PhD Scholarships for Clinician Researchers

This Scholarship aims to recognise and develop clinician researchers of SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre (AMC), to support the growth of research capabilities in priority areas of our AMC and contribute to ground-breaking discoveries.

Open to ACP faculty and clinician staff of SingHealth (doctors, nurses and allied health professionals) who are applying for a research-based PhD programme in a local university.

Applicants applying for PhD programme in AY2026

REGISTER your interest with us and we will send you more updates!

We will assist in linking you up with the Duke-NUS Centre for Clinician-Scientist⁺ Development (CCS⁺D) for Individual Development Plan (IDP) enrolment in the preceding year of your PhD application, for discussion on project career advice about your PhD programme.

Fill up the form HERE.

Funding Period and Details

a. The PhD Scholarship will fund tuition fees of the clinician's formal PhD programme for AY2025 intake at a local university, over a 4-year duration. Local universities providing research-based PhD programmes include the following:

Duke-NUS Medical School PhD Programmes
National University of Singapore (Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, etc.)
Nanyang Technological University (Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine)
Other local universities and relevant research-based PhD programmes (If you have a programme in mind, please reach out to us to check on the eligibility.)

b. [Applicable for 2026] There is no NMRC Research Training Fellowship (RTF) grant call in January 2026. Shortlisted candidates from the PhD Scholarships applications will need to apply the next NMRC RTF grant call once it opens. The next NMRC RTF grant call is expected to be launched in July 2026.

Shortlisted applicants for the PhD Scholarship who are unsuccessful in the current NMRC RTF application are encouraged to apply for a second NMRC RTF application even though it is not mandatory.

Shortlisted applicants can proceed with the PhD programme with the support from the PhD Scholarship while continuing to apply for the second NMRC RTF.

c. Shortlisted applicants for the PhD Scholarship who are successful in their NMRC RTF application will be awarded Academic and Publication Support, a one-time funding of S$10,000.

The Academic and Publication Support, which covers expenses up to the 4th year of the PhD programme, can be used for publications, courses, conferences and other expenses related to the PhD programme, but not for project-specific expenditures.

With the award of the NMRC RTF, PhD tuition fees and any associated fees will not be covered by this Scholarship.

d. Manpower FTE support will be provided by the clinician's primary institution for a 4-year duration. (Standard bond terms may apply for each PhD Scholarship awardee, please inform your Host Institution HR).

Eligibility and Evaluation Criteria

1. The PhD Scholarship for Clinician Researchers is open to:

Medical doctors/dental specialists employed to perform clinical duties in any SingHealth institutions
Nursing and Allied Health Professionals, who aspire to advance in a research career working on human clinical research or research related to biomedical sciences, may apply as well

2. Applicants are required to apply for a formal PhD programme (at any local universities stated above).

3. All applicants must enrol in the Duke-NUS Centre for Clinician-Scientist⁺ Development's (CCS⁺D)Individual Development Plan (IDP) in the preceding year of their PhD application, for discussion on project career advice about PhD programme.

4. Each application must be submitted using AMgrants. The User Guide for the PhD Scholarship application will be available by the end of November 2025. Please visit AMgrants: User Guides & Training Videos.

Applications that fail to comply with the requirements in any of the templates and/or incomplete applications will be disqualified and will not be reviewed.

5. Applications will be assessed based on the following criteria:

Suitability of applicant (aptitude, skill sets, public service ethos, publications and research track record, developmental and career plans)
Research proposal (clearly defined research topic, quality of science and potential outcomes in the respective research areas, focus on national research priority areas & areas of strategic importance to SingHealth Duke-NUS AMC)
Training environment (proposed PhD programme, Supervisor/Mentor and mentorship plans)
Applicant's research and practice environment (support from the primary institution and ACP)

6. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to attend a short interview with the review panel. Details concerning the interview will be disseminated once it is finalised.

PhD Scholarships for Clinician Researchers (AY2026) are expected to open for applications (to be submitted via AMgrants) around January 2026. Please visit this page again for updates.

Please click here for information on award components, eligibility criteria, and evaluation criteria.

For enquiries, please contact: academic-medicine@duke-nus.edu.sg