The British Medical Association has urged the Government to reconsider cuts to funding for medical and dental academics working in universities across England.
The warning follows the publication of the Strategic Priorities Grant allocations for the 2026–27 academic year, which include reductions totalling £16.7 million for medical and dental academic staff.
The BMA and the British Dental Association have written jointly to Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, arguing that the cuts could have a serious impact on an already fragile academic workforce.
They have also warned that the reductions conflict with wider government ambitions to strengthen scientific research, healthcare innovation, the life sciences sector and economic growth.
Medical and dental academics have a distinctive role spanning universities and the NHS. Alongside teaching and training future doctors and dentists, many continue to work as clinicians and lead research into new treatments, diagnostic techniques and models of patient care.
The funding helps universities maintain pay parity between medical and dental academics and their NHS counterparts. The professional bodies say this is essential if universities are to attract and retain experienced clinicians as educators and researchers.
In their letter to the Education Secretary, BMA medical academics staff committee co-chairs Dr Jonathan Gibb and Professor David Strain, alongside BDA dental academic staff committee chair Petros Mylonas and vice chair Swati Nehete, said:
“This funding supports pay parity between medical and dental academics and their NHS counterparts – a long-standing commitment that is vital to attracting doctors and dentists into medical education and research.”
They warned that reducing investment in the workforce could weaken the UK’s capacity for medical research and innovation, while also affecting patient care, NHS resilience and economic growth.
The letter highlights the importance of clinical academics to both universities and the healthcare system.
Medical and dental academics educate and train the next generation of healthcare professionals while conducting research that can lead to new medicines, treatments and improvements in patient care.
According to the professional bodies, these academics are responsible for up to a third of university grant income while continuing to support medical and dental education.
The BMA and BDA said:
“Reducing investment in this workforce will have consequences not only for research and innovation, but also for medical education, patient care, the long-term resilience of the NHS and the health of the UK economy.”
They also criticised what they described as a lack of coordination between government departments.
The letter argues that the funding cuts are inconsistent with the Government’s stated priorities for life sciences, scientific research, innovation and NHS transformation.
The organisations said:
“Reducing investment in the very workforce that delivers these ambitions sends a contradictory message and illustrates the need for greater coordination between health, education and science policy.”
The BMA and BDA are calling for the Government to develop a long-term and sustainable funding approach for medical and dental academics.
This would include appropriate arrangements for setting pay and ensuring that university-based clinicians remain on comparable salaries to their NHS colleagues.
They added:
“A coordinated approach across health, education and research policy is essential to safeguarding the future workforce and ensuring the UK can continue to deliver the research, innovation and economic growth that the Government has rightly identified as national priorities.”
For students considering careers in medicine, dentistry, medical research or university teaching, the dispute raises wider questions about the future of clinical academic careers.
Any reduction in the number of experienced clinicians choosing to work in universities could affect the teaching, supervision and research opportunities available to future generations of medical and dental students.