The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHCR) has issued £33.2m in funding to support research training and engagement programmes for students and early-career professionals.
Funding, which forms part of the INSIGHT: Inspiring Student into Research scheme, was distributed to universities across 12 regions in England.
It will support the delivery of engagement programs over three years, with the aim of attracting people to research-based careers. Additionally, it will provide fully-funded research Master's places to train those new to research roles.
The INSIGHT programme aims to give students access to the full range of research careers, covering everything from research delivery to academic.
Investing in the next generation
Professor Waljit Dhillo, dean of NIHR Academy, spoke of the importance of investing in radiographers at an early stage in their career.
“We know how important early exposure to research is for helping students and early career professionals develop the knowledge and skills needed to join the research workforce and build successful research careers in the future,” he said.
“The INSIGHT programme will offer over 300 funded research masters places per year and provide engagement activities that have the potential to excite and capture the imagination of students at an early stage in their career.”
“I’m delighted that we can invest in our next generation of researchers in this way, and show students all of the benefits that research roles and careers have to offer.”
The regional programmes are open to students and recent graduates from professions without much exposure to research during their professional training.
It is open to students and recent graduates from registered healthcare professions (not including doctors and dentists), social work professions and public health professions.
Find out more about the NIHR scheme here.
CoR-funded research opportunities
The SoR offers it's own research initiatives for students through the College of Radiographers, its charity subsidiary.
The College of Radiographers Industry Partnership Scheme Research Grant(CoRIPS) provides financial support and funding for radiographers that wish to begin, or progress, their research.
CoRIPS is currently advertising several research grants and awards aimed at both early-stage researchers and established professionals.
The College of Radiographers also published a 2021-2026 research strategy, which explains how it will support radiographers in delivering research-based practice across five years. It has three key aims:
- Promoting a focus on research at all levels of radiography education and practice
- Improving the impact and profile of radiography by delivering high-quality research
- Expanding the capacity of UK radiography research
Click the link here to find out more.