Research Fellowship

On behalf of The Association of British Clinical Diabetologists (Diabetes Care) Ltd (The Diabetes Care Trust (ABCD) Ltd) and The Novo Nordisk UK Research Foundation (NNUKRF) we are delighted to invite applications for grant funding to support your diabetes research.  We are particularly keen to encourage new and aspiring diabetes researchers. 

This Fellowship is jointly funded by the Diabetes Care Trust through its subsidiary The Association of British Clinical Diabetologists (ABCD)* and the Novo Nordisk UK Research Foundation (NNUKRF)**.

Applicants can apply for funding up to £300,000 over 3 years, which will be funded jointly by ABCD and NNUKRF (£50,000 per year per organisation).  

Please note:

• Fellowship award includes salary, consumables, PhD fees, travel¹, publication fees².
• Applications must be supported by the head of department and host academic institution and funding must been approved by host academic institution.
• Applicants must register for a higher degree hosted by a UK institution.
• Reviews will be conducted for the winning application on an annual basis which will include updates on progress against the GANTT chart submitted with the application and financial reporting.
• Applications must be received no later than 7th January 2026.

Eligibility 

• Applicants must be Healthcare Professionals (ie those requiring a licence or formal qualification to practice in the UK).
• Applicants must be UK based.
• The research proposal must take place in the UK.
• The research proposal must be related to diabetes.
• Projects involving animals cannot be accepted.

How to apply

Start by downloading and completing the Research Fellowship Application PDF form. You will be required to upload your completed form and all supporting documents when you complete our online application form. 

Please note, applications will be shared with members of the ABCD Research Grant Committee, with members of the NNUKRF Research Selection Committee and external expert reviewers. By submitting an application, you give permission for your application to be shared with the relevant award funding bodies to review and administer the award as needed.

Review Process

Applications will be competitive and assessed according to the Association of Medical Research Charities guidelines for peer review. Each application will be reviewed in depth by minimum one person from ABCD and one person from NNUKRF, dependent on the expertise of the individual committee/review panel members of each organisation and the Statistician on the NNUKRF Research Selection Committee will be invited to review the statistics of all applications.

A series of panel meetings will be undertaken to identify the top three applications. The three top applications will be sent for external independent review and applicants will be invited to present their research proposal to both organisations via an interview panel consisting of the individual reviewers for each application, Chairs from each organisations review panel/selection committee, and lay representatives.
 

¹ Funding for travel and conferences limited to £2,000 over the course of the fellowship.
² Funding for publication fees limited to £3,000 over the course of the fellowship.

* The Diabetes Care Trust (DCT) was established in 2010 with a mission to empower diabetes specialists in their vital work supporting individuals living with diabetes (charity number 1139057). The Association of British Clinical Diabetologists is the national organisation of Consultant Physicians in Britain who specialise in Diabetes Mellitus. Most are also Acute General Physicians, and many are also Specialists in Endocrinology and Lipid Metabolism.
** The Novo Nordisk UK Research Foundation (charity number 1056410) (NNUKRF) is a corporate foundation dedicated to funding research, developing young researchers, and supporting education among the diabetes health professional community in the UK. Novo Nordisk Ltd is the sole donor to NNUKRF, however, NNUKRF decides and allocates funding independently to fulfil its own independent charitable objectives.