Study in UK: Universities in East Midlands receive funding to inspire students to research

University of Nottingham will lead the research training program including other Universities in East Midlands which have received the funding.

University of Nottingham's experts will lead a research training program for attracting professionals working in social care, health and public health into research careers. The National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) has provided £2.59 million of funding for this research training program.

Dr Claire Diver from the School of Health Sciences at the University of Nottingham led the bid for funding with Professor Emma Wilson from the School of Medicine at Nottingham, and Dr Sally Ruane from the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences at De Montfort University, Leicester.

"I am delighted to be leading the strategic and operational delivery of NIHR INSIGHT in The East Midlands. This is a collaborative bid developed with regional partners and collaborators in education, health, social care and local authorities. This provides an exciting opportunity to inspire our new and recent graduates that work in these professions, to provide the skills to embed research in all aspects of their careers and ultimately improve health and care outcomes for populations in the East Midlands," said Dr Claire Diver, Associate Professor in Physiotherapy, NIHR East Midlands Programme Lead.

Dr Sally Ruane, Reader in Social Policy at De Montfort University, said, “We are delighted to be working with colleagues at the University of Nottingham and other partners in a scheme which provides such important opportunities to early career professionals. We want to adopt an inclusive approach which succeeds in recruiting students from a diverse range of professional groups.”

Aim of the research program

The program has two main objectives-

• To show the recently graduated about the various opportunities ahead of them to use research in their jobs, and also to encourage them to think about jobs that involve research. The team will work in partnership with collaborators and regional partners to offer a range of opportunities in research-active environments.
• To train students in research so that they get the knowledge and skills to understand and do research. It will be provided through fully funded master’s training.

Dr Louise Bramley, Assistant Director of Nursing for Research, Innovation and Transformation at NUH, said, “Health and care students and early career staff are the future of our research, so at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, we are delighted to be partnering with the University of Nottingham and De Montfort University to be providing fresh opportunities to attract people into research careers, and to be able to provide masters level training for those who are new to and passionate about research."

Professor Waljit Dhillo, Dean of the NIHR Academy, said, “We know how important early exposure to research is for building capacity within health and social care. 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’ll be able to show students all the benefits that research roles and careers have, both for professionals and within health and care.”

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