About the Programme

The Novo Nordisk – Oxford Fellowship Programme is a prestigious scientific research programme, built on a strong academic-industry partnership between Novo Nordisk and the University of Oxford. It supports the next generation of exceptional researchers, advancing scientific discovery in diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, rare blood disorders, and other cardiometabolic conditions, with the ultimate goal of benefiting patients.

Research opportunities

The programme offers early-career researchers the opportunity to undertake pioneering early-stage scientific research. The research projects within the programme span the translational spectrum, ranging from basic science through to clinical application. Fellows use diverse methodologies, including mechanistic understanding at the cellular level, systems biology, big data integrative approaches and in vivo physiology studies.

Each fellow is based at the University of Oxford, working under the guidance of leading scientists. In addition, each fellowship project is assigned a mentor or supervisor from Novo Nordisk, offering valuable industry expertise. This dual mentorship provides a unique opportunity to gain insights and experience in both academic and industry research environments. As part of the programme, fellows also have the opportunity to spend time at Novo Nordisk’s research facilities.

Fellowship support

The fellowship is fully funded for three years. It provides:

• The fellow's salary
• Consumable funding to support the fellow's research project activities
• A travel allowance
• Financial support for publication costs

Springboard fellowship

For fellows starting from the 2025 intake onwards, towards the end of their fellowship, they will have the opportunity to apply for the competitively awarded ‘Springboard Fellowship’, available to one fellow per cohort. This provides up to two years of additional funding to complete a particularly impactful aspect of their research and/or build collaborations to further their career development. The Springboard Fellow will also receive enhanced mentorship and tailored professional development activities to support their career progression.