place before the RPE module begins.

Bursaries for courses aligned with the Masters in Research Delivery Leadership cover course fees only.

They cannot be used for additional costs, such as travel, accommodation, or study materials, and do not include a stipend.

The bursary is paid directly to the university and is used to cover course fees only.

Bursary funding is not available to resit or repeat any part of the course. The bursary supports a maximum of three years of study.

Funding for future years of the course is conditional on successfully meeting the requirements to progress to the next stage.

Yes. You may reapply for the next academic year, provided your previous application was not rejected due to an ongoing eligibility criteria (for example, not being registered with the relevant regulatory body).

If you withdraw from the university after the bursary has been paid, you will not be required to repay the bursary.

However, bursary funding is only available for the standard duration of the course and cannot be used to retake any part of the course. If you withdraw and later need or choose to repeat that year of study, bursary funding will not be available to cover the repeat year.

No. If you hold an NIHR Fellowship, you are not eligible for Bursary funding, as your fellowship already includes support for Masters-level training.

Yes. You must first apply to your chosen university course before submitting a bursary application.

When completing the bursary application, you will be asked to provide your Applicant or Student Number and the course fee amount for the upcoming academic year. This confirms that you have applied for the course and helps calculate the bursary funding required for your studies.

Yes. Students who wish to continue receiving MRDL bursary funding will be asked to complete a short annual continuation form.

This applies to all bursary recipients, including students who have paused their studies or plan to take an approved study break.

Please note, this is not a competitive reapplication and does not put your existing funding at risk.

The continuation form helps us to:

• confirm your continued engagement with the course

• track student progression year to year

• ensure we have up-to-date information to release ongoing funding

• Maintain accurate records of bursary payments

Important:

If you are already receiving MRDL bursary funding, your continued funding remains in place, subject to ongoing eligibility (including successful academic progression). However, funding cannot be released if the continuation form is not completed.

If you have already started the MRDL course, you cannot apply for NIHR bursary funding for the current academic year. However, you may be able to apply for a bursary for the following academic year, provided you meet the eligibility criteria. 

As stated on the bursary application form, it is not possible to amend your application once it has been submitted. Please make sure you review your application carefully before submitting it, as changes cannot be made once it has been submitted.

However, you may withdraw your application by emailing MRDL@nihr.ac.uk.

Yes. You can save a draft of your bursary application and return to complete and submit it later, as long as you provide your contact information.

Please make sure you review your application carefully before submitting it, as changes cannot be made once it has been submitted.

You may apply for other NIHR funding opportunities before you are offered and accept an MRDL programme bursary.

However, unless explicitly approved by the MRDL programme team, you cannot receive additional NIHR funding once you have accepted an MRDL bursary and started the academic year, until you have completed your course. It is therefore important to decide which funding option best meets your needs before accepting an MRDL bursary offer.

If you attempt to obtain additional NIHR funding after accepting a bursary offer, or during your MRDL-funded studies, your bursary may be withdrawn.

If you are currently receiving, or are considering applying for, other NIHR funding, please contact us at mrdl@nihr.ac.uk before progressing so we can discuss your situation. In some cases, where funding is considered complementary, exceptions may be possible and will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Providing you withdraw from the course prior to the fees becoming payable, you will not be liable to pay the course fees. Each university has different rules relating to the payment of course fees once the course has started.

If you have any further questions, please contact the university where you would like to study directly.

The bursaries for courses aligned with the Masters for Research Delivery Leadership only cover the course fees, not any backfill for the student or their Research Practice Experience supervisor.

To help learners develop research delivery skills, supervisors need to find learners various face-to-face or remote shadowing opportunities.

There are no plans to provide backfill funding for workplace-based supervisors.

Learners can also be supported by other members of the research delivery team (under the supervision/direction of their workplace-based supervisor).

Evidence from the Royal College of Physicians' pilots for the Research Practice Experience found that on average, it takes workplace-based supervisors about an hour a week to support a learner on the Research Practice Experience module.