NIHR INSIGHT Research Masters Studentship

Award details

Applications for the 2026/27 studentships are now open. 

The Research Masters Studentships, offered as part of the NIHR INSIGHT Programme South London, provide valuable training for health and care professionals seeking to pursue a research career. They provide training and exposure in real world research.

As part of this studentship, you will be able to take one of the Master programmes outlined below. The Master Studentship can be undertaken full-time or part-time (availability varies by Master programme). Studentships are available to ‘top-up’ a Post-graduate Diploma to complete the Research Project Module for award of Master (availability varies by Master programme). 19 Master programmes are offered across the four partner universities:

King’s College London

Guidance on choosing between MRes Clinical research and MSc in Clinical Research Delivery

Clinical Research MRes/PGCert

Required Research modules:

• Advanced Quantitative Research Methods
• Advanced Qualitative Research Methods

Clinical Research Delivery MSc (funding for dissertation only) (three years Part-time, distance learning only)

Required Research modules:

• Year 1: Research Practice Experience 1, Evidence and Research as the Basis of Care, Issues in the Conduct of Healthcare Research
• Year 2: Research Practice Experience 2
• Year 3: Dissertation in Clinical Research

Palliative Care MSc

Required Research modules:

• Research Methods & Statistics in Palliative Care
• Research Study Project

Mental Health Studies MSc

Required Research modules:

• Basic Mental Health
• Introductory Statistics
• Statistics for Mental Health Research
• Advanced Statistics
• Qualitative Research Methods
• Systematic Reviews in Mental Health
• Big Data in Mental Health Research

Clinical Neuroscience MSc

Required Research modules:

• The Anatomical Basis of Neurological Disease
• Neurology in Clinical Practice
• The Cellular & Molecular Neuroscience
• Research methods in clinical neuroscience
• Dissertation

Clinical Ultrasound MSc (funding for dissertation only)

Required Research modules:

• Clinical Ultrasound Dissertation

Master of Public Health MPH

Required Research modules:

• Basic epidemiology & Statistics for Public Health
• Health economics
• Social Research Methods for Public Health Public Health and Primary Care Dissertation

Women and Children’s Health MSc

Required Research modules:

• Scientific and Clinical Research Skills in Practice
• Research Methods and Applied Statistics
• Research Project in Women and Children’s Health (scientific and clinical research focused – wet lab, clinic and literature based)

Global Health MSc

Required Research modules:

• Research Methodology in Global Health credits)
• Global Health Dissertation Optional method modules:
• Health Economics
• Economic evaluation in mental health
• Basic Epidemiology & Statistics
• Designing Quantitative Research for Social Science and Health
• Designing Qualitative Research for Social Sciences and health

Global Health, Social Justice and Public Policy MSc

Required Research method modules:

• Dissertation in Global Health, Social Justice and Public Policy Take two of the following:
• Designing Quantitative Research for Social Science and Health
• Designing Qualitative Research for Social Science and Health
• Critical Policy Research for Health and Medicine

Healthcare Technologies MRes/MSc

Required Research modules:

• Critical Skills for Translational Healthcare Technologies
• Group Research Project in Healthcare Technologies
• Extended Individual Research Project in Healthcare Technologies

Specialist Community Public Health Nursing/Health Visiting/School Nursing (Dissertation only) MSc

Required Research modules:

• Delivering the Healthy Child Programme
• Evidence Based Practice
• Child Protection: Assessment and Intervention
• Prescribing from the community nursing formulary
• Leadership skills for Public Health Nursing
• Child and Adolescent Mental Health: assessment and treatment
• Specialist Community Public Health Nursing Practice
• Dissertation

City St George's, University of London

Biomedical Science - Clinical biomedical research MRes

Required Research modules:

• Research Methods
• Statistics
• Research project planning and management
• Clinical biomedical research
• Research project

Genomic Medicine MSc

Required Research modules:

• Bioinformatics, Interpretation and Data Quality Assurance in Genome Analysis
• Fundamentals of Human Genetics and Genomics
• Omics Techniques and Technologies and Their Application to Genomic Medicine
• Research Project

London South Bank University

Diagnostic Imaging MSc (funding for dissertation only)

Required Research modules:

• Research in health & social care
• Optional specialist modules

Advanced Paediatric Critical Care MSc (Evelina/LSBU Partnership) (funding for dissertation only)

Required Research modules:

• Research dissertation
• Specialist modules

Children's Nursing MSc (funding for dissertation only)

Research modules – required:

• Research dissertation
• Specialist modules

Nursing MSc (Neuroscience Care MSc or Adult Nursing MSc) (funding for dissertation only)

Required research module:

• Research dissertation
• Specialist modules
• Nursing MSc
• Nursing Cardiac Care MSc
• Nursing Critical Care MSc
• Nursing Orthopaedic Care MSc

Kingston University

Advanced Therapeutics and Public Health MSc

Required Research modules:

• Technology enabled care, public health and policy
• Pharmacogenomics and precision medicine
• Immunomodulation and Innovative Targeted Therapy
• Clinical Pharmacology and Advanced Therapeutics
• Research dissertation

Key dates

• Early November 2025 – Studentship opens for applications
• 15 January 2026, 1pm – INSIGHT webinar for prospective candidates and their managers
• 29 January 2026, 1pm – How to write a successful INSIGHT application webinar
• 26 February 2026, 1pm – Application submission deadline
• 26 March 2026 – Shortlisting meeting
• Early April 2026 – Applicants informed re outcomes/Scholarships awarded (conditional on applicants being accepted on respective MSc/MRes programme)

Award value

Tuition fees: Full home fees for the Master programme (one year full-time or two years part-time).

Stipend: £22,780 (inc. London Allowance) per annum/pro-rata (full-time/part-time) for e.g. living expenses or contribute to salary costs for release from clinical or practical role.

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible to apply for the INSIGHT Research Master’s studentship, applicants must meet all the following criteria:

Type of profession: Any students or professionals from registered healthcare, social work, or public health professions (excluding doctors and dentists). The programme supports a wide range of disciplines, including:

• Nurses and Midwives
• Allied Health Professionals, such as:
  • Art/Music/Drama Therapists
  • Dental Care Professionals
  • Dieticians
  • Occupational Therapists
  • Operating Department Practitioners
  • Orthoptists
  • Osteopaths
  • Paramedics
  • Physiotherapists
  • Podiatrists
  • Prosthetists and Orthotists
  • Diagnostic and Therapeutic Radiographers
  • Speech and Language Therapists
• Pharmacists
• Healthcare Scientists
• Social Workers
• Public Health Professionals

Registration requirements: Applicants must either hold registration with one of the following eligible professional regulatory body, or be working towards registration (e.g., undergraduate or postgraduate students).

• Academy for Healthcare Science
• General Chiropractic Council
• General Dental Council
• General Medical Council
• General Optical Council
• General Osteopathic Council
• General Pharmaceutical Council
• Health and Care Professions Council
• Nursing and Midwifery Council
• Social Work England
• UK Public Health Register

Lengths of registration: Applicants must have less than five years’ experience of practice in the health or care profession for which they hold the required registration for. Please Note: If you were educated, qualified and registered internationally before commencing practice in the UK, the years of experience must be calculated from the date of qualification in your home country.

Location criteria: Applicants must be located in South London (employed or studying) or at one of our North London partner NHS Trusts (The Royal Marsden NHS FT, Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust or Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust).

Fee status: Applicants must be eligible for home fees.

Master’s course entry requirements: In addition to the above eligibility criteria for the INSIGHT Programme, applicants must also meet the university entry requirements for their chosen course of study. Details of the entry requirements for each course can be found on the course website.

Application process

Applying for a Research Masters Studentship is a two-part process undertaken in two sequential parts.

Part 1: NIHR INSIGHT Programme South London Research Masters Studentship application – Submission deadline: 1pm on 26 February 2026.

All applicants must complete the following. Please note that all applications must be submitted electronically via Qualtrics:

• NIHR INSIGHT Programme South London Research Masters Studentship application. This is the studentship application for course fees and stipend (direct to student or direct to employer). 
• Letter of Employer Support (please attach to the application)

 To help prepare for your application, you can use the following:

• NIHR INSIGHT Programme for South London Application Template

Part 2: Application for Research Master Programme

This is completed once informed of outcome of your studentship application (Part 1). If your studentship application is successful, please then complete Part 2 and apply directly to the respective university for one of the eligible Master programmes (detailed above) you are seeking to undertake. In the personal statement submitted for that Master programme application, please give a brief sentence that you have also applied for an NIHR INSIGHT Programme South London Research Masters Studentship.

Please see below for the online applications process for each university:

• King’s College London
• City St George’s, University of London
• London South Bank University
• Kingston University 

Find out more about how the INSIGHT studentships are opening doors to nursing research.

Register for recruitment webinars to learn more about the programme and the application process

• INSIGHT webinar for prospective candidates and their managers - 15 January 2026, 1pm
• How to write a successful INSIGHT application webinar - 29 January 2026, 1pm

Application forms

2026-27 NIHR INSIGHT Letter of Employer Support (0.11 MB)

2026-27 NIHR INSIGHT South London Application Template (0.08 MB)

Selection process

The studentships will be awarded through assessment of academic performance, relevant experience (where appropriate) and the personal statement indicating reasons for applying.

Contact Details

For further information on the Studentships please contact INSIGHT-SL@kcl.ac.uk