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British Heart Foundation (BHF) Multidisciplinary PhD Programme — CHAIN consortium (Manchester, Bristol, Liverpool), 2027/28 entry
The British Heart Foundation Multidisciplinary PhD Programme offers ten fully funded four-year PhD studentships in the CHAIN (Connecting Hearts And mINds) consortium — the University of Manchester, the University of Bristol and the University of Liverpool — training the next generation of cardiovascular scientists in the heart-brain axis. Funding covers tuition fees, research costs and a tax-free stipend at the BHF rate (£21,747 in Year 1, rising to £25,437 in Years 3–4), plus a £3,000 travel fund. Applications for 2027/28 entry close 9 November 2026 and studentships begin in October 2027. Open to home-fee eligible candidates only. Distinct from the BHF Edinburgh/Glasgow programme and the Cambridge BHF studentships.
| Amount / funding | Fully funded four-year studentship: tuition fees, research costs and a tax-free stipend at the BHF rate — Year 1 £21,747, Year 2 £23,520, Year 3 £25,437, Year 4 £25,437 — plus a £3,000 fund for travel to conferences and contributions towards travel costs to partner institutions. Ten studentships. |
|---|---|
| Deadline | Applications open for 2027/28 entry until 9 November 2026. Studentships begin October 2027. |
| Start date | October 2027 |
| Level | PhD |
| Funding type | full |
| Field | 03 Medicine & Health Sciences |
About this scholarship
The British Heart Foundation Multidisciplinary PhD Programme offers ten fully funded four-year PhD studentships in the CHAIN (Connecting Hearts And mINds) consortium — the University of Manchester, the University of Bristol and the University of Liverpool — training the next generation of cardiovascular scientists in the heart-brain axis. Funding covers tuition fees, research costs and a tax-free stipend at the BHF rate (£21,747 in Year 1, rising to £25,437 in Years 3–4), plus a £3,000 travel fund. Applications for 2027/28 entry close 9 November 2026 and studentships begin in October 2027. Open to home-fee eligible candidates only. Distinct from the BHF Edinburgh/Glasgow programme and the Cambridge BHF studentships.
Minimum requirements
Eligible for home fees only. First or Upper Second class UK honours degree, or the equivalent qualifications gained outside the UK, in an appropriate area.
Application checklist
- Confirm eligibility for home fees (this programme is open to home-fee eligible candidates only)
- Confirm a First or Upper Second class UK honours degree, or the equivalent qualifications gained outside the UK, in an appropriate area
- Apply via one of the three partner universities' portals (Manchester lead) before 9 November 2026
- Note that you are not required to contact a supervisor before applying
- Prepare for three months of foundational multidisciplinary training across Manchester and Liverpool, then three 11-week project rotations in the first year
Application tips
- Home-fee eligibility is a hard filter: international-fee candidates cannot take this studentship even with a strong record — consider the Edinburgh/Glasgow BHF programme instead, which accepts international students.
- You do not need to contact a supervisor before applying, unlike most PhD programmes — do not delay the application to secure a supervisor.
- The deadline is 9 November 2026, only eight days after 1 November — submit through a partner portal immediately.
- The first year mixes training and rotations before the PhD project, so use the application to show breadth across disciplines, not only depth in one.
Always verify deadline, amount and eligibility on the official page before applying. Values marked ESTIMATE are based on a previous cycle and are not confirmed for the current round.
Tags: british heart foundation, cardiovascular, brain, phd, chain consortium