CREATIVE Fellowship deadline May 29

Clinical research training is the thing on offer here — not just a scholarship, and not just a degree. That matters because a lot of global health training still splits theory from practice, or pulls people out of the settings where they actually work. The CREATIVE Fellowship tries to do the opposite. LSHTM has opened applications for a fully funded 30-month programme that combines an MSc, a work placement, mentorship, and possible industry exposure, with a deadline of May 29, 2026. ### What is the fellowship, exactly? CREATIVE stands for Clinical ResEArch Training fellowship with Industry involVEment. It is a multi-country programme in sub-Saharan Africa, funded through Global Health EDCTP3, and coordinated by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. The structure is pretty specific: fellows stay embedded at host research institutions while completing a distance-learning MSc from LSHTM. (lshtm.ac.uk) ### What do fellows actually get? The package has four moving parts. First, a work placement at a major African health research institution. Second, enrolment in LSHTM’s Distance Learning MSc in either Clinical Trials or Epidemiology. Third, structured mentorship. Fourth, the chance to apply for a competitive industry internship. Basically, this is designed as a training pipeline, not a one-off tuition award. (lshtm.ac.uk) ### How many places are there? Up to 12 fellowships are available. The split is uneven in a useful way: nine fellows will study Clinical Trials, while three will study Epidemiology. That tells you where the programme sees the biggest immediate skills gap — trial design and trial delivery capacity, with a smaller but still important lane for epidemiology methods. ### Where are the placements based? The placements are tied to six host institutions across six countries: Haramaya University in Ethiopia, Kintampo Health Research Centre and Ghana Health Service in Ghana, MRC Unit The Gambia, the MRC/UVRI and LSHTM Uganda Research Unit, Zambart in Zambia, and BRTI in Zimbabwe. (lshtm.ac.uk) Two fellows are expected at each institution. The design is local by default — applicants can only apply for a fellowship in their country of nationality. ### Who can apply? The target is early-career researchers, but not total beginners. Applicants must be nationals of Ethiopia, Ghana, The Gambia, Uganda, Zambia, or Zimbabwe. They also need a relevant degree and at least one year of health research experience in a government, academic, NGO, or industry setting. There is also an English-language requirement at LSHTM’s Band B level. ### Why does the distance-learning MSc matter? (lshtm.ac.uk) Because it changes the tradeoff. Instead of leaving a job or relocating full-time to London, fellows can stay in their research environment while learning formal methods. That makes the programme more like an apprenticeship with a degree attached. LSHTM’s funding page lists the CREATIVE MSc Fellowship and work placement as open now, with the application deadline set for May 29, 2026. ### When does it start? The fellowship starts in October 2026. So the current window is the selection phase, not a vague early announcement. Kintampo Health Research Centre posted the opening this week and framed it as a capacity-building opportunity for African scientists working in clinical research. ### What’s the real takeaway? The interesting part is the bundle. CREATIVE is not offering prestige in the abstract — it is offering a funded route into clinical trials and epidemiology methods while keeping fellows rooted in African research institutions. (lshtm.ac.uk) For someone already in health research, that is the pitch. Learn the methods, keep doing the work, and do both on a timeline that starts this October if selected. (lshtm.ac.uk) (kintampo-hrc.org)