An Academic Clinical Fellowship (ACF) gives you the opportunity to spend 25% protected time on academic research. The remaining 75% will be spent in clinical training. ACFs are part of the NIHR’s Integrated Academic Training Pathway.
You’ll receive world-class research training and exceptional clinical training. You'll focus on training and the formulation of a PhD or next stage fellowship application. You can work on local projects and are also encouraged to visit other labs nationally and internationally.
An ACF is funded for up to 3 years (4 years for General Practice) and most posts are offered at CT1, CT2 (or ST1, ST2 or IMT1, IMT2) or ST3, with guaranteed run-through in the specialty specified.
Our ACF alumni have progressed into:
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nationally competitive PhDs
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‘next-phase’ fellowships
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other equivalent academic placements
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part-time University of Cambridge degree courses
Available posts
You can search for posts on:
Posts are usually advertised in September and October with interviews in December or January. We may also recruit between March and May.
Apply
To apply you'll need to:
The application window for an August 2025 start is from 3 October to 31 October 2024. Interviews will be held in December and January for posts starting in the following August.
There can be recruitment from March to May for posts that are unfilled or new posts.
Specialty training application form
If you need clinical benchmarking, and are successful at the ACF interview, you'll need to complete a specialty training application.
Out of Programme (OOP)
NIHR rules state that we treat locally funded academic trainees identically. This means if you take a planned period out of your training programme, during your ACF then the fellowship will normally end. This is at the discretion of the NHS England local office and NIHR Academy.
Funding
Annual training bursary
You can apply for an annual training bursary of up to £1000 per year.
You can use this for academic training expenses such as:
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academic courses
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conferences
You cannot use the bursary for any costs related to clinical training.
For guidance on eligibility criteria and how to claim, please email cato@medschl.cam.ac.uk
Course fees
If you register for a University of Cambridge taught Masters degree, you can apply for a contribution of £2000 towards fees. Research degree fees are not covered.
You need to:
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contact us before you register to make sure we cover that course
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pay the fee in the first instance, then claim it back
Funding for PhD programmes for clinicians
If you want to study a PhD that has funding at Cambridge you can apply for:
Contact us
If you have queries about the post, you can contact person named in the advert.
Help with your application
You can email england.recruitment.eoe@nhs.net if you need help with:
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your application
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Oriel
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interview arrangements
Training pathways or post options
If you need advice on training pathways and options, please email Professor Grant Stewart gds35@cam.ac.uk.
Queries about your offer
If you have queries about your offers, please email NHS England, East of England Recruitment Manager, helen.mckee10@nhs.net.
Less than Full Time (LTFT)
If you need to change hours to less than full time, please email england.foundation.eoe@nhs.net
Statutory leave
Statutory leave can be taken as outlined in the terms and conditions in individual ACF contracts. This can include:
- maternity leave
- paternity leave
- sick leave
When statutory leave is taken during your ACF, the time out of post will be added onto the end. Statutory leave is funded by your employing institution, not NIHR.
You can contact HR in your NHS Trust to discuss leave.
Access to University of Cambridge resources
ACFs are not employed by the University of Cambridge. If you are affiliated on an academic rotation with one of our departments, you can arrange a "Visiting Researcher" agreement and a @cam.ac.uk email address. This will give you access to lots of University resources.