Research Grants

We’re passionate about supporting research that improves patient care and advances health across Edinburgh and the Lothians. If you have a research project that aligns with our charitable objectives, we may be able to help with funding.

What We Can Support

Charitable funds can contribute to research costs where the research fits the purpose of the fund. This might include:

Equipment, materials, and services (e.g., chemicals, sample analysis).
Training courses, conferences, and subscriptions that enhance research knowledge.

For more details on other professional development support, see our Professional Development, Education and Training Support page.

Research Degrees

We consider applications for research degrees such as PhD, MRes, ProfDoc, MPhil, and MD on a case-by-case basis. Here’s what you need to know:

We cannot fund university fees or thesis preparation costs if the research is part of your employment.
Requests must show that the research has a clear and important purpose for advancing health and is of high quality.
Applications must be strongly supported by:
Your Clinical Director or Head of Department
NHS Lothian’s Research and Development team
Funding will not cover:
Backfill for NHS services
Salary shortfalls
Retrospective research costs

We may ask you to attend a meeting to discuss your proposal. In some cases, we’ll seek expert peer review before approving funding.

Our Approach to Research

NHS Lothian Charity is committed to funding research and innovation that improves lives. We support a wide range of research methods, including:

Clinical trials
Use of tissue samples
Computer modelling
Animal research (where appropriate and ethical). (See our statement on the use of animals in research).

All approaches play a vital role in advancing medical knowledge and improving patient outcomes.