ARC East of England Research and Impact Fellowships 2027: Research and Health Care Fellowship Opportunity in the UK

The ARC East of England Research and Impact Fellowships 2027 are now open for applications, offering health and care professionals an opportunity to develop their research, evidence-based practice, service improvement, and implementation skills while working on practical projects within health and care settings.

The fellowship programme is designed for professionals who already have hands-on experience in the health, care, and voluntary sectors in the East of England and want to develop their ability to conduct research, evaluate services, implement evidence-based improvements, and create meaningful impact in practice.

Applications are open for the April 2027 intake, with the deadline set for 9 December 2026 at 12:00 noon.

Opportunity Overview

• Opportunity: ARC East of England Research and Impact Fellowships
• Year: 2027
• Start date: April 2027
• Deadline: 9 December 2026 at 12:00pm
• Location: East of England, United Kingdom
• Fields: Health, social care, research, service improvement, evidence-based practice and implementation
• Fellowship types: Research Fellowship and Impact Fellowship
• Target applicants: Health, care and voluntary sector professionals working in the East of England

About the ARC East of England Fellowship Programme

The Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) East of England Fellowship programme was established in 2010 to strengthen research capacity across the health and care sectors in the East of England.

Since its establishment, more than 170 ARC Fellowships have been awarded across the region.

The programme provides professionals with an opportunity to develop their research and evidence-based practice capabilities while remaining closely connected to the real-world challenges facing health and care organisations.

The programme is particularly valuable because it brings together research and practice.

Rather than focusing only on academic research, fellows are encouraged to work on practical projects that can help improve services, inform decision-making, strengthen professional practice, and generate positive outcomes for patients, service users and communities.

With annual fellowship calls planned between 2026 and 2031, more than 60 fellows are expected to receive training during this period. The programme therefore represents an important investment in developing research and improvement capacity across the East of England health and care system.

What Is the ARC East of England Fellowship?

The ARC East of England Fellowship supports professionals who already have practical experience in health and care and want to develop their ability to use research and evidence to improve services.

As a fellow, you will have the opportunity to lead a small-scale research or improvement project connected to your professional environment.

The fellowship is designed to help participants develop skills in areas including:

• Research methods
• Applied research
• Service evaluation
• Evidence-based practice
• Service improvement
• Change management
• Implementation of research evidence
• Knowledge translation
• Dissemination of research findings
• Evaluation and audit
• Applying evidence to real-world health and care settings

The programme is particularly suitable for people interested in working at the point where research, policy and professional practice meet.

Two Fellowship Routes Are Available

Applicants can apply for one of two fellowship routes:

1. ARC Research Fellowship

The Research Fellowship focuses on conducting local applied research and evaluation projects.

This can include areas such as:

• Applied research
• Service evaluation
• Audits
• Evidence generation
• Evaluation of existing practices
• Research designed to address local health and care challenges

The goal is to help fellows develop the skills and confidence needed to generate and use evidence to improve health and care services.

A Research Fellow may therefore identify a practical problem within their organisation or professional environment and develop a research or evaluation project to better understand the issue.

The findings can then help inform improvements in service delivery or professional practice.

2. ARC Impact Fellowship

The Impact Fellowship is designed for professionals who are particularly interested in taking existing evidence and putting it into practice.

Instead of primarily focusing on generating new research evidence, the fellowship focuses on how evidence can be implemented, communicated, shared and used to create real-world improvements.

This route can therefore be particularly relevant to professionals interested in:

• Implementing evidence-based interventions
• Improving services
• Knowledge mobilisation
• Disseminating research findings
• Supporting organisational change
• Changing professional practice
• Improving health and care outcomes

The Impact Fellowship aims to develop the knowledge and skills required to ensure that research does not remain confined to academic publications but is translated into meaningful improvements in health and care settings.

What Type of Projects Should Applicants Consider?

Prospective applicants are encouraged to think carefully about the health and care problem they want their fellowship project to address.

Projects should have a clear connection to real-world health, care or voluntary-sector practice.

Applicants are also encouraged to consider the 10 Year Health Plan for England and how their proposed work could contribute to the three major shifts identified in the plan.

These are:

From Hospital to Community

This shift focuses on moving appropriate care away from hospitals and closer to where people live.

Projects could therefore explore ways of strengthening community-based services, improving access to care outside hospitals, or supporting better coordination between different parts of the health and care system.

From Analogue to Digital

Digital transformation is another major priority.

Applicants could consider how technology, digital systems, data, digital communication or other innovations can improve the way health and care services are delivered.

Potential projects could explore areas such as digital access, digital health interventions, technology-enabled care or the use of data to improve decision-making.

From Sickness to Prevention

The third shift focuses on prevention rather than responding only after people become ill.

Projects could therefore examine approaches that help prevent illness, identify health risks earlier, support healthier behaviours, or improve population health.

Applicants should consider how their proposed research or impact project can contribute to one or more of these broader priorities.

Why Apply for the ARC Fellowship?

The fellowship provides an opportunity for professionals to develop research and improvement capabilities while working on an issue that is relevant to their organisation or professional environment.

Develop Research Skills

Fellows can strengthen their understanding of research methods and learn how to develop and conduct applied research projects.

Gain Experience in Evidence-Based Practice

The programme helps participants understand how evidence can be identified, evaluated and used to inform decisions and improve services.

Develop Service Improvement Skills

The fellowship can help professionals develop practical skills in identifying problems, designing improvements and evaluating whether changes are achieving their intended results.

Learn About Change Management

Health and care improvements often require organisational and behavioural change. The programme provides an opportunity to develop skills for managing and supporting change.

Create Real-World Impact

One of the strongest aspects of the fellowship is its emphasis on applying knowledge to real-world health and care challenges.

Rather than research being conducted purely for academic purposes, fellows are encouraged to generate knowledge or implement evidence that can contribute to improvements in practice.

Build Research Capacity

The fellowship contributes to developing research capacity within health and care organisations across the East of England.

By participating, fellows can become better equipped to contribute to research, evaluation and improvement activities within their organisations.

APPLY HERE

Who Is the Fellowship Designed For?

The ARC East of England Fellowship is intended for professionals who are already working across the health, care and voluntary sectors in the East of England.

The programme is particularly relevant to people who have hands-on experience and want to develop their ability to:

• Conduct research
• Evaluate services
• Use evidence
• Implement improvements
• Lead small-scale projects
• Support organisational change
• Translate research into practice
• Improve health and care services

Applicants should consider whether their professional role and organisation provide an appropriate setting for undertaking a fellowship project.

Research Fellowship vs Impact Fellowship

Although both fellowship routes are focused on improving health and care, they have different primary emphases.

Applicants should select the route that best matches their interests, professional role and proposed project.

Previous Fellowship Projects

Prospective applicants are encouraged to review examples of projects completed by previous ARC East of England fellows.

Looking at previous projects can help applicants understand the type and scale of work that can be undertaken through the fellowship.

It can also help prospective applicants identify potential research questions or improvement challenges within their own professional settings.

Applicants should use previous projects as inspiration rather than simply attempting to replicate an existing project.

A strong proposal should demonstrate that the applicant understands a relevant problem and can explain how their proposed work could contribute to improving health, care or evidence-based practice.

Application Deadline

Applications for the 2027 ARC East of England Research and Impact Fellowships are currently open.

The fellowship is scheduled to begin in April 2027.

Deadline:

9 December 2026 at 12:00pm

Applicants should ensure that their application is submitted before the stated deadline.

Waiting until the final day may create unnecessary risks, particularly if additional documents, approvals or organisational support are required.

How to Prepare a Strong Application

Applicants interested in this fellowship should begin by identifying a clear issue within their professional setting.

A strong proposal should ideally demonstrate:

1. A clearly defined problem

   Explain the health, care or service issue that needs to be addressed.

2. Why the issue matters

   Describe the potential consequences for patients, service users, professionals, organisations or communities.

3. A clear research or improvement question

   The proposed work should have a focused and realistic objective.

4. A connection to evidence

   Explain how existing research, evidence or professional knowledge relates to the issue.

5. A practical approach

   Show that the proposed project can realistically be completed within the fellowship.

6. Potential impact

   Explain how the findings or outcomes could improve practice, services or decision-making.

7. Relevance to current health priorities

   Where appropriate, applicants should demonstrate how their project relates to priorities such as community-based care, digital transformation and prevention.

Contact Information

Applicants who would like further information about the fellowship programme can contact:

Dr Naoko Kishita

Email: N.Kishita@uea.ac.uk

Dr Sion Scott

Email: Sion.Scott@uea.ac.uk

Prospective applicants can contact the fellowship team if they need further clarification about the programme, fellowship routes or application process.

Important Considerations for Applicants

Before applying, prospective fellows should carefully consider whether their professional circumstances allow them to undertake a fellowship project.

Because the fellowship is designed around practical research and impact within health and care environments, applicants should think about:

• The organisation in which the project will take place
• The availability of relevant data or evidence
• The feasibility of conducting the proposed project
• The support available from colleagues and organisational leadership
• The potential beneficiaries of the work
• The expected outcomes
• How the findings could be communicated or implemented

A well-designed project should be sufficiently focused to be achievable while still producing useful learning or impact.

Who Can Apply?

Geographical Eligibility

The fellowship is specifically aimed at professionals working across the health, care and voluntary sectors in the East of England.

This means that the opportunity is not a general international fellowship open to applicants from anywhere in the world.

Applicants from outside the East of England should carefully check the official eligibility requirements before considering an application.

Professional Background

The programme supports professionals working in areas connected to:

• Health
• Social care
• Voluntary-sector services
• Research
• Service improvement
• Evidence-based practice
• Health and care delivery

The fellowship is designed for people with practical experience who want to develop their research or implementation capabilities.

Nationality and Race

The information provided for this opportunity does not specify a nationality, race or ethnic restriction.

However, the key eligibility requirement is connected to the applicant’s professional role and location: applicants should be working within the relevant health, care or voluntary-sector organisations in the East of England.

Therefore, nationality or race should not be presented as the primary eligibility criterion. Applicants should instead verify their professional and organisational eligibility through the official fellowship guidance.

Visit HERE to learn more about the ARC East of England Research and Impact Fellowships 2027

Conclusion

The ARC East of England Research and Impact Fellowships 2027 provide an opportunity for health, care and voluntary-sector professionals to strengthen their research, evaluation, implementation and service improvement skills while addressing practical challenges within their working environments.

With two routes available, applicants can choose between a Research Fellowship, focused on applied research and evaluation, or an Impact Fellowship, focused on implementing and disseminating evidence-based improvements.

The programme is particularly valuable for professionals who want to bridge the gap between research and practice and use evidence to create meaningful improvements in health and care.

Applications for the April 2027 intake are currently open, with the deadline set for 9 December 2026 at 12:00pm. Interested professionals should begin preparing their project ideas and applications early and ensure that their proposed work is relevant, practical and capable of contributing to better health and care outcomes.

For more global grants, scholarships, fellowships, internships, jobs, conferences, competitions, and other career opportunities for young people, visit the Opportunities for Youth (OFY) website at www.opportunitiesforyouth.org.