East Midlands Health & Care Professionals Research Scholarship Programme

13 may 2024

What is the programme?

A CRN East Midlands key strategic aim is to increase Chief Investigator (CI) capacity across the region.

To achieve this, following the success of our pilot Health and Care Research Scholars Programme, we are pleased to launch a 2nd cohort, to ensure our future research leaders (CI’s) are provided with the protected time and support needed to Lead NIHR portfolio health and care research. The scholarship will aim to support the initiative to increase the number of professionals in all settings across Public Health, Social Care, and Health Care (including those professions that currently do not require professional body registration) that have not been strongly supported in the past, in order to maximise access to research across the East Midlands.

The support aims to help them develop as highly skilled researchers and research leaders, to strengthen leadership and visibility.

How does it work?

The CRN will be supporting scholars at a level of up to 1 day a week (0.2 WTE/2 PA's) until 31st March 2025.

Research Scholar applicants may be research active individuals who wish to become CIs in the future, who may be at an early stage of their research career (although not necessarily at the early part of their career). Or more advanced in their research career, those who are establishing or have already established themselves as senior researchers (CIs), giving them protected time to develop new grant applications.

What are the benefits?

The infographic below has been produced from our evaluation of the pilot programme.

Our scholars completed a feedback survey which enabled us to understand the main benefits of the programme and shows our scholars successes and achievements

Health and Care Scholarship Programme 2023/24

Who can do it?

The Scholars Programme is open to applications from any Health and Care professional, including Clinical Research Practitioners who may be at differing points in their careers.

The NIHR is committed to actively and openly supporting and promoting equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI). Applications would be particularly welcomed from Public Health and Social Care and we particularly welcome applications from any under-represented groups and those with protected characteristics.

The Programme supports the development of the research workforce within partner organisations enabling growth of their portfolio of health care, public health and social care research.