1. NIHR Trainees Co-ordinating Centre
Training and Career Development The NIHR Fellowship scheme Imperial College 10th October 2016
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. 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. Medical Clinical Academic Career
CCT
Clinical Academics
NIHR & others PhD Fellowships
NIHR & others
Clinician Scientist
Clinicians with Research PAs
NIHR ACF
NIHR CL
Clinicians
Other CL

8. NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowships
Academic and clinical training
For entrants to specialty training
25% academic research
Support in making application for training fellowship leading to higher degree
Up to 3 years (4 for GPs)
£1000 bursaries
Structured Research Training Programme (RTP)

9. NIHR ACF Posts - Eligibility
All NIHR ACF posts are in a GMC recognised specialty
allocated to a LETB/HEI/NHS Trust partnership
NIHR ACF post may be advertised at different entry levels:
ST1, 2, 3, and/or 4 (for Psychiatry, Paediatrics and Emergency Medicine)
Open to all
Medically and dentally qualified individuals who can meet the entry requirements into specialty training at a particular level
Applicants may also hold a higher degree
All NIHR ACF posts are considered as run through into the associated specialty

10. NIHR ACF Posts - Advertisements
~250 NIHR ACFs are advertised annually
(Rough timetable: Application window October, start dates in August the following year)
National Advertisements:
Oriel Website (
British Medical Journal
Medical Careers website (
NIHR website (
Local Advertisements:
Individual LETB websites

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

12. Integrated Academic Training for Doctors and Dentists
Clinician Scientist Award
Postdoctoral award, 5 years duration (open to 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)

13. After ACF- What next?

17. 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 – specific criteria
Clearly demonstrate the potential to have an impact on the needs of patients and the public within 5 years of its completion
The NIHR is also prepared to support high quality research into 'medical education' (defined broadly as education for healthcare providers). Whilst this area of research need not fulfil the criterion of having 'potential for benefiting patients and the public within 5 years of its completion', it is expected that the research will have the potential to have practical application
By medical education we broadly mean education for all healthcare providers, in training or qualified and therefore as CPD.
NIHR have always supported research into medical education but change now is that it is de-coupled from ‘must show patient benefit within 5 years’ criteria that other applications must demonstrate

18. NIHR Fellowships Programme
Funding covers:
Salary
Tuition fees (for PhD at Doctoral level)
Research costs
Full 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 2016

19. NIHR Career Development Fellowship Post-Doctoral Fellowship
NIHR Fellowships
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 19

20. NIHR Fellowships Doctoral Research Fellowship (NIHR DRF)
Doctoral training award
3 years FT (4 or 5 years PT)
Some previous research experience
Some outputs from research
Evidence of commitment to research career
“It is very much a training programme, allowing me to develop my professional and personal skills while conducting my own research”
Rhiannon Owen 20

21. Assessment Criteria Person Project (programme of research)
Training and Development
Place (host environment, supervisor, mentor)

22. Assessment Criteria Person Trajectory Career outputs
Project (programme of research)
Scientific quality
Appropriate scale and scope
Relevance of the question (literature review)
Scientific quality, methodological rigour
Appropriate scale and scope and impact
Impact of findings
Fit with remit
Involvement of patients and the public

23. Assessment Criteria Training and Development
Meets needs of candidate and project
Specialist skills and personal and professional development.
Unique/bespoke
Coherent with research proposed
Place (host environment, supervisor, mentor)
REF/RAE rating
Track record in relevant field
Time and commitment

24. The Application Preparation Consider all options (Website)
Know the process and the Remit
Discuss with the office
Develop the proposal well ahead of submission
Talk to the NIHR Research Design Service
Don’t add PPI as an afterthought (Involve)
Read the guidance
Contact the NIHR TCC with any queries
Take Advice from:
Supervisor
Collaborators
Mentor
Methodologist (s)
Finance Lead
*Please ensure you submit a good quality plain English summary*
Make it Clear campaign

25. The Interview Practice Mock interviews are usually the worst
Presentation
Not too many slides
Do not go over time
Behaviour
It is OK to be nervous
Confident but not over confident
Don’t get defensive
Admit what you don’t know and be happy to take advice
Relax and be yourself

26. The Interview The project Know it inside and out
Has anything altered since submission?
Know the methods and identify the expertise
Think through alternatives
Training and Development
Identify your training needs
How will the training support your project and future career intentions?
The future you
Be clear where you want to be
What does this fellowship mean to your career?

27. 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.

28. NIHR Fellowships Doctoral Research Post Doctoral Career Development
Senior Research
Transitional Research
Total
Round 3
(Awarded 2010)
158 32 59 7 35 4 10 1 -
262 44
Round 4
(Awarded 2011)
155 28 82 16 58 11 19 2
314 57
Round 5 (Awarded 2012)
217 34
105 41 6
382
Round 6
(Awarded 2013)
185 30 86 15 5 3
337 54
Round 7
(Awarded 2014) 99 55 18
367
Round 8
(Awarded 2015)
162 33 96 61 8
335

29. NIHR Fellowships – application numbers

30. NIHR Fellowships – success rates

31. Researchfish is an online tool for collecting research activity data during the period of an award, and for up to five years after your award finishes.
Researchers can log onto Researchfish at any time after NIHR invitation and add details of new activities.
The data will remain in Researchfish, so you will not have to enter this information again, only update it in the future.
It is used by over 100 research organisations and funders, which makes it possible for researchers to provide information to multiple funders in one place.
We hosted a live webinar 'Completing your Researchfish submissions for the NIHR' on Monday 14 March at 2pm. To register please visit
The NIHR has a responsibility to demonstrate the value and impact of the research it funds.
Researchfish is an online tool for collecting research activity data during the period of an award, and for up to five years after your award finishes.
Trainees can log onto Researchfish at any time (after NIHR invitation) and add details of new activities.
Sections in Researchfish include: Publications, Collaborations and Partnerships, Intellectual Property and Licensing and Influence on Policy for you to tell us about all your research activities
The data will remain in Researchfish, so you will not have to enter this information again, but only update it in the future.
It is used by over 100 research organisations and funders, which makes it possible for researchers to provide information to multiple funders in one place.
Once a year, the NIHR opens an official submission period when we ask that you review all your output information in Researchfish, allocate it to the appropriate awards, and confirm that this has been done by hitting a ‘submit’ button (which only appears during the submission window). Following feedback from the research community that it would be more convenient to align with other funders such as the research councils and other medical research charities, we are moving our annual Researchfish submission period (historically November/December).
The NIHR Researchfish submission period is now open 15 February – 23 March 2016.
*For 2016 ICA Masters students will not be expected to complete Researchfish, but will be invited to the system over the coming year.
*Note: New for there are 2 additional questions, which are a mandatory part of the submission, that are asked about Patient and Public Involvement.
FAQs:
If anyone has any queries about their requirement to complete their Researchfish portfolio, they can contact NIHR on or see the NIHR website.

32. Success rates for ACFs 2014 Round 2015 Round
Trainees applying for NIHR DRF
Medical/Dental
without ACF/IPF
ACF/IPF
Success Rate
13%
40%
2015 Round
Trainees applying for NIHR DRF
Medical/Dental
without ACF/IPF
ACF/IPF
Success Rate
16%
28%

33. NIHR Trainees Coordinating Centre Tel: 0113 346 6260
Check out our twitter