Yes. Clinical Research Practitioners (CRPs) can apply for the programme at one of the participating universities and may be eligible for MRDL bursary funding, provided they meet all other eligibility criteria. Full details of the eligibility requirements can be found on our website.

• King's College London (clinical-research-delivery-masters@kcl.ac.uk)

• Newcastle University (epgclinres@ncl.ac.uk)

• University of Exeter (PG-LCRDinfo@exeter.ac.uk)

• University of Sheffield (smph-pgt-admin@sheffield.ac.uk)

Our full eligibility criteria can be found on our website. If you have any questions regarding our eligibility criteria, and how any of the points listed may apply to your circumstances, please do not hesitate to email us at mrdl@nihr.ac.uk.

Unfortunately, the MRDL bursaries funded by the Department of Health and Social Care are only available to applicants working in England.

You may still be able to apply to the participating university courses; however, you would not be eligible for the NIHR bursary funding.

Alternative funding opportunities are available, and links to these can be found on our website.

Yes, provided you are employed in the NHS or a publicly funded healthcare setting in England for the full duration of your course and meet all other eligibility criteria.

However, please be aware that if your position is temporary and your employment status changes - throughout the duration of your studies - to avoid the discontinuation of your bursary payment, you would need to ensure continued support from your new line manager and local Research and Development Department, and remain employed in an NHS, or publicly funded setting.

We would also recommend that you discuss the nature of your employment with your university of choice to ensure you will meet course eligibility requirements.

Unfortunately, the MRDL bursaries are only available to applicants working in the NHS or a publicly funded healthcare setting based in England.

You may still be able to apply to the participating university courses; however, you would not be eligible for the NIHR bursary funding.

Alternative funding opportunities are available, and links to these can be found on our website.

The entry requirements are set by the higher education institutions offering the courses. Please visit the relevant course pages or contact them directly for further information.

• King's College London (clinical-research-delivery-masters@kcl.ac.uk)

• Newcastle University (epgclinres@ncl.ac.uk)

• University of Exeter (PG-LCRDinfo@exeter.ac.uk)

• University of Sheffield (smph-pgt-admin@sheffield.ac.uk)

You may be able to apply for credit transfer or recognition of prior learning at your chosen higher education institution. If successful, you may be eligible to begin your studies at the Postgraduate Diploma level, bypassing the Postgraduate Certificate.

The courses may 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.

Please note that while some universities may accept applicants without professional registration onto the course, the Master's in Research Delivery Leadership bursaries are not available to learners who do not hold the required professional registration.

To succeed in your studies, it is recommended that you dedicate 10-15 hours each week for a 15-credit module, whether from study leave or part-time working, as a minimum. However, this recommendation may vary across the different course providers, and may depend on the level of the qualification you are studying. 

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.

Yes, you can complete the programme in your own time if you are not granted protected time. However, please be aware that it can be challenging to balance your studies alongside full-time work.

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 (clinical-research-delivery-masters@kcl.ac.uk)

• Newcastle University (epgclinres@ncl.ac.uk)

• University of Exeter (PG-LCRDinfo@exeter.ac.uk)

• University of Sheffield (smph-pgt-admin@sheffield.ac.uk)

For most students, their Research Practice Experience module supervisor will be based in the same organisation where they work. In these cases, students will usually complete the Research Practice Experience module within their own organisation. However, this may vary depending on where the learning experiences arranged by the Research Practice Experience module supervisor take place.

Changing employers part way through your 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 their own leave of absence and deferral (study break) policies. 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 may be able to take a study break of up-to one academic year in total during your studies without risking discontinuation of payments for your course fees. Please note that exceptions may be made granted where it is agreed that there are extenuating circumstances involved.

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.

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.

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.. Please contact the university as soon as possible if you need help in finding a supervisor.

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.

The research supervisor should be someone within your organisation who has access to clinical research delivery projects and can support you in identifying appropriate experiences to develop your understanding of the research delivery landscape.

You will need to regularly meet with your supervisor as part of the Research Practice Experience (RPE) module. Therefore, your supervisor should have relevant research experience and sufficient time to support your development, help you reflect on your progress, and confirm whether you have gained adequate experience in different areas of research delivery leadership. 

Your supervisor does not need to be affiliated with a university. Each university will provide work-based supervisors with guidance and support where needed.

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 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 may be able to 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.

It may help to highlight how the skills and knowledge gained can bring significant benefits to any NHS Trust looking to expand research capacity and delivery.

The programme is delivered in a flexible, online format, allowing students to organise their study around their clinical role. Students are also well supported by the universities to help them succeed throughout their studies.

Bursaries are available for courses aligned with the Master’s in Research Delivery Leadership and cover course fees only. Funding is available for up to three academic years total, subject to continued eligibility and satisfactory academic progression.

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.

If a resit or repeat is required you should discuss this with your course provider to see if this could be accommodated within the confines of your MRDL funded studies.

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

The funding awarded applies only to courses commencing in the upcoming academic year and cannot be deferred for use in a future academic year.

Where circumstances change after a bursary offer has been made, we will review each case individually. However, there is a strong possibility that we would need to withdraw the bursary offer and reallocate the funding to an applicant on our waiting list.

If this were to happen, the applicant would be welcome to apply again the following year as a new student. Please note that this would be a new application and would be subject to the same competitive assessment process.

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.

We do not have a fixed number of bursary places available each year, as this depends on factors such as how many current bursary recipients continue with their studies. However, we expect to make approximately 70-80 new bursary offers for each upcoming academic year.. 

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.

Please note: You do not need to wait for a decision on your university application before applying for the bursary. As soon as you have submitted your course application and received an Applicant Number, you are welcome to submit your bursary application.

Yes, you can apply to multiple universities. However, you can submit only one NIHR Bursary application, and it must be linked to a single university choice.

When completing your bursary application, you will be asked to nominate one university. This choice cannot be changed after submission, so if you are seeking MRDL funding, you should carefully consider your preferred option before applying.

Please note, if you receive offers from more than one university, the MRDL bursary funding can only be used to support one course offer.

If your application to your chosen university is unsuccessful, please contact us at MRDL@nihr.ac.uk to discuss your circumstances. Depending on the situation, we may be able to accommodate a change of university without requiring a new bursary application.

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 before the application submission deadline..

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.

Should you withdraw from your studies at any point, you will not be liable to repay the course fees covered by your MRDL bursary. 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.

• King's College London (clinical-research-delivery-masters@kcl.ac.uk)

• Newcastle University (epgclinres@ncl.ac.uk)

• University of Exeter (PG-LCRDinfo@exeter.ac.uk)

• University of Sheffield (smph-pgt-admin@sheffield.ac.uk)

No, the bursaries cover the fees for courses aligned with the Masters for Research Delivery Leadership programme only.

No, the bursary only covers the ‘home’ fees. If applicable, any additional fees charged to international students must be self-funded by the applicant.

The research supervisor should be based within the applicant's organisation and have access to a range of clinical research delivery projects. They will support the trainee in identifying appropriate experiences to develop their understanding of the research delivery landscape.

Supervisors are expected to meet with the trainee a minimum of six times for one hour during the Research Practice Experience (RPE) module. As such, they should have relevant research experience and be able to dedicate sufficient time to support the trainee’s development, guide reflection on progress, and assess whether adequate experience has been gained across key areas of research delivery leadership. 

Supervisors do not need to be affiliated with a university. Each university will provide work-based supervisors with guidance and support where needed.

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.