PhD studentships
Open
We fund PhD studentships to support the training of graduate students in the areas of understanding, preventing and finding treatments for eye conditions and vision disorders.
Our PhD studentships are now open.
We believe it’s critical to support and invest in the leaders of tomorrow. Our PhD studentships enable training and support for early-stage researchers in their journey to become tomorrow’s leaders.
Prospective supervisors are invited to apply for one of our PhD studentship grants.
Last year we strengthened our commitment to support PhD trainees, enhancing our PhD studentship by increasing stipend and research expenses allowances.
Application deadline and decision timelines
There is one round of applications a year.
Round 1 - Autumn 2025
- Opens: 6 May 2025
- Closes: 19 June 2025 at 5pm
- Outcome: applicants will be notified in December 2025
Eligibility
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The principal supervisor must normally hold an academic or clinical post with Moorfields Eye Hospital or the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and will normally be in receipt of salary funding for the duration of the grant.
Applicants can normally submit only one application as principal supervisor and be the named subsidiary supervisor on no more than two per funding round.
Joint principal supervisors will not normally be permitted.
How much can I apply for?
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Funding can be requested up to a maximum of £125,000 including:
- A stipend of £69,000 over three years. This rate has been set by Moorfields Eye Charity.
- PhD registration fees of £19,205. This is the UK rate set by University College London.
- Research expenses/consumables
Grant duration
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Full time 3 year PhD studentship.
Part-time PhD studentships will not be considered as part of this funding programme.
Before you begin
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Please ensure that you have read the following:
Preparing your application
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Applications should be submitted via our grant management system, Flexigrant.
Applicants who have previously held or applied for a Moorfields Eye Charity grant will already have an account set up on Flexigrant. Please follow the guidance on our Advice for Applicants webpage for details on activating your account.
For applicants who have not applied for a Moorfields Eye Charity grant, please visit Flexigrant and click register to create an account.
Please refer to our application guidance for further information on completing an application.
Applicants must comply with the instructions and eligibility criteria outlined in the grant guidance.
For any other enquiries or additional support, please contact the Moorfields Eye Charity Grants and Research Team.
Email: moorfields.eyecharity.researchgrants@nhs.net
Phone: 0207 566 2565
Meet our grant holders: Michael Crossland & Rachael Canavan
What we’re funding
