In a recent position statement released by the GMC on Normalising research – Promoting research for all doctors – further credence has been given to the importance of embedding research within doctors roles. 

Aligned to the GMC’s collaborative principles, the NIHR Associate Principal Investigator Scheme gives participants the opportunity to experience research under the mentorship of a local enthusiastic principal investigator. 

The scheme provides hands-on experience providing participants with a development opportunity that addresses many of the GMC’s generic professional capabilities through a research lens. 

As such, the scheme offers doctors the opportunity to use their experience to demonstrate GPCs for training. It also will support doctors to demonstrate many of the expectations in Good Medical practice for appraisal purposes. 

While completion is not mandatory, the NIHR Associate PI Scheme is an inclusive development opportunity available to all doctors and assists in the realisation of creating a research aware workforce and further embedding a culture of research.