4-Year PhD Programme 2027 at The Francis Crick Institute, London

About the Position

The Francis Crick Institute in London is recruiting doctoral candidates for its 2027 PhD programme. The Crick is one of the largest biomedical research institutes in Europe, and its students work alongside research groups spanning cancer, immunology, neuroscience, infection, and the physics and chemistry of living systems. Rather than choosing a single project in isolation, students join a four-year programme that starts with rotations and taught elements before settling into the thesis lab.

Every PhD student at the Crick registers with one of its partner universities, so the final degree comes from a UK institution while the day-to-day research happens inside the Crick's labs on Midland Road, next to St Pancras station. The institute currently hosts more than 200 PhD students and doctoral clinical fellows, and around 60% of them come from the EU and further afield, which makes this one of the more international biomedical PhD environments in the UK.

Three Ways Into the 2027 Programme

Recruitment routes and who they are for

Route	Who can apply
PhD student recruitment	Open to everyone with the right academic background; the standard route into the 2027 intake.
Future Leaders in Biomedical Sciences Scholarships	Reserved for candidates of Black or mixed Black heritage; successful applicants receive the same Crick PhD place and studentship.
Doctoral clinical fellow recruitment	Open to clinicians who want to combine clinical training with laboratory research.

Funding and Support

What the studentship pays

Component	Details
Stipend	£27,715 per year, tax-free (living allowance), paid for the full four years.
Tuition fees	Covered in full, including the international fee rate for students from outside the UK.
Research costs	Lab and project running costs are supported by the institute.
Registration	Degree registration with a Crick partner university.

Application dates

Key dates for the 2027 intake

Component	Details
Status	Recruitment open when checked on 22 October 2026
Deadline	3 November 2026, 12:00 midday GMT
Start	PhD programme starts in autumn 2027
Location	The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT

How to Apply

Applications go through the Crick's academic recruitment system, not by email. Candidates pick their route (standard PhD recruitment, Future Leaders scholarship, or clinical fellow) and submit their academic record, references and supporting statements before the midday deadline on 3 November. Because the deadline is a hard midday cut-off rather than the usual end-of-day, it is worth submitting a day or two early.

About the Francis Crick Institute

The Crick is a partnership between the Medical Research Council, Cancer Research UK and Wellcome, and it describes itself as a discovery laboratory focused on understanding the biology underlying human health and disease. For applicants deciding between a university lab and an institute, the practical difference is scale: shared facilities, on-site imaging, genomics and proteomics platforms, and a large doctoral community under one roof in central London.

Official Link

• Official advert and application (verified link)
• PhD student recruitment route (official Crick page)
• Future Leaders in Biomedical Sciences Scholarships (official)

Contact

Questions about this position, eligibility or the application process should be raised through the contact channel given on the official announcement page (see the Official Link section above). Always quote the position reference in your message so the admissions or HR team can route your enquiry quickly.

Important Notes

• Application deadline: 3 November 2026 (12:00 midday GMT) - late or incomplete applications are normally not considered.
• Listing details were recorded from the official source at the time of publication; always confirm the latest requirements on the official page before applying.
• Prepare the documents listed in the eligibility and application sections before starting the online form - transcripts, CV and references take the longest to collect.

Application guides

• UK Student Visa Application: CAS, Documents and Financial Evidence
• How to Email a PhD Supervisor: 7 Templates and Practical Tips
• How to Read a PhD Job Advert: Funding, Eligibility and Application Steps