Current Opportunities

NHS Healthcare Science Band 7-9 Postgraduate Training Award Bursary 2025

About the Bursary

NHS Education for Scotland (NES) is offering a competitive bursary of up to £5,000 for NHS Healthcare Science staff (AfC Band 7 and above) to support postgraduate training and development in the 2025–26 financial year. Funding is for one year only; further funding for subsequent years must be reapplied for and is not guaranteed.

Applications Open: Monday 3rd November 2025
Deadline: Friday 28th November 2025, 5pm

Notification of Outcome: Early January 2026

Who Can Apply?

• Eligibility: Permanent NHS Healthcare Science staff at AfC Band 7 or above. Full eligibility criteria are detailed in the guidance (see Appendix 1).
• Manager & Supervisor Approval: Applicants must have agreement from both their line manager and supervisor before applying.

How to Apply

• Application Method: Submit your application via the dedicated MS Forms link. The form cannot be saved and returned to later—please ensure you have all required information ready before starting.
• Required Information: You will need:
  • Details of your intended programme
  • Names, job titles, and email addresses of your line manager and supervisor, plus their agreement for you to participate
• Post-Award Requirements: If successful, you must:
  • Register with the NES HCS team via the NTN MS Form
  • Participate in NES HCS Quality Assurance processes (including surveys, ARCP monitoring, and exit surveys)
  • Ensure your department completes a Training Centre recognition self-assessment if not already done

Preparing Your Application

Before starting the online form, draft concise answers to these four key questions:

1. Have you explored other avenues of funding for the training programme?
2. What are your reasons for pursuing this intended training programme?
3. How will this programme benefit your personal career development?
4. How will this programme benefit your service/department and service users?

Further Information

• Full guidance, eligibility criteria, and quality assurance requirements are available on the NES HCS website.
• Ensure your line manager and supervisor are aware of and agree to all requirements before applying.
• Application Guidance documentation available by selecting this document link.

For detailed scoring criteria and further guidance, please refer to the full applicant guidance document.