Early Career Advancement Fellowships (Blood Cancer UK)

What you get

You get a research grant of roughly EUR 470,000 to EUR 530,000 (£400,000 to £450,000, capped at £450,000) to run your own blood cancer research project. It runs for up to 3 years full time or 5 years part time. The money covers direct project costs such as your salary, equipment, lab animals and running costs. On top of that you get up to about EUR 4,400 (£3,750) for conference travel over the whole grant. Alongside the funding you build your own research group and complete a career development plan with training, networking and mentoring (one-to-one guidance from an experienced researcher). Blood Cancer UK, a charity funding blood cancer research across the UK, runs the scheme to help early career scientists become independent research leaders. This round funds 3 fellowships from the core budget, plus a separate Langmuir Fellowship for the top-ranked applicant working on myeloma.

Who can apply

• Degree: You already hold a PhD and have since worked as a postdoc or in an equivalent research role.
• Experience: You have at most 6 years of full-time research since your PhD. Time off for parental leave, COVID-19 or clinical work does not count against you.
• Career stage: You are not yet an independent researcher. You have not won a similar large fellowship, not led a research grant over £300,000 as principal investigator, and do not hold a permanent senior post such as Senior Lecturer, Associate Professor or Reader.
• Field: Your project is on blood cancer and fits at least one of three themes: prevention, early detection and predicting outcomes, or treatment.
• Where you work: You are based at a UK university, NHS trust or recognised academic research institution. Industry-funded posts do not qualify.
• Clinical applicants: If you are a clinician, you can keep clinical work at up to 50% of full time. Your salary is claimed only for your fellowship share.
• Nationality and age: Any nationality and any age can apply.

How to apply

You apply yourself as the lead applicant through the Blood Cancer UK grants portal by 3pm on 9 July 2026. External experts and people affected by blood cancer review every application, then a committee draws up a shortlist. Shortlisted candidates are interviewed in early December 2026, and results follow at the end of December 2026.

How realistic are your chances?

This is a tightly targeted award. Only early career blood cancer researchers in the UK, within 6 years of their PhD and not yet independent, can apply, so the pool is small. In the last round the success rate was about 29%, and only 3 core fellowships are on offer this round, so the bar is high. If you fit the criteria precisely and bring a strong, original project with a clear plan for independence, your prospects are realistic.