MQ Mental Health Research – Schizophrenia Research Fellowship 2026 (With Up to £250,000 in Funding)

Why Schizophrenia Research?

Schizophrenia affects around 1% of the population and is associated with high levels of disability, reduced life expectancy, and significant unmet clinical need. Despite this, progress in developing new treatments and improving outcomes has been limited.

Current therapies are often insufficient, particularly for cognitive and negative symptoms, and many individuals may not fully respond to existing treatments. At the same time, research approaches have limitations, including under-representation of key populations and a focus on short-term symptom outcomes rather than long-term recovery and quality of life.

This call for application for an MQ Fellowship, funded by Nikki Fa Fond hosted by Fondation Philanthropia, responds to a clear and urgent need: despite its profound impact on individuals and society, schizophrenia remains underfunded, not fully understood in terms of its causes and ways of prevention and inadequately treated.

What is a Fellowship

The MQ Fellows Award supports brilliant early-career scientists globally, encouraging them to ask challenging questions to advance mental health research. The aim is to retain top talent and increase diversity within the field.

An MQ Fellowship offers grants of up to £250,000 over three years.

For future funding opportunities in mental health research. You can sign up to our research roundup using the form below.

Apply Now

Fellows review panel

Applications for the MQ Fellows programme are overseen by an international committee of academic experts from diverse disciplinary backgrounds relevant to schizophrenia research, as well as lived experience experts. The committee is chaired by Professor Matthew Broome and co-chaired by Professor Srividya Iyer.

These three MQ Fellowships are funded by Nikki Fa Fond hosted by Fondation Philanthropia.

We open for Expressions of interest on the 12th of June

Expressions of interest should be submitted on FlexiGrant.

Expectations:

Proposals should:

Demonstrate scientific excellence
Be focused and feasible within a three-year fellowship
Address clinically meaningful outcomes
Include appropriate patient and public involvement
Consider diversity, inclusion, and generalisability
Show a credible pathway to translation and impact

Eligibility criteria:

Open to global applications.
Must have a minimum of 3 and no more than 7 years of postdoctoral research experience.
Need to be based at a university, hospital, or research institution.
Demonstrate a strong research track record and plans for an independent career.
The fellowship requires a 50-100% time commitment over three years starting 1st May 2027.
You cannot hold other substantial research funding (over £100,000/year).

Objective

This call aims to support outstanding early-career researchers (3 to 7 years postdoc) to deliver high-quality, focused projects that advance understanding and improve outcomes in schizophrenia, with a clear pathway to short- to medium-term impact.

MQ is particularly interested in research that:

Builds on advances in biological, psychological, and social factors contributing to development and treatment of schizophrenia to inform intervention, prediction, or care;
Is methodologically innovative and rigorous;
Demonstrates a clear route to improving outcomes for people diagnosed with Schizophrenia, including clinical outcomes, everyday functioning, and quality of life, or to improving approaches to early detection and prevention in at-risk populations;
Addresses areas of high unmet need, including cognitive and negative symptoms, inadequate response to existing treatments, and early intervention;
Leverages existing data, infrastructure, or interventions to maximise feasibility within the award timeframe;
Is patient-centred and genuinely engaged with people with lived experience throughout – from identifying the research question through to designing and delivering the study and disseminating the results;
Please note: Early-stage drug discovery requiring long development timelines is out of scope.

This call is designed to support ambitious but realistic projects that can be delivered within a three-year fellowship and act as a springboard for larger-scale research and impact.

Application process:

Applications must be submitted online via Flexi-Grant®.

Register, then go to My Account → MQ Schizophrenia Fellows 2026/2027 Expression of Interest Application (link available when applications open).
You will be asked to complete sections on:
- Applicant details & personal statement
- Project overview & scientific abstract
- Patient & public involvement
- Grants, awards & publications

Before submitting your application, you will be asked to read and accept the following documents:

Funding Details:

The MQ Fellows Award offers up to £250,000 over three years. This funding can be used for:

The applicant’s salary and staff costs.
Direct research expenses like equipment, consumables, and publication fees.
Animal costs, if applicable.
Travel and training expenses.
Note: Your host institution is required to cover all indirect and overhead costs.