Apply: NHS applicants
Last updated 5 October 2026
Status: Applications for Cohort 6 open on 5 October 2026, for an 11 August 2027 start.
Applications close at 23:45 GMT on 16 November 2026.
Apply using the application form. Your Approver submits the Approval in Principle form.
This application page is for NHS applicants only. International applicants should visit the international applicant page.
We invite applications for Cohort 6 of the NHS Fellowship in Clinical AI. We seek energetic and smart clinicians who want to develop real-world expertise in clinical AI. Fellows undertake this fellowship 2 days a week for 12 months, alongside their work or training. Salary cover for the role is provided in the funded posts available to competitive applicants. They are matched to existing clinical AI projects in the NHS to learn the safe deployment and evaluation of AI in clinical workflows under a clinical AI supervisor as part of a multidisciplinary team.
Fellows are supported to present and publish their work, which may include clinical trials and quality improvement projects in the deployment of AI. They gain skills and knowledge relevant to the life cycle of healthcare AI from a programme of teaching aligned with the clinical AI curriculum, including bespoke live masterclass workshops in centres of AI excellence across the NHS. Our fellows and alumni form an active and enduring expert network of clinical AI leaders.
Key dates and how to apply
- 05 Oct 2026: Applications open
- 05 Oct 2026: Applicant webinar with Q&A - Watch the recording
- 16 Nov 2026 23:45 GMT: Application and Approval in Principle deadline (all applications)
- 11 Dec 2026: Sponsorship email confirmation deadline for sponsor-funded nominated applicants
- 11 Dec 2026: Shortlisting outcomes and interview invitations sent
- 13-29 Jan 2027: Remote interviews (dates per applicant pool TBC for this cycle)
- Feb 2027: Outcomes of interviews and matching of fellows to AI projects
- 11 Aug 2027: Fellowship Cohort 6 begins
All applicants must obtain Approval in Principle from their Approver (either their training programme director or line manager), who will sign off their working pattern from the fellowship start date, 11 August 2027. Your Approver submits it using the Approval in Principle form. Applicants will not be interviewed without this.
Applicant webinar
Watch the recording of the Cohort 6 applicant webinar, including the Q&A.
Eligibility
There are 2 kinds of applicant for this fellowship, and they are mutually exclusive. Both use the same application form, and applicants are entered into applicant pools automatically based on application details.
| Entry Route | Description | Competition | Eligibility | AI project |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Competitive applicant Application deadline: 16 Nov 2026, 23:45 GMT | Applicant applies competitively for a post that is already attached to funding, if they meet the eligibility criteria Salary cover provided | Competitive entry: shortlist and interview, with posts awarded on interview score | Registered health and social care professionals with an NHS Employer, with criteria on training/banding Approval in Principle submitted by deadline: 16 Nov 2026, 23:45 GMT | Competitive matching to existing project pool: matched on interview score from their ranked preferences |
| Nominated applicant Application deadline: 16 Nov 2026, 23:45 GMT | Applicant is nominated for a post with ringfenced funding: they must identify a Sponsor for their post, or fund their own post No salary cover unless agreed with Sponsor by applicant Sponsor must confirm funding by 11 Dec 2026 | Non-competitive entry: must meet the Essential criteria of the Person Specification at interview | Health and social care staff providing NHS services Approval in Principle submitted by deadline: 16 Nov 2026, 23:45 GMT | Either competitive matching to existing project pool, or a pre-allocated project (non-competitive, ringfenced for the applicant) |
Check your eligibility
This tool lists the posts open to you in the Cohort 6 cycle, based on the criteria set out in the Competitive and Nominated applicant sections below. Funding is occasionally subject to change, and will be updated in the checker accordingly.
Competitive applicants
Routes to competitive entry
Funding is occasionally subject to change, and will be updated in the table accordingly. All competitive applicants must obtain Approval in Principle from their Approver (either their training programme director or line manager), who will confirm that their training stage or banding is eligible, and sign off their working pattern from the fellowship start date, 11 August 2027. It must be submitted by the deadline: 16 Nov 2026, 23:45 GMT. Applicants will not be interviewed without this.
| Route | Description | Requirements | AI project matching |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regional | A post funded by the applicant’s own NHS region. Open only to the professions that region funds, so eligibility varies geographically. | Profession criteria (see eligibility table) Training or employment in the relevant region | Matched to AI projects in their own region only, competitively on interview score from their ranked preferences |
| BSH | A post funded by the British Society for Haematology. | Profession criteria (see eligibility table) Full or associate membership of the BSH Must have a feasible commute to the AI project they are matched to | Matched to AI projects in haematology only, which may be in any region, competitively on interview score from their ranked preferences |
| T-Pro | A post funded by T-Pro. | Profession criteria (see eligibility table) Able to travel for 4 funded site visits to the T-Pro base in Dublin (Ireland) during the fellowship year, and other site visits within the UK | Matched to AI projects involving T-Pro tools only, where the work is primarily remote, competitively on interview score from their ranked preferences |
Competitive applicant eligibility table
Find your NHS region, then your profession. The labels in that cell are the competitive posts you can apply to.
| NHS Region | Doctor† | Dentist† | Statutory clinical register (non-doctor/dentist): HCPC, NMC, GPhC, GOC, GDC, GMC, PSNI‡ | Voluntary clinical register: PSA Accredited Register‡ | Social care register: SWE, SSSC, SCW, NISCC‡ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East of England | Regional* BSH | T-Pro BSH | T-Pro BSH | T-Pro | T-Pro |
| London | Regional BSH | Regional BSH | Regional BSH | T-Pro | T-Pro |
| Midlands | T-Pro BSH | T-Pro BSH | T-Pro BSH | T-Pro | T-Pro |
| North East & Yorkshire: North East & North Cumbria | T-Pro BSH | T-Pro BSH | T-Pro BSH | T-Pro | T-Pro |
| North East & Yorkshire: Yorkshire & Humber | Regional BSH | T-Pro BSH | T-Pro BSH | T-Pro | T-Pro |
| North West | Regional BSH | T-Pro BSH | T-Pro BSH | T-Pro | T-Pro |
| South East: Kent Surrey Sussex | Regional BSH | Regional BSH | Regional BSH | T-Pro | T-Pro |
| South East: Thames Valley | Regional BSH | Regional BSH | Regional BSH | T-Pro | T-Pro |
| South East: Wessex | Regional BSH | Regional BSH | Regional BSH | T-Pro | T-Pro |
| South West | Regional BSH | T-Pro BSH | T-Pro BSH | T-Pro | T-Pro |
| Northern Ireland | Regional BSH | T-Pro BSH | T-Pro BSH | T-Pro | T-Pro |
| Scotland | Regional BSH | Regional BSH | Regional BSH | Regional | T-Pro |
| Wales | T-Pro BSH | T-Pro BSH | T-Pro BSH | T-Pro | T-Pro |
† Must hold a National Training Number in a UK specialty training post leading directly to Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT), with a projected CCT date after 10 August 2028 once training is extended to account for undertaking the fellowship at 0.4 FTE for 12 months (see FAQ).
‡ Must hold valid registration and a substantive post with an NHS Employer at band 7, band 8a, or band 8b.
- Must be at least ST3 or GPVTS ST2 at start date of fellowship (East of England only).
Interview dates and number of posts
Interview dates for each applicant pool are to be confirmed, within 13-29 Jan 2027. Pools with no post in this cycle hold no interview.
| Interview date | Applicant pool | # Posts |
|---|---|---|
| TBC | BSH | 1 |
| TBC | T-Pro | 1 |
| TBC | Regional East of England | 1 |
| TBC | Regional London | 4 |
| TBC | Regional North East & Yorkshire: Yorkshire & Humber | 1 |
| TBC | Regional North West | 3 |
| TBC | Regional South East: Kent Surrey Sussex | 3 |
| TBC | Regional South East: Thames Valley | 3 |
| TBC | Regional South East: Wessex | 2 |
| TBC | Regional South West | 3 |
| TBC | Regional Northern Ireland | 1 |
| TBC | Regional Scotland | 8 |
The number of posts listed is illustrative and not final. Interview dates are indicative and may change during the application cycle.
The T-Pro and BSH FAQ sections below cover project matching for those posts in full.
Nominated applicants
Entry requirements
- Open to health and social care staff providing NHS services.
- The applicant must identify a Sponsor for their post, or fund their own post.
- The course fee is £8000. There is no salary cover unless agreed with the Sponsor by the applicant.
- The fellow must release 2 days a week of their time for the 12 months duration of the fellowship.
- The applicant must meet the Essential criteria of the Person Specification at interview
- The applicant must obtain Approval in Principle from their Approver (either their training programme director or line manager), who will sign off their working pattern from the fellowship start date, 11 August 2027. It must be submitted by the deadline: 16 Nov 2026, 23:45 GMT. Applicants will not be interviewed without this.
Funding the post
| Funding route | How the post is funded | Confirming the funding |
|---|---|---|
| Sponsor-funded | A Sponsor meets the course fee. Example sources include NHS Trusts and departments, a PhD personal development budget, and existing academic funding (e.g. NIHR awards). | The Sponsor must email the faculty to confirm funding by 11 Dec 2026. Interview is contingent on receipt of that confirmation. |
| Self-funded | The applicant meets the course fee themselves. This is declared in the application form, with no email to the faculty necessary. | After a successful interview, a secure payment link is sent to confirm the post. Project matching and entry to the fellowship are contingent on receipt of the course fee. |
Interview
- The applicant must meet the Essential criteria of the Person Specification at interview
- Indicative interview dates fall within 13-29 Jan 2027 (TBC according to applicant volume)
Project matching
Nominated applicants are matched to AI projects in one of two ways.
| Project match | What it means | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| Competitive project matching | An AI project from an existing host site, drawn from the existing project pool (typically in the applicant’s NHS region, but bespoke arrangements are possible) | Competitive: ranked against other applicants on interview score |
| Pre-allocated project | An AI project with a named supervisor, specifically pitched for the fellow (e.g. work underway as part of their PhD). A submission of a project proposal is required, and the applicant should contact the faculty when applying. | Non-competitive: the project is ringfenced for the applicant |
Clinical AI project list
AI project proposals will be released to applicants during the recruitment cycle. Project proposal lists are illustrative and not final. Projects may be added, removed, or modified without notice. A final list will be provided to applicants upon reaching the stage of ranking their project preferences.
Person specification
| Requirement | Criterion |
|---|---|
| Essential | Communicates effectively with key stakeholders in clinical AI including: hospital management, patients, clinicians, regulatory bodies, and software developers |
| Works energetically as a vital member of an agile multidisciplinary team including data scientists, medical physicists, IT, health economists, and clinicians | |
| Has advanced ICT proficiency (e.g. using advanced functions in Office applications), and the ability to rapidly learn new skills and solve technical problems | |
| Desirable | Experience in quality improvement projects, clinical trials, digital transformation |
| Experience in programming, statistical analysis, clinical informatics |
Resources for applicants
- Fellowship curriculum
- Links to other educational resources
Frequently asked questions
If your question is not answered below, please contact the faculty.
Eligibility
Do I have to know coding, programming, or AI to be eligible?
No. Prior experience of coding, programming, or AI is not part of the essential criteria of the Person Specification. Previous fellows have been recruited without such experience.
Do I need to have an idea for a clinical AI project when I apply to this fellowship?
No, but you can apply with one as a nominated applicant. AI projects and hosting teams in the NHS are proposed to the faculty by AI supervisors. Successful competitive applicants are matched to these projects on interview score following the interview stage, as are nominated applicants without a pre-allocated project. If you already have an idea for a project, the nominated applicant route lets you arrange a pre-allocated project with a named supervisor, ringfenced for you. This pathway is not available to competitive applicants.
What counts as an NHS Employer?
For the eligibility criteria, an NHS Employer means one of the organisations listed in Annex 1 of the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook. The list differs for each UK nation.
In England, NHS Employers are NHS trusts (including Foundation Trusts), special health authorities, Integrated Care Boards, NHS England (incorporating NHS Improvement, NHS Digital and Health Education England), the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, the Health Research Authority, NHS Blood and Transplant, the NHS Business Service Authority, the NHS Counter Fraud Authority, NHS Resolution, and the Health Services Safety Investigations Body.
In Northern Ireland, NHS Employers are the HSC Board, HSC Trusts, the Public Health Agency, the Business Services Organisation, the Patient and Client Council, and HSC Special Agencies.
In Scotland, NHS Employers are health boards and special health boards.
In Wales, NHS Employers are NHS trusts, local health boards, and Special Health Authorities.
As a competitive applicant, why is my combination of profession, career stage, and region not eligible for a regional post?
Regional eligibility is set at the discretion of regional funding bodies (not the faculty), and this is not a uniform process across the NHS. If you have a specific question or concern, please contact the faculty so that we can identify priority areas for recruitment in future cohorts.
Why are there restrictions for eligibility based on certain career stages?
Where there are restrictions, the eligible career stages have been agreed by consensus with our funding bodies and the national CXIO leads for relevant professions. Career stages are selected in which this fellowship is expected to be a developmental inflection point or step change, maximising the benefit to NHS workforce transformation. For earlier career stages, there are limited opportunities to apply the experience in transformational AI projects in the NHS.
Is a doctor/dentist eligible if they are: a foundation trainee, a core trainee (e.g. including Internal Medicine Training), will CCT on or before 10 Aug 2028 (after accounting for the extension from the fellowship), post-CCT, not in training, or not allocated a confirmed NTN at the time of application?
These applicants are eligible only as nominated applicants. For competitive applicants, medical/dental trainees must hold a confirmed National Training Number on a specialty training programme leading to Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) in its own right for the duration of the post.
When calculating a CCT date for eligibility criteria, should a specialty trainee take into account the extension to training from doing the fellowship itself?
Yes. Recalculate your projected CCT date assuming you undertake the fellowship at 0.4 FTE from 11 August 2027 to 10 August 2028. For a full-time trainee, this adds about 4.8 months. The recalculated CCT date must be after 10 August 2028.
For example, a full-time trainee whose current projected CCT date is on or after 18 March 2028 would typically be eligible. If you are already training less than full time or out of programme, the extension depends on your working pattern. In all cases, eligibility is based on your recalculated CCT date as confirmed by your Training Programme Director on the Approval In Principle Form.
Is eligibility affected by a doctor/dentist being out of programme during the fellowship dates while still holding a valid National Training Number for a specialty training programme leading to CCT in its own right for the duration of the post?
No. The status of being in or out of programme does not affect eligibility, only the allocation of a valid National Training Number.
Can I apply if I almost meet the eligibility criteria?
Applicants who believe they are borderline eligible should contact the faculty to clarify before applying.
Can I do this fellowship more than once?
No. Current fellows and alumni are not eligible.
Sponsorship
Am I eligible if I have a sponsor who will directly fund a post for me as an NHS applicant?
Yes, this is the nominated applicant route. Your Sponsor should read the information for NHS Sponsors then contact the faculty to discuss arrangements as early as possible.
Can I sponsor myself?
Yes. Read the information for NHS Sponsors then declare yourself as self-sponsoring on the application form. Upon successful interview, self-funded applicants receive a secure payment link to confirm their post. Project matching and entry to the fellowship are contingent on receipt of the funds for the course fee. You must release 0.4 FTE for the duration of the fellowship. There is no salary cover for self-funded fellows.
Self-funding does not replace Approval In Principle. You must still obtain it from a third-party Approver at your employer, and cannot be your own Approver. If you do not have a known employer for the fellowship start date of 11 August 2027, we cannot accept your application.
Can the faculty help me to identify a suitable sponsor?
No. Due to the high volume of applicants, the faculty cannot help with such requests.
Can you accommodate a bespoke arrangement through sponsorship?
Potentially yes. Please contact the faculty if you require a bespoke arrangement through sponsorship. Note that last minute requests for bespoke arrangements are difficult to accommodate due to logistics.
I represent the sponsor for a prospective NHS applicant, how do I proceed?
Please read the information for NHS Sponsors then contact the faculty to discuss potential arrangements as early as possible.
Working pattern
What’s the specific time commitment?
0.4 Full Time Equivalent unbanded, i.e. 2 days (15hrs) per week. This fellowship is intended to integrate alongside clinical work or training. Partial remote working and flexible hours may be possible depending on project following conversations with supervisors. Workshops and other educational activities, e.g. e-learning modules, are expected to be done within this 0.4 FTE alongside AI project work. Fellowship time is not allocated to non-fellowship activity, which includes but is not limited to exam preparation, dissertation-writing, and other projects outside the scope of the fellowship.
Can I do the fellowship at a lower time commitment than 0.4 FTE?
No. Having a lower time commitment is not suitable for the learning objectives of the programme. The educational activities and project placements are structured to deliver the learning objectives of the fellowship curriculum based on a 0.4 FTE unbanded working pattern. For this reason, your Approver must confirm that this time can be released as part of your Approval In Principle.
Can I compress the fellowship into a shorter and more intensive placement?
No. For the same reasons as above.
Can I do the fellowship without reducing my training/working pattern, i.e. do it on top of normal working hours?
No. Due to the time commitments of this programme, a fellow must not have a total working pattern >1.0FTE in total.
Are the workshops compulsory, and when do they take place?
Yes. Attendance at masterclass workshops is a compulsory part of the fellowship, and a register of attendance is kept. Recurring workshops are scheduled on Mondays through the fellowship year: indicatively, the third Monday of each month, excluding national holidays. Multiple workshop days are delivered together in a residential ‘bootcamp’ at the start of the fellowship, to front-load foundational knowledge in clinical AI. Workshops are delivered in a mix of in-person, hybrid and remote settings.
If I’m in specialty medical or dental training, will my time spent on the fellowship count towards my training?
No. Fellows typically agree with their Training Programme Director to enter Less Than Full Time training for the duration of this fellowship. The time spent on the fellowship is then added on to extend the expected duration of training. The educational content of the fellowship is not expected to align sufficiently with current medical/dental curricula to count towards competencies.
Pay and expenses
Is the fellowship free?
Posts for competitive applicants are fully fu