Research Internship Scheme

The Internship Scheme provides dedicated funding for, nurses, midwives and allied healthcare professionals (NMAHPs) who are new to research, an opportunity to work alongside experienced research teams.

Our third Research Internship Scheme is now open to applications

The CRN East of England Research Internship Scheme is now open to applications. The Scheme aims to build capacity and capability to deliver research across the region by increasing access to research opportunities, and is aimed at Nurses, Midwives, Allied Healthcare Professionals (NMAHPs) and non-medic healthcare professionals who are not working in research as part of their current role.

“New to Research” NMAHP staff will be able to apply for an internship (funding for up to 0.2 WTE for 3 months) to work alongside an experienced research team in supporting the delivery of an NIHR portfolio studies.

The Scheme differs from the national Associate Principal Investigator (PI) scheme in that it is shorter (3 months’ duration rather than 6 months), backfill for your time will be paid by CRN East of England to your employer organisation, and the Scheme is aimed at staff who would like to gain research knowledge and how they can support this in their clinical role.

Applications close on 19 April 2024 and the Internships will start on 1 May 2024 and finish on 31 July 2024.

Learning Objectives for the Internship Scheme

At the end of the Internship NMAHPs new to research will be able to:

Understand why we do research from a range of perspectives (patient, NHS, DoHSC and their professional body)
Explain the regulations and frameworks applicable in clinical research
Demonstrate your understanding of the various roles in research and how clinical staff can support research delivery
Describe the process of research in relation to study set up, delivery and close out procedures
Recognise the added protection research participants require during the course of a study.

Essential criteria

In order to receive a certificate of completion all Interns must complete the following:

NIHR Introduction to Good Clinical Practice elearning (3 hours)
Research Practice in Clinical Settings elearning
NIHR Pre-Registration Nursing & Midwifery Research Delivery Awareness Programme elearning
Informed Consent with Different Communities elearning
Attend a virtual meeting (pre- internship) to discuss the expectations and a (mid Internship) virtual meeting to discuss progress
Create an action plan on how they will embed research in their departments and submit this to crneoe.training@nihr.ac.uk at the end of the internship
Complete all the tasks (as appropriate) within the workbook during the 3 months of the scheme, providing a signed copy to crneoe.training@nihr.ac.uk
Write a reflective account of their experience of completing this Internship and how it has impacted on their professional development
Attend a face to face celebration event
Take part in the evaluation and impact of the Internship scheme.

Line Management, Mentoring and Support

Line management

Line management will remain with the intern’s usual line manager. However, for the research days, the interns will report to a nominated member of the research team, who will liaise with the intern’s line manager for any HR related issues.

Support and Mentorship

Support from the research team is vital to enable the NMAHPs to gain the most from this internship. A framework for the mentor/mentee relationship will be provided to support the conversations between mentee and mentor.

The Application Process

Formal applications must be submitted via this Google Form
Line managers will be required to confirm their support of the application via email and by completing the Agreement
Applications submitted after the application deadline will not be accepted.

Assessment of applications

Applications will be assessed by a panel made up of Employing Organisation, CRN RDM and the Workforce Lead
Applications will be assessed against set criteria:

Research is not part of their current role
They are not planning to leave their current role within the next 6 months
Their statement of support includes clear and valid reasons for applying for the internship, (including but not limited to their understanding of the need for patients to be offered opportunities to take part in research)
They agree to the learning outcomes and completion of the activities
The ability of the organisation to support the intern through the scheme

All decisions made by the panel with be final.

Meetings for Clinical Line Managers to find out more about the Scheme

Register now for one of the open Teams meeting for Clinical Line Managers to find out more about the Research Internship Scheme.

The meeting will cover the following topics:

What is the Research Internship Scheme?
What is the Line Manager role?
Why should their department get involved?

The meetings will take place on:

Thursday 21 March | 3:30pm - 4pm

Thursday 11 April | 3:30pm - 4pm

Please complete this form to book your place.

Further Information

For further information, including Roles and Responsibilities, please read the Research Internship Guidance Document.