The RCN Foundation has identified that the transition to a research career within nursing and midwifery is not particularly easy, accessible or understood.
To support early career nurses and midwifery researchers follow a career in research (be that within clinical practice as a clinical academic, or within a university setting as an academic), the RCN Foundation has launched a postdoctoral bridging programme which will support early career nursing/midwifery researchers to make the transition to early career researcher, as part of a programme of support for postdoctoral nursing and midwifery early career researchers.
Funding available
A total of three grants up to £15,000 each are available for an early career nurse or midwife researcher who has completed their doctorate within the last five years.
The postdoctoral research fellow will undertake a programme of research which bridges the period between completing their doctorate and moving into a nursing/midwifery research/clinical academic research career. The grant will provide funding for 12 months of protected time on a day release basis.
RCN Foundation Postdoctoral Bridging Research Fellowship
For more information and to apply, please download the application document.
Completed proposals should be submitted by email to grants@rcnfoundation.org.uk.
Applications close at 5pm on 13 July.
Should you have any questions about this funding call, please contact Dr Sarah McGloin, Head of Grants and Impact.
RCN Foundation Postdoctoral Bridging Research Fellowship for early career nurse/midwife researchers from the Global Majority/Ethnic Minority
Whilst the nursing and midwifery professions are under-represented within the research field as a whole, it is recognised that racially minoritised nursing and midwifery researchers face additional systemic barriers which further limit their opportunities to follow nursing or midwifery research career (National Institute for Health and Care Research, 2025; UK Research and Innovation, 2025).
The Fellowship will support a registered nurse or midwife early career researcher from the Global Majority/Ethnic Minority to undertake a nurse/midwifery led research study which would bridge the period between completing their doctorate and the transition into a research or clinical academic career.
To apply for the above funding, please download the application document.
Completed proposals should be submitted by email to grants@rcnfoundation.org.uk
Applications close at 5pm on 13 July.
Should you have any questions about this funding call, please contact Dr Sarah McGloin, Head of Grants and Impact.
RCN Foundation Postdoctoral Bridging Research Fellowship – hosted by the RCN Foundation Centre for Compassionate Leadership in Nursing and Midwifery (CCL)
The Fellowship will support a postdoctoral registered nurse or midwife researcher to develop and test practical, credible ways to measure compassionate leadership in real-world health and social care settings, specifically:
- How do we know compassionate leadership is being delivered (day-to-day behaviours and practices)?
- How do we know staff experience it, i.e. feel they are receiving compassionate leadership, particularly under pressure?
To apply for the above funding, please download the application document.
Completed proposals should be submitted by email to grants@rcnfoundation.org.uk.
Applications close at 5pm on 13 July.
Should you have any questions about this funding call please contact Rebecca Kenny, Head of the RCN Foundation Centre for Compassionate Leadership in Nursing and Midwifery.