Major funding boost to train future mental health and neuroscience researchers

A major funding boost will help healthcare professionals across the Midlands and Oxford regions become the next generation of mental health and neuroscience researchers.

The Midlands Mental Health & Neuroscience PhD Programme has secured five more years of funding from Wellcome, allowing it to expand its training and help more healthcare professionals combine frontline clinical work with careers in research. 

The partnership is expanding to become Midlands+, with the University of Oxford joining the programme. It will bring together healthcare professionals from nursing, psychology, pharmacy and other areas to combine their frontline experience with research expertise.

The programme will also help remove some of the obstacles healthcare professionals face when trying to combine their clinical work with a career in research. Participants will be given more dedicated time and personalised support to help them complete a PhD and continue developing their research careers. New training will also explore how AI tools can be used responsibly to support learning, teamwork and research.

Fellows will pursue ambitious research across five connected themes: uncovering the mechanisms of mental ill-health; understanding co-occurring conditions; advancing diagnostics; overcoming barriers to effective care; and harnessing technological advances responsibly. By bringing disciplines together, the programme aims to turn discovery into meaningful progress in mental and brain health.

Professor Dorothee Auer, Programme Director, said: “We are immensely grateful for Wellcome’s continued support that allows us to expand and further improve our bespoke research training and development for clinical academics. 

“Experts from across our partner institutions are fully committed to address barriers faced by healthcare professionals to develop a research career in mental and brain health, an area recognised as one of the most pressing health challenges of our time. This programme will also contribute to address the alarming decline and persistent diversity gap in clinical academics in the UK.”

Professor Joseph Manning, Programme Co-Director at the University of Leicester's School of Healthcare, said: “Healthcare professionals see first-hand where better understanding and better care are needed. This renewed Wellcome support will help them turn those insights into research, building careers that connect discovery with clinical practice. 

“At Leicester, our ambition is clear: research shaped by the needs of patients, families and communities, with mental and physical health considered together. 

“I am delighted to be working with Professor Noelle Robertson and Associate Professor Michelle O’Reilly as Research Theme co-leads for Co-morbidity and Implementation, respectively. Working with our partners in Nottingham, Birmingham, Warwick and Oxford, we will support the next generation of clinical academic leaders to ask important questions and pursue research that matters.”

Recruitment is now live for October 2027 entry, with expressions of interest due to close midday Monday 20th November 2026. Visit the website for more information about the Midlands+ Mental Health & Neuroscience PhD Programme for Healthcare Professionals: www.midlandsmhndtp.ac.uk