1. NIHR Research Training Opportunities UCL Populations & Lifelong Health Domain Early Careers Network May 2017
Nicola Melody
Senior Programme Manager (NIHR Fellowships)
NIHR Trainees Co-ordinating Centre

2. National Institute for Health Research
The research arm of the NHS
Established in 2006 as a vehicle for implementing Government’s strategy for applied health research
£1b annual spend
Vision
To improve the health and wealth of the nation through research

3. NIHR Remit
People and patient based clinical, applied health or social care research.
Patients, samples or data from patients, people who are not patients, populations, health technology assessment or health services research
No basic research or work involving animals and/or animal tissue
Biomarkers – grey area
Clearly demonstrate the potential to have an impact on the needs of patients and the public within 5 years of its completion
NIHR is also prepared to support research into medical education
RESEARCH SHOULD BE:

4. Trainees Coordinating Centre
Research Capacity Development
TCC provides training and career development awards in order to:
build a leading NHS Research Faculty
develop research careers, research leaders and collaborators.
There are a large range of awards available at different levels and to suit different work arrangements, types of NHS staff and career paths.
The NIHR works in partnership with many sectors including other Government funders, academia, charities and industry.
The NIHR manages its health research activities through four main work strands:
Infrastructure: providing the facilities and people for a thriving research environment
Faculty: supporting the individuals carrying out and participating in research
Research: commissioning and funding research
Systems: creating unified, streamlined and simple systems for managing research and its outputs.

7. NIHR Fellowships Programme
NIHR Fellowships are personal research training awards.
Funding covers:
Salary
Tuition fees (for PhD at Doctoral level)
Research costs
Fully-funded training and development programme
Awards are 3 years full time (with part-time options), or 5 years for SRF
Can be based at HEI or NHS Trust, or other eligible organisation
Annual competition for all levels
Next launch – October 2017

8. NIHR Career Development Fellowship Post Doctoral Fellowship
NIHR Fellowships Programme
NIHR Senior
Research Fellowship
Applicant:
Significant postdoctoral experience, Outstanding publication record, Independence, Leadership potential, Record of research capacity development
NIHR Career Development Fellowship
Later postdoctoral award
(≤ 7 yrs WTE Post Doc)
3 years FT (4/5 years PT)
PhD/MD and postdoctoral experience, Significant output from research, Evidence of increasing independence, Experience of developing research skills of others
NIHR
Post Doctoral Fellowship
Early postdoctoral award
(≤ 3 years WTE Post Doc)
PhD/MD or have submitted, Output from research, Evidence of commitment to research career
Doctoral training award
Some previous research experience, some outputs
from research, Evidence of commitment to research
career
Most senior NIHR
Fellowship award
5 years ( Chair)
NIHR
Doctoral
Research
Fellowship
NIHR
Doctoral
Research
Fellowship
NIHR
Doctoral
Research
Fellowship 8

9. Transitional Research Fellowship (NIHR TRF)
NIHR Fellowships Programme
Transitional Research Fellowship (NIHR TRF)
Postdoctoral Award designed to support researchers looking to transition into, or back into, applied health or clinical research
Eligibility: ≤ 5 yrs WTE post-doctoral research experience
18 months to 2 years, full or part time
Applicant:
PhD/MD and possibly, postdoctoral experience
Basic or experimental scientists moving to applied health or clinical research
Researchers looking to gain training in clinical trials
Applied clinical or health researchers, following a significant career break with clear training needs
Proposed research must be within the NIHR remit

10. NIHR Knowledge Mobilisation Research Fellowship
What is a KMRF?
Personal award
Fully funded
2 years full time (or 3 years at 70% or 4 years at 50% WTE)
Based at HEI or publicly funded healthcare body (e.g. NHS/social enterprise/public health/local authority)
Agreed ‘hosting’ partnership between HEI and healthcare body
Aims
build capacity within fields of mobilising knowledge (to support the more effective use of research knowledge), whilst also simultaneously;
researching implementation processes and impacts.
(aka implementation and implementation research) PT
Re hosting partnership:
Knowledge mobilisers might be viewed as working between potential employing organisations, and so face quite particular challenges when forging sustainable careers for themselves within the field.
The experiences of existing fellows and observations by the panel have prompted a greater scrutiny of the partnership proposed, and the support that this partnership will afford the applicant. It has been suggested that academic mentorship alone does not provide sufficiently focused support to the applicant and so we now require applicants to propose mentorship by at least one academic mentor, who will support the research proposed, and by at least one clinically / non-academically based mentor who will support the practical KM elements of the project.
Mentors should be selected with a view to the guidance, experience and support they might afford the applicant in negotiating the obstacles and opportunities associated with their development as a knowledge Mobiliser and Knowledge Mobilisation Researcher.

12. September 2009 –research training programme
Integrated Academic Training for Doctors and Dentists
Academic Clinical Fellowship
Academic and clinical training
For entrants to specialty training
3 yr award, 25% academic research
Support in making application for training fellowship leading to higher degree
4 yrs for GPs to CCT
£1000 pa bursaries
Structured Research Training Programme (RTP)
April £1000 for travel
September 2009 –research training programme

13. Integrated Academic Training for Doctors and Dentists
Clinical Lectureship
Post-doctoral award
50% academic and 50% clinical
ST3 and above
4 yr award duration, or until you reach CCT, whichever is sooner
£1000 pa bursaries

14. Integrated Academic Training for Doctors and Dentists
In-Practice Fellowship
Pre-doctoral award open to fully-qualified General Practitioners, General Dental Practitioners and Community Dentists 
50% clinical, 50% academic
Funding: 50% salary (for academic time), plus £4,500 for training and development and £1,000 for conference attendance
Aims:
Completion of a Masters degree, preparation for research training fellowship at doctoral level.
Next round opens mid-February

15. Launch annually (March/April- Closing ~ June)
Integrated Academic Training for Doctors and Dentists
Clinician Scientist Award
Postdoctoral award, 5 years duration (open to StRs/SpRs/consultants)
Applicants retain clinical duties appropriate for gaining CCT
Up to 4 NHS clinical sessions per week post CCT
Pays for salary, research costs and training
Pays research assistant salary (3 years only)
Applicant
PhD/MD (or have submitted) with good output from research
Evidence of commitment to research career
Expectation of ongoing employment at the end of award
Launch annually (March/April- Closing ~ June)

17. HEE/NIHR Integrated Clinical Academic Programme
The ICA Programme launched in 2015 and represents an amalgamation of the HEE funded Clinical Academic Training (CAT) Programme for Nurses, Midwives and AHPs and the Healthcare Science Research Fellowship (HCS) Programme
The ICA Programme is open to a greater range of professions than the CAT and HCS Programmes combined (now all statutorily registered healthcare professionals excluding doctors and dentists) but retains the CAT Programme’s characteristic focus on the development of individuals and careers that combine clinical research and research leadership with continued clinical practice and clinical development

18. HEE/NIHR Integrated Clinical Academic (ICA) Programme
Personal Training awards for Non-Medical Clinical Academic Healthcare Professionals
Eligible Professions Include:
Healthcare Scientists
Allied Health Professionals
Nurses
Midwifes
Health Visitors
Dental professions (Dental Nurse, Hygienist and Therapist)
Pharmacist and Pharmacy Technicians
Osteopaths
Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians
Chiropractors
Clinical Psychologists
Operating Department Practitioners
Non-medical public health professionals

19. ICA HEE/NIHR Integrated Clinical Academic Programme
30 days salaried contact time over a 6-month period
Exposure to leading research groups and clinical academics,
experience to support further formal research training.­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­
“A pre-masters clinical research taster”
Internships
Masters in Clinical Research Studentships
“An introduction to clinical research theory and practice”
100 funded studentships p.a from 10 Universities
Full-time (1 year) or part-time (2 years)
Funds: Backfill costs and Course fees
Clinical
Doctoral Research Fellowships
salary costs
PhD tuition fees
costs of an approved research project
training and development including clinical development
“Obtain a PhD by research whilst still developing clinical skills”
“Combine post-doctoral research in an academic position with continued clinical practice”
up to 50% of the award holder’s total salary
the costs of an approved research project
training and development including clinical development.
Clinical
Lectureships
“Combine research and research leadership in a senior clinical academic position”
Senior
Clinical
Lectureships
up to 50% of the award holder’s total salary
the costs of an approved research project
training and development including clinical development

20. Pre-application advice
Know the process and the remit:
Look at the website
Read the guidance
Contact the NIHR TCC with any queries
Talk to the NIHR Research Design Service at an early stage
Don’t add PPI as an afterthought!
Talk, talk, talk, before you submit:
Supervisor, current awards holders, senior academics, methodological experts, collaborators, mentors, finance office, colleagues etc.

21. Application Person Career outputs Future trajectory
Training and development plan meets needs of candidate and project, specialist skills and personal and professional (if ICA) development.
Project or programme of research
Relevance of the question
Scientific quality, methodological rigour
Appropriate scale and scope and impact
Impact of findings
Fit with remit
Involvement of patients and the public
Dissemination: open access, conferences, meetings etc

22. Application Host Environment Institution: RAE/REF rating
Track record in relevant field
Commitment to your career/development
Research Support:
Supervisors
Mentors

23. Application submission
Register on TCCi now
Liaise with local finance office and required signatories way in advance of the deadline
Give full consideration to your Plain English Summary and Patient and Public Involvement
Have your application peer reviewed before you submit
Review guidance notes (again!)
Do a comprehensive spelling and grammar check
Fellowships Round 10 will launch in October 2017
PDF/CDF/SRF/TRF will close in December
DRF will close in January

24. Common Weaknesses
Remit: Failure to show research important to NHS, benefits patients and/or public in 5yrs
Clarity & Details: Research questions not clear; don’t show the relevance of the aims and objectives; not enough detail and depth.
Overambitious: Research programme not suitable for level of award; not achievable within time frame.
Applicant: Person not quite experienced enough for level they are applying (research outputs, independence, etc.); not your project
Training: Programme too generic and not suited/specific to the applicant’s needs and project; too centred around host organisation.
Value for Money: Budget unrealistic and/or failure to justify requested resources.

25. If in doubt; ask! NIHR Trainees Coordinating Centre Tel: 0113 346 6260
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