NIHR Fellowships and Integrated Academic Training ACFs CLs

NIHR Fellowships and Integrated Academic Training: ACFs, CLs, Ph. Ds and more! 30 October 2019 Dr Kieran Lee NIHR Academy

NIHR | 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 • £ 1 billion annual spend Mission • To improve the health and wealth of the nation through research

NIHR Academy • We are responsible for the development and coordination of NIHR academic training, career development, and research capacity development. • We play a pivotal role in attracting, training and supporting the best health and care researchers to tackle the complex challenges of the future.

NIHR Fellowships

NIHR Fellowships Key Changes • Amalgamation and simplification of existing schemes. • 2 rounds per year for Doctoral and Advanced Fellowships. • NIHR Fellowships now cover clinical time for all clinical applicants (up to 20%; Doctoral: up to 40%; Advanced). • Partnership Fellowships now available with charities and industry. • Increased flexibility for LTFT (50 -100% options). • Limit on the number of reapplications permitted.

The NIHR Remit • The NIHR funds early translational (experimental medicine), clinical and applied health, and social care. • Early translational research and global health is funded through the NIHR Infrastructure (e. g. BRCs, ARCs, NIHR Schools). • NIHR will support educational research and methodological research provided it has potential for practical application and the impact on patients and the public is clear. • The NIHR does not support basic research or work involving animals or their tissue.

NIHR Fellowships Remit Doctoral Fellowship proposals: • must be for clinical and applied health research, or social care research. • must have clear potential to directly benefit patients and the public (but recognising the training element of the research). • can involve: patients, samples or data from patients, people, populations, health technology assessment, or health services research. • www. nihr. ac. uk/fellowships

Fellowships Remit Advanced Fellowship proposals: • May include early translational (experimental medicine) research; however, a clear and plausible path to patient or public benefit must be demonstrable. • Read the full NIHR remit for personal awards here. • www. nihr. ac. uk/fellowships

Doctoral Fellowship • Fellowship to fund a Ph. D. • Majority of funding awarded in response mode with minor proportion to NIHR Strategic Themes. • Open to clinical and non-clinical applicants. • Funding and support: • 3 years (100% WTE; 50 - 100% WTE options are also available) • Funding for salary, research costs, and training and development. • Each year you can apply in either Round 1 or Round 2. • Applications open April & October.

Advanced Fellowship • Post-doctoral Fellowship to support: • Early post-doc career following award of Ph. D • Establishment of independence • Transition or return from a career break. • Majority of funding awarded in response mode with minor proportion to NIHR Strategic Themes. • Open to clinical and non-clinical applicants.

Advanced Fellowship • Funding and support: • 2 -5 years (100% WTE; 50 -100% WTE options are also available) • Funding for salary, research costs, and training and development • Can apply for 2 sequential Advanced Fellowships up to a total of 8 years. • Each year you can apply in either Round 1 or Round 2. • Applications open April & October.

Partnership Fellowships • Launched in October 2018 & proud to be partnering with 11 leading medical research charities to offer jointly funded (50: 50) NIHR-Charity Partnership Fellowships; drawing on the enormous benefits & opportunities of cross-sector working. • The Fellowships will provide greater research exposure through a variety of media and communication channels. • The Guidance Notes contain further details regarding the specific eligibility criteria for each charity partner, the level of award available and the contact details for the relevant charity.

Development and Skills Enhancement Award • For NIHR Academy Members to gain specific skills and experience. • Mix of response mode awards and applications in NIHR Strategic Themes. • Includes support for career continuity for those who haven’t been able to source funding from elsewhere. • Funding and support: • 1 year maximum (50 -100% WTE) • Funding for salary, supervision, and training and development • Expectation of matched funding from host. • Applications open every 4 months from May 2019

NIHR Integrated Academic Training

Integrated Academic Training • Each year the NIHR awards funding for 250 Academic Clinical Fellowships (ACFs) and 100 Clinical Lectureships (CLs) to Integrated Academic Training (IAT) partnerships in England comprising: • Medical schools • NHS Trusts / NHS organisations • HEE local offices (“deaneries”). • The IAT partnerships manage the recruitment, clinical and academic training, and support for IAT awardees.

Integrated Academic Training • NIHR ACFs and CLs are available in two flavours: • “Formula” 60% of the total • “Competition” 40% of the total • Formula ACFs and CLs (Response Mode) • The research is selected by the IAT partnership. • Competition ACFs and CLs (Strategic Themes) • The research must specifically support a NIHR Priority Research Theme.

Integrated Academic Training • NIHR Priority Research Themes • Platform Science and Bioinformatics • Therapeutics or Clinical Pharmacology • Complex Health Needs in Age-Related and Chronic Disease • Dementia • Medical Education • Acute Care • Mental Health.

Integrated Academic Training Academic Clinical Fellowships (ACFs) & Clinical Lectureships (CLs) • Institutional awards, awarded to medical school partnerships. • ACF recruitment is led by HEE. Candidates apply using Oriel. • CL candidates (usually) apply to medical schools (or Oriel e. g. London). • CL opportunities may be advertised on jobs. ac. uk, or HEI websites. In-Practice Fellowship (IPF) • The IPF is a pre-doctoral, personal training award for GPs and to support a Ph. D application. • IPF candidates apply directly to NIHR using ARAMIS, as with NIHR Fellowships.

Integrated Academic Training

Academic Clinical Fellowships www. nihr. ac. uk/IAT • Integrated academic and clinical training for medics and dentists. • For entrants to specialty training: ST 1–ST 3. • ST 4 entry permitted for paediatrics, psychiatry, or emergency medicine. • 25% protected time for academic research. • Support for Ph. D application, or post-doctoral application (for ACFs with a Ph. D/MD). • Up to 3 years funding (4 for GPs) of salary & on costs. • £ 1000 per annum bursary for conference attendance etc. • Structured Research Training Programme (RTP) providing Masters-level training in e. g. research methods, bioinformatics, etc. • No research is funded with the ACF. • ACFs are advertised annually in October. www. nihr. ac. uk/2020 medical. ACF

Clinical Lectureships www. nihr. ac. uk/IAT • Integrated academic and clinical training for medics and dentists. • Post-doctoral award. • 50% academic and 50% clinical. • ST 3 and above entry. • 4 years funding of salary & on costs (or until you reach CCT). • Possibility for an extension beyond CCT (www. nihr. ac. uk/CLextensions). • £ 1000 per annum bursary for conference attendance etc. • No research is funded with the CL. • CLs are advertised annually from March.

In-Practice Fellowship www. nihr. ac. uk/IAT • Pre-doctoral award open to fully-qualified General Practitioners, General Dental Practitioners and Community Dentists. • 50% clinical, 50% academic for 2 years (100% WTE). • Funding: 50% salary (for academic time), plus £ 4, 500 for training and development and £ 1, 000 for conference attendance. • IPFs aim to complete a Masters degree and prepare an application for a Ph. D. • Applications via ARAMIS (https: //aramis. nihr. ac. uk). • Launch annually in February.

Summary • The NIHR Academy offers a broad range of awards available at different career levels to suit different working arrangements, types of professional backgrounds, and career paths. • NIHR Integrated Pathways (clinicians) and NIHR Fellowships (all professions) allow you to undertake clinical and academic training during your career, from pre-doctoral level up to a professorial chair.

IAT Programme (ACFs & CLs) www. nihr. ac. uk/IAT Guide (the NIHR companion to the Gold Guide) www. nihr. ac. uk/IATguide Useful Resources IAT Training Leads www. nihr. ac. uk/IATleads Fellowships Programme www. nihr. ac. uk/fellowships Research Design Service https: //www. nihr. ac. uk/explore-nihr/support/research-design-service. htm James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnerships http: //www. jla. nihr. ac. uk/ AMS Starter Grants for CLs https: //acmedsci. ac. uk/grants-and-schemes/grant-schemes/starter-grants

Thank you NIHR Academy, 21 Queen Street, Leeds, LS 1 2 TW @NIHRCommunity www. nihr. ac. uk