The NIHR provide funding for ACFs and CLs relevant to their particular academic needs as well as courses in the more generic research methods such as:

  • statistics
  • clinical trial design
  • epidemiology
  • ethical aspects of clinical research
  • project design, planning, costing and management
  • research governance and the regulatory framework for research
  • good Clinical Practice (GCP)
  • patient and public involvement in research
  • refereeing of papers and grant applications
  • diversity and equal opportunities in research, and cultural competence
  • time management and personal effectiveness
  • leadership: practitioner, partner and leader roles
  • genomics
  • bioinformatics

These are the areas stipulated by NIHR as being necessary to offer in order that we receive the funding for this training. This does not mean you have to do all of them – and for some people they will be more or less relevant especially if you are on the experimental/laboratory side of the fence.

You need to arrange a session with your academic supervisor to look at your training needs, to see what you have done already and what you might need/like to do before the end of your ACF/CL post. To help you with this activity please find attached a Learning Needs Analysis that has successfully been used with academic trainees in other medical schools.