Research Fellowships
The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh awards a number of training and research Fellowships each year. Eligibility for the award of a training or research Fellowship shall be open to Fellows and Members of the College in good standing, intending to undertake research projects.
Click below to learn more about each of our Research Fellowships and current closing dates:
- The Maurice Wohl Research Fellowship in Surgery / Dental Surgery
- Research Fellow in Human Factors and Digital Surgical Education
- The Joint Orthopaedic Research UK (ORUK) and the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh Fellowship
- Alastair F. Jamieson Fellowship in General Surgery
- The Robertson Trust Research/Training Fellowship
- RCSEd & Cutner Joint Research Fellowship in Orthopaedics
- Lorna Smith Charitable Trust Research Fellowship
- RCSEd & MRC Joint Research Training Fellowship
The College is excited to launch a new digital platform for Fellows, Members and Affiliates to search, plan and apply for College Awards, Grants, Bursaries and Fellowships in 2023 and beyond. Create an account and find all our opportunities here.
The Maurice Wohl Research Fellowship in Surgery / Dental Surgery
Established in 2001 following the generous donation from the Maurice Wohl Charitable Foundation, the College awards a one year Research Fellowship of up to £60,000 biennially to a suitably-qualified and experienced surgical trainee who is a Member or Fellow of the College in good standing.
The funding provides salary, National Insurance and superannuation costs for one year and research must be taken in the UK.
Applications are now closed and will reopen in July/August 2025 with a deadline in January.
Research Fellow in Human Factors and Digital Surgical Education
The Circulation Foundation and the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh invite applications from surgeons with an interest in vascular and academic surgery for a two-year fellowship post based at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.
The fellowship is supported jointly by the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and the Circulation Foundation, a major charity committed to eradicating vascular disease through education and research. The Vascular Society has been instrumental in developing Vascular Surgery as a new specialty of surgery and leads development of a curriculum-linked education programme called ASPIRE for vascular trainees.
Applications are now closed.
The Joint Orthopaedic Research UK (ORUK) and the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh Fellowship
RCSEd are exciting to bring this unique opportunity in partnership with ORUK. Orthopaedic Research UK is a medical charity dedicated to advancing orthopaedic knowledge, not just by funding and publicising research – but also by organising educational and training and events which promote collaboration between orthopaedic surgeons, scientists, physiotherapists and entrepreneurs.
Applications for the Joint ORUK/RCSEd Research Fellowship in Orthopaedics are invited from suitably qualified and experienced young surgeons in the field of Orthopaedics.
Applicants must be a Member or Fellow of the College in good standing. Surgical trainees who are within a year of completing the MRCS and intend to join the RCSEd are also eligible.
Applications are now closed.
For further information, please contact the Research and Grants Co-Ordinator, Development and Partnerships Office by email at awards@rcsed.ac.uk
Alastair F. Jamieson Fellowship in General Surgery
This General Surgery Fellowship is dedicated to Alastair F. Jamieson and signifies a donation from A Jamieson FRCSEd and Mrs Theresa Jamieson in the name of their son. This will be awarded every fifth year in perpetuity.
Applications are invited from surgical trainees who are Members/Fellows of The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, in good standing. £60,000 will be awarded to the successful applicant and will cover salary and costs only for one year.
Research project submissions should satisfy one or more of the College’s three priority areas for research:
- Surgical and Dental translational research
- Surgical and Dental health services research
- Cancer research of demonstrable direct clinical relevance to the management of solid tumours
Applications are now closed and will reopen in July/August 2026 with a closing date in November.
For further information, please contact the Research and Grants Co-Ordinator, Development and Partnerships Office by email at awards@rcsed.ac.uk
The Robertson Trust Research/Training Fellowship
The Robertson Trust seeks to promote excellence in research by supporting Scottish people undertaking research in the UK or by supporting research within Scotland. Applications are open to Fellows or Members of the College in good standing.
Surgical trainees who are within a year of completing the MRCS and intend to join this College are also eligible.
The funding allocated for this Fellowship is currently up to a maximum of £60,000 per annum and provides salary, National Insurance and superannuation costs only. No funding will be allocated for running costs, purchase of equipment, acquisition of computing facilities or travel.
Candidates must be from Scotland and working within the UK, or the research itself must be undertaken in Scotland.
Applications are now closed and will reopen again in July/August 2024 with a deadline in November.
For further information, please contact the Research and Grants Co-Ordinator, Development and Partnerships Office by email at awards@rcsed.ac.uk
RCSEd & Cutner Joint Research Fellowship in Orthopaedics
This one year Fellowship has been made possible due to the generous donation made to the College by the Cutner family to help support education and training in Orthopaedics.
Applicants must be a Member or Fellow of the College and in good standing. The funding allocated for this Fellowship is currently £60,000 and provides salary, National Insurance and superannuation costs for up to one year.
Applications now closed.
Lorna Smith Charitable Trust Research Fellowship
Due to the generosity of the Lorna Smith Charitable Trust, the College can award this one year Fellowship into arthritic, vasculitic or other related inflammatory disorders.
Applications are invited from all trainee doctors who wish to spend a period of time researching into disorders of a rheumatic, arthritic or inflammatory nature. Studies concerned with systemic/disseminated Lupus Erythematosis, vasculitis and Raynaud’s disease, or other diseases of a vascular and inflammatory nature will be particularly appropriate.
The primary aim of the Fellowship is to support trainees wishing to undertake research either as part of their professional training or with a view to an academic career. Applicants are advised to consider carefully the goals they wish to achieve and to identify specific educational objectives in their application.
Applications can be made for a period of one year and the Trust will provide a sum of up to £50k to fund salary and research costs.
Applications now closed.
RCSEd & MRC Joint Research Training Fellowship
The Medical Research Council (MRC) provides opportunities for additional clinical research training fellowships through collaborations with Royal Colleges and Charity funders. Any jointly funded fellowship will be offered under standard MRC terms and conditions and at the same funding level as any other MRC clinical research training fellowship. To view these please visit the MRC website.
The MRC and the RCSEd have been working in partnership for over 14 years awarding a jointly funded Clinical Research Training Fellowship (CRTF) to Fellows and Members of the College who meet the eligibility criteria set out by the MRC.
Applications now closed.
