The Forward North PhD Academy for Health Professionals is a partnership between the Universities of Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle, Liverpool and Sheffield to combine their strengths in biomedical and health research. With a £13m funding award from Wellcome, Forward North builds on 10 years of excellence in supporting the clinical academics of the future demonstrated by its predecessor, 4Ward North.
We aim to enhance the quality of clinical academic research training in northern England. We do this by encouraging applications from a diverse and inclusive range of healthcare professionals, including nursing, midwifery, and allied health.
With Forward North, we have reimagined and strengthened our approach to support pioneering research and career development, including those from non-traditional health research backgrounds.
About the programme
We will make 27 funded PhD fellowships available over five years. Successful applicants will become Forward North PhD fellows, a prestigious marker of esteem for a future career combining research with clinical practice.
Forward North PhD Fellowships are three years in duration and should include supervision from at least two of the Forward North institutions.
Each individual PhD will be hosted by one of our five institutions: The University of Manchester, the University of Leeds, the University of Liverpool, Newcastle University and The University of Sheffield.
Forward North is committed to supporting those from non-traditional backgrounds to develop their academic research careers, which is why we also offer up to six months of pre-doctoral support for Health Care Professionals with limited research experience who demonstrate potential for academic research. The supported research time is aimed at developing skills needed for doctoral-level research and is tailored to each individual and their circumstances.
All Forward North Fellows also have the opportunity to apply for a funded period of support following their PhD study to develop their research careers. For each Fellow there is a total of six months (or FTE equivalent) for pre- and/or post-PhD support.
We will collaborate with the Francis Crick Institute (FCI), industry partners, and the Destination STEM Placements Programme over training opportunities both during and after the PhD programme.
Those successful in securing a fellowship from the Academy will receive:
- a training programme with leading clinical academics and industry partners as well as bespoke mentoring;
- pre-doctoral opportunities for professionals requiring research experience and a post-doctoral option to bridge the gap to intermediate fellowships;
- an opportunity to compete for our Leading Scholars’ Programme in collaboration with the FCI, which offers 12 months of research support immediately after the PhD to pump-prime postdoctoral clinical career development applications;
- a key skills development opportunity by supervising and mentoring STEM students.
Those who are shortlisted but are not successful in securing a fellowship will receive:
- help in building their project;
- guidance, advice and mentorship through the application process for an equivalent research training award from other funders.
We welcome applications from actively practicing healthcare professionals from all clinical areas. The programme is open to UK-based applicants.
Fellows recruited to the programme must have completed their undergraduate degree, and must be practicing healthcare professionals and be registered with a professional regulatory body in the UK/Republic of Ireland, such as the General Medical Council or the Health and Care Professions Council.
Medical graduates must be registered on a UK/Republic of Ireland specialist training programme or must be a registered GP.
Eligible healthcare professionals include those practicing in:
- nursing
- midwifery
- allied healthcare professions
- pharmacy and healthcare sciences
- veterinary medicine
- dental and medical specialties.
The maximum award available for each fellowship is capped (current salary/registration fees and reasonable running costs).
Your research must be within the Wellcome research remit. However, we also welcome applications that move discovery science along the translational pathway.
To learn more about Wellcome’s discovery research remit, please see this article by Sophie Hawkesworth: Human-centred research can power important discoveries (LinkedIn).
You may have previously undertaken published research, written up case reports, and/or undertaken research as part of your degree. However, we aim to support a diverse and inclusive range of healthcare professionals to embark on a research career. So, if you have not had opportunities to develop your research for publication so far, we will take this into account when assessing your application.
The application process at Forward North has two stages.
At Stage 1, applicants are asked to provide CV information and a vision statement. At Stage 2, shortlisted candidates will detail their research project and supervisory team.
After a final shortlisting, we hold in-person interviews and select five to six candidates to become Forward North PhD Fellows.
Our scheme is unique in that our aim is to help all shortlisted candidates. This includes providing support for unsuccessful Stage 2 candidates to secure clinical PhD Fellowships elsewhere.
If you are looking to secure pre-doctoral support from Forward North before submitting a full application at Stage 2, please fill in the Stage 1 application and indicate the duration of the support you require.
The call for applications is now open. The deadline for Stage 1 applications is Monday 28 September 2026 at 9am.
Key dates
- Deadline for Stage 1 applications: Monday 28 September 2026
- Stage 1 outcomes communicated: Week beginning 26 October 2026
- Advice panels for Stage 2 applicants: Week beginning 2 November 2026
- Deadline for Stage 2 applicants: Monday 25 January 2027
- Stage 2 outcomes communicated: Week beginning 1 March 2027
- Interviews: Thursday 25 March 2027
Forward North Fellows need to have a minimum of two supervisors from a minimum of two Forward North institutions (The University of Manchester, The University of Leeds, The University of Liverpool, Newcastle University and The University of Sheffield).
Other members of the supervisory team can be from external institutions and should have an excellent track record of PhD supervision. All supervisors should be chosen because of the relevance of their speciality to the proposed PhD project.
If you require any help in identifying potential supervisors for your project, please contact your local Forward North Director.
Forward North is led by a board, Deputy Directors and an executive management team.
Find out more about the Forward North leadership team.
See profiles of our Academy Fellows, including project details.
Hear from our Academy Fellows
Watch videos of some of our Academy Fellows talking about their projects, and their experiences of the programme.
- Mr David Edwards, Dentistry (YouTube)
- Ms Sarah Edney, Speech and Language Therapy (YouTube)
- Dr Stephanie Harrison, Rheumatology (YouTube)
There are opportunities for our Academy Fellows to both supervise young students on research placements and take up a post-PhD placement with the Francis Crick Institute.
During your PhD
Supervising STEM Learning’s Destination STEM Placements
STEM Learning’s Destination STEM Placements programme provides high-quality, real‑world research and industry placement opportunities for Year 12 students (aged 16-17) from underrepresented backgrounds, supporting their progression into STEM further study and employment.
During their second and/or third year, successful Forward North PhD Academy Fellows will act as placement hosts, supervising one or more students for a two-week research placement over the summer.
As placement hosts, fellows will:
- receive full training and ongoing support from STEM Learning’s Destination STEM team to understand programme requirements and expectations;
- develop valuable mentoring, coaching and supervisory skills while building relationships with future STEM researchers and professionals;
- work with motivated, capable students who can make a meaningful contribution to project work;
- help inspire and support the next generation of STEM talent;
- build and strengthen links with local schools and colleges, contributing to public engagement and outreach objectives.
Further details are available on the STEM Learning website, with regular communications provided throughout the fellowship.
For more information about our programme or the training we offer, please contact the Programme Manager by emailing forwardnorth@manchester.ac.uk.
For any specific local queries, please contact one of the following staff from each institution.
University of Leeds
Jo Bentley
Email: n4leeds@leeds.ac.uk
The University of Manchester
Dr Saini Manninen
Email: forwardnorth@manchester.ac.uk
Newcastle University
Sharon Gilmore
Email: n4academy@newcastle.ac.uk
The University of Sheffield
Jodie Burnham
Email: n4@sheffield.ac.uk
