Mentoring
Mentoring is a one–to–one learning activity which can quickly help you to develop your professional knowledge and skills. It draws on the support of someone who has experience in their role.
Who can be a mentor?
Anyone can be a mentor. If you are working in a research related role – even if you have only been in the role a short time – it is likely you have picked up knowledge and skills that will be of value to someone. You do not need special training or formal development to be a mentor. All you need is some time and the desire to help others.
When do I need a mentor?
A mentor can help you focus on your professional development. They can share their experiences and provide you with feedback, so you know what to improve on.
When you apply for some of the CRN East of England training courses you will need a mentor to support you through your learning.
Mentoring good practice and supporting documents
For mentoring to be successful, an effective relationship is needed between the mentor and mentee, there is no single best model or approach. Every mentoring relationship is unique and is based on the needs of the mentees.
You may find the following documents useful:
Available Mentoring Schemes
NIHR Mentoring Programme
The NIHR Academy has launched a new mentoring programme for postdoctoral Academy Members. The aim of the programme is to support the academic and career development of our postdoctoral communities. For more information, please read the description on the NIHR Academy Website.
Mentoring in Social Care Research
A mentoring scheme for those in social care research is also available. More information about this scheme can be found on the Wider Care and Community page of the CRN East of England Hub Home.
Mentoring in Commercial Research
Are you interested in becoming involved in commercial research in the East of England region? We are offering the opportunity for mentorship with a healthcare professional who has experience of commercial research. This is initially a pilot scheme.
The offer is open to all groups of staff (including R&D, and research delivery staff) who want to develop skills to become actively involved in, lead or co-lead commercial research.
Complete this form to apply or contact our team for more information at crneoe.training@nihr.ac.uk.
Could you be a COMMEND Mentor?
We are inviting you to apply to join the COMmercial MENtoring Directory (COMMEND) as a mentor. This pilot project aims to develop a Directory of Research Mentors with at least one year's commercial research experience to support the development of those with limited or no commercial research experience.
Complete this form to apply or contact our team for more information at crneoe.training@nihr.ac.uk.