Gain Hands-On Research Experience with an NIHR ARC OxTV Internship
Are you a public health, health or social care professional in the Oxford and Thames Valley region, interested in or looking to kickstart a research-focused career or enhance your existing skills?
Then an NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Oxford and Thames Valley (ARC OxTV) internship might be for you.
These awards offer a unique opportunity to gain real-world research experience within an established team of leading health and care researchers. Successful applicants will receive up to £20,000 to support their research journey, with the potential to develop into independent researchers in the future. Whether you're a beginner looking to explore the research process or a PhD graduate seeking to expand your skills, this internship has something for everyone.
What past interns have said:
"Reach out to your local ARC team. They have offered me lots of support. The world of research was completely new to me, and at times I have felt imposter syndrome seep in, but always less so once I asked for help." – Emily Smout, Social Worker
"I was able to include payment for my time and my academic supervisors, as well as funding for further academic training and to support patient involvement in my project." – Stephanie Taylor, Specialist Physiotherapist
About the Internship Awards
These awards are offered in partnership with Health Education England (HEE) and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), as part of their Integrated Clinical Academic (ICA) internship awards for non-medical healthcare, public health, and social care professionals.
These internships aim to develop the research skills of health and social care professionals and researchers in Oxford and Thames valley area by:
- Supporting growth in applied health and care research
- Supporting career development across professions and disciplines
- Promoting equity of access to training
- Supporting the development of the next generation of applied health and care researchers.
Health Education England (HEE) and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) have established an Integrated Clinical Academic (ICA) programme for non-medical healthcare and social care professionals. These internships will be run in the Oxford and Thames Valley region by the Oxford and Thames Valley ARC.
The internship award programme supports research capacity building in applied health and care research in the region. These awards are intended to introduce people working within health or care organisations to research with the aim of supporting them to become leading independent researchers in the future.
Internship awards fund up to a maximum of £20,000 to support individuals looking for an opportunity to experience the research process within an established team of leading health researchers - or to develop their research skills following completion of a PhD. Small awards would be considered for shorter training opportunities such as research or masters courses.
These awards are open to health and social care staff employed on a full or part-time basis, if all costs remain within the maximum funding envelope. Proposals should align with Oxford and Thames Valley ARC themes:
- Changing Behaviours for Better Health and Preventing Disease
- Helping Patients to Manage Their Own Conditions
- Mental Health across the Life Course
- Improving Health and Social Care
- Applied Digital Health
- Novel Methods to Aid and Evaluate Implementation
The ARC-OxTV undertakes applied research. Research projects are likely to involve work with patients or patient data, completing clinical studies, qualitative research or systematic reviews.
https://www.arc-oxtv.nihr.ac.uk/our_work
Eligibility:
The awards are open to any professional working in the health or social care sector in Oxford and the Thames Valley region. To be eligible for one of these awards you will need to provide evidence that you have the following:
- Current registration to practice in the UK with the appropriate regulatory bodies https://www.nihr.ac.uk/documents/heenihr-ica-programme-eligible-professions-and-regulators/12204
- Hold a substantive full or part-time contract with a health or social care organisation
- At least one year’s post-registration practice experience
- Support from your line manager to undertake the internship
- A keen interest in a research focused career
- Mentorship from a named research supervisor (identified by you*)
- The opportunity to develop links with an existing research theme (identified by you – see list above)
- Ability to start the programme from October 2024, and complete it on time (within 6-12 months).
Please note: Individuals already in receipt of a research grant/fellowship from elsewhere are not eligible for this award.
How can the funding be used?
Successful applicants can use the award to cover costs including salary backfill, incidental costs, research and clinical supervision, and training costs. Suggestions on how the budget can be spent are presented below;
- Salary backfill - It is recognised that this may form the main budget expenditure. The most appropriate backfill arrangements should be decided by you and your team/line manager.
- Training – It is essential to have supervision throughout the award. Ideally, this support should be from a partner organisation within the Oxford and Thames Valley ARC.
*If you’re struggling to identify potential supervisors please contact us and we can try and support this.
Some training would be expected, though would not normally exceed 50% of the total budget. A training plan should be submitted with your application.
If you would like advice or support with your application, or directing to appropriate members of the ARC OxTV contact Katherine.tucker@phc.ox.ac.uk
Application process:
Please submit an application and completed checklist (see below) and all corresponding documentation to: arc_oxtv@phc.ox.ac.uk by 5pm on Friday 7th June 2024.
Key dates: Closing date for applications: | Friday 7th June 2024 (5pm) |
Interviews: Online | Thursday / Friday 20th & 21st June 2024 |
Award period: | Usually, September 2024 onwards. |
Enhance Your Career with an NIHR ARC OxTV Internship
Emily's Internship Experience: Social Work and Research
Emily Smout, a manager at a local authority within the early help sector, embarked on an internship at the NIHR Oxford and Thames Valley Applied Research Collaboration (ARC). Her curiosity about the impact of adversity on child development led her to investigate and explore improved care strategies for this vulnerable group.
"My social care experience helped me identify a research question which aims to improve care services," Emily explains. My research examines how different services identify children who have experienced adversity, focusing on how systems could work more cooperatively to support them earlier in life."
Emily's experience demonstrates the value of incorporating research into your career, and how it can lead to meaningful improvements in the care sector. To learn more, check out the NIHR Your Path in Research campaign.
Stephanie's Internship: A Physiotherapist's Journey in Research
Stephanie Taylor, a dedicated specialist physiotherapist at the Oxford Haemophilia and Thrombosis Centre, used her ARC OxTV Internship to translate her frontline experiences into potentially life-changing research.
"Finding time to undertake research is difficult when working in a clinical role," Stephanie says. "My ARC internship provided me with the time and funding to pursue an idea aimed at improving patient care."
Stephanie's internship enabled her to co-design an exercise intervention with patients and specialist physiotherapists, access essential training, and meet with experts in various research fields.