Developing Your Research Career

GCP is the agreed international standard for conducting clinical research. GCP guidelines are issued by the International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH) and are widely adopted by regulatory authorities worldwide including the UK.

Good Clinical Practice Training is required for researchers conducting Clinical Trials of Investigational Medicinal Products (CTIMPs). It ensures that the rights, safety, and wellbeing of trial participants are protected, and that the data generated is credible and reliable. R&I offer this training in person which can be booked trough NIHR Learn.

The Associate PI Scheme is a six month in-work training opportunity, providing practical experience for health and care professionals starting their research career.

People who would not normally have the opportunity to take part in clinical research in their day-to-day role have the chance to experience what it means to work on and deliver an NIHR portfolio trial under the mentorship of an enthusiastic Local Principal Investigator (PI). A Principal Investigator is an individual responsible for the conduct of a research study at a site.

Associate Principal Investigators receive formal recognition of engagement in NIHR Portfolio research studies through the certification of Associate PI status, endorsed by the NIHR and Royal Colleges.

The INSIGHT Programme is led by participating institutions across 12 regions in England. These opportunities showcase the range of research careers available and can help equip you with the skills and training to undertake research. This includes careers combining research and practice.

The INSIGHT Programme is for students and professionals at an early stage of their practitioner career. If you are at a more advanced stage of your registered profession, and are looking to start your career in research, the NIHR offers a number of other predoctoral funding opportunities.

The Clinician Researcher Credentials Framework provides Masters level qualifications for experienced healthcare practitioners from all professional backgrounds who want to take on leadership roles in clinical research delivery.

The NIHR Academy Predoctoral Award funds a programme of training and development designed to advance your health and social care research career at masters level.

If you are a clinical or practitioner applicant, you should also use a Predoctoral Award to support the development of a PhD application. If you are an aspiring methodologist, you can use this award to help develop a methodology career in roles relevant to health and social care research, which may include development of a PhD application.

R&I frequently partner with our local universities to offer fee waivered PhDs in all clinical research areas. These usually come with a stipend to support you throughout your studies.

We also support applications to the NIHR doctoral fellowships through supporting you to build your academic team, conduct patient public involvement and engagement to help guide your research design. Academic studies are usually sponsored by the awarding organisations except in rare cases. If you are interested in pursing a PhD please contract R&I for support. 

The NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowship (ACF) is a clinical specialty training post in medicine or dentistry that incorporates academic training.

The post has a standard duration of 3 years (up to 4 years for GPs). As an ACF you will have access to Masters-level research training to develop academic skills and spend 25% of your time in research or educationalist training. In 2025 138 ACFs have programmes of research aligned with NIHR IAT Priority Research Themes. The research areas for the remaining ACF posts will be based on local expertise and the applicant's individual interests.