The ISN-Heartlands Hospital Fellowships are a special route within the International Society of Nephrology (ISN) Fellowship Program. Young nephrologists from South Asia train at Heartlands Hospital in Birmingham, UK, for 6 to 12 months.
The programme builds kidney care capacity in low-resource settings, so fellows take the skills back to their home institution.
Benefits & funding
- An ISN grant sized to the training length and host-country costs, meant to cover or offset travel, accommodation and living expenses for the fellow only (not family).
- Training lasts 6 to 12 months; no tuition should be charged to the fellow.
- Duty: return home within 3 months and work at the home institution for at least 3 years, or repay the grant.
Eligibility
- Young nephrologists from South Asia (the page’s wording; check the exact rule with ISN).
- Must live and work in a low-, lower-middle- or upper-middle-income country (World Bank); for this South Asia route: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan or Sri Lanka.
- ISN full or trainee member; home and host mentors must be ISN full members.
- Postgraduate internal medicine training completed in the home country.
- Employed at a public home institution that nominates you and guarantees re-employment; doctors in private settings are barred.
- Endorsed by your national (or regional) nephrology society.
- 12-month clinical training: ISN Fellowship Foundation Course completed before applying.
Can you apply?
Here's who can apply
Decoded from the official rules. A free account checks them against your passport, degree and age in seconds.
“This fellowship is for young nephrologists from South Asia interested in training at the Heartlands Hospital in Birmingham, United Kingdom, for a period of 6 to 12 months.” Eligibility
Residence required
Afghanistan · Bangladesh · Bhutan · India · Maldives · Nepal · Pakistan · Sri Lanka
Circlebreaker is a free database of global fellowships, scholarships and programs — every one decoded like this.
We only check the criteria we have data for. Always confirm full eligibility on the official page before applying.
Application process
- 1Agree a detailed training plan with a host mentor at Heartlands Hospital, who completes the Host ID form and an acceptance letter.
- 2Gather the nomination, re-employment and national-society letters; every document must be in English.
- 3Submit through the general ISN Fellowship portal (opens around July) by 1 October; email or fax applications are not accepted.
Program timeline
Application deadline (passed; one round a year)
1 October 2026
Results by email
January 2027
Selected fellows start training
February–September 2027
Portal opens for the next round
Around July 2027