NIHR Academy recognises the future impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in research careers

March 2022

Welcome

In the month that marks two years since the first COVID-19 lockdown in the UK, we shared updated guidance on how we as funders will fairly remember and recognise the impacts of COVID-19 on programme applicants' work in the future. The statement saw 22 funding organisations come together to agree to this commitment going forward. As always, please visit our COVID-19 page on the website, to find out the latest information.

We also celebrated International Women's Day at the start of March with a blog from Dr Mirae Harford, a former NIHR Academic Clinical Fellow and Professor Lucy Chappell, Chief Executive Officer of the NIHR.

Professor WaljIt Dhillo
Dean of the NIHR Academy

Latest news

The quest to improve gender equality for female early career researchers

Read Mirae's blog

For International Women's Day, Dr Mirae Harford, a specialist registrar in intensive care medicine and former NIHR Academic Clinical Fellow, wrote about the challenges of female early career researchers and how funders can break the bias against women in research.

NIHR's first Wikipedian in Residence

Read the NIHR's Wikipedia page

NIHR, in collaboration with Wikimedia UK, has launched a new project to disseminate its research to a wide audience using Wikipedia. This will explore how different parts of the NIHR can contribute to Wikipedia, how professionals can make their research more visible and accessible, and how patients and the public can be involved in editing Wikipedia.

Submit suggestions for speakers and sessions for the NIHR Academy Members' Conference 2022

Submit your suggestions

We want to hear your ideas and suggestions to help shape the content and format of the NIHR Academy Members' Conference 2022. The theme of this year's conference is Career Pathways and we'd like Members to share thoughts and ideas for speakers and sessions via our suggestions form by 1 April.

Social care researchers appointed as NIHR SSCR Leadership Fellows

For out more about the Fellows

The NIHR School for Social Care Research (SSCR) has funded five Leadership Fellows through the inaugural Development Research Leaders Award Scheme. The scheme is supported by the NIHR Academy and the Department of Health and Social Care and aims to fund and support individuals at a more advanced level in their research careers to develop as leaders for adult social care research.

Opportunities for NIHR Academy Members

Platinum Champion Awards

Nominate your champion

Have you worked with PPI contributors as part of your research? You might want to consider them for the Platinum Champion Award. Nominations look for individuals making a difference to people's lives in one of the following categories: older people and dementia support, young people and crisis and welfare, community, mental health and companionship, physical health and disability and NHS and social care.

Interested in joining the NIHR Academy Forum?

Register your expression of interest

The NIHR Academy Forum is an expert advisory group set up to help shape and develop the activities and vision for the NIHR Academy and is currently looking for new members. The meetings take place annually. In 2022, the Forum will take place on Tuesday 28th June 2022 from 10am to 4pm in London.

Introducing the NIHR Research Design Service's EDI Toolkit

Book your place

The NIHR Research Design Service has developed an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion toolkit to support researchers to consider and embed EDI at each stage of their research project. Attend this webinar on 30 March to receive tips and resources on how to embed EDI at all stages of your research.

NIHR Leadership Lab online learning resources – learning at your fingertips at a time that suits you

Login to NIHRs online learning platform

Learn at your own pace with the NIHR leadership Lab. A range of 12 modules all designed to enhance your leadership and management skills for NIHR Academy Members. Each module includes practical activities to reinforce your learning. This month we're focussing on Module 1: Collaborating across organisational boundaries. This module will teach you effective strategies to resolve difficult situations such as team workers needing to work as a team rather than individual goals.

Partnering with community organisations to increase diverse voices in research

5 April 2022 | 14:00 - 16:00

Register your place

This workshop run in partnership with Egality and two community organisations, South Asian Health Action and Manchester BME Network, will support public participation, engagement and involvement in research that is genuinely inclusive. The event is for researchers and patient and public involvement leads with the aim to share learnings from community organisations, provide case studies, and review existing information and guidance on increasing diverse participation, engagement and involvement in health research.

Webinars from NIHR Academy

Discover what knowledge mobilisation is and why it is important to embed into a research project

Find out how to integrate knowledge mobilisation strategies throughout the research cycle by watching a recent NIHR webinar. The one-hour session introduces the theory and practice of knowledge mobilisation, and where to access resources.

Watch the webinar now

Current NIHR Academy awards

An updated cross-funder statement, coordinated by the Academy of Medical Sciences, on COVID-19 in future grant and programme applications is now available.

The statement details how we as funders will look to fairly remember and recognise the impacts of COVID-19 on programme applicants' work in the future. The full statement, alongside further COVID-19 resources and information, can be found on the NIHR website.

Open pre-doctoral awards

NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowships in Medicine 2022

The programme offers doctors clinical specialty training that incorporates Masters-level academic training.

Closes 31 March 2023

Apply for an ACF in Medicine

NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowships in Dentistry 2022

The programme offers dentists clinical specialty training that incorporates Masters-level academic training.

Closes 31 March 2023

Apply for an ACF in Dentistry

Pre-doctoral Local Authority Fellowship (PLAF) 2022

The NIHR Pre-doctoral Local Authority Fellowship (PLAF) scheme supports the academic ambitions of individuals wishing to develop as health and/or social care researchers whilst remaining employed, or at least engaged, within local authorities or local authority supporting services.

Closes 31 March 2022

Apply for a PLAF award

NIHR In-Practice Fellowship 2022

This fellowship provides pre-doctoral academic training to fully-qualified general practitioners, general dental practitioners and community dentists. The scheme is part of the Integrated Academic Training (IAT) programme.

Closes 24 March 2022

Apply for a In-Practice Fellowship

Open post-doctoral awards

NIHR Clinical Lectureships in Medicine 2022

This award provides opportunities for post-doctoral research and facilitates applications for further research funding for fully qualified GPs and doctors in specialty training.

Closes 30 June 2023

Apply for a CL in Medicine

NIHR Clinical Lectureships in Medicine 2021

This award provides opportunities for post-doctoral research and facilitates applications for further research funding for fully qualified GPs and doctors in specialty training.

Closes 30 June 2022

Apply for a CL in Medicine

NIHR Clinical Lectureships in Dentistry 2022

This is a post-doctoral award that provides a clinical and academic training environment for dentists to establish themselves as independent researchers and leaders.

Closes 31 March 2023

Apply for CL in Dentistry

Development and Skills Enhancement Award

This award provides a maximum of 1 year of funding for post-doctoral NIHR Academy Members to gain skills and experience for the next phase of their research career.

Closes 31 March 2022

Apply for a DSE Award