This Academy is led by Professor Cilla Harries, deputy theme lead, research capacity building theme.

Elements of the course will include:

  1. Research leader’s journeys: successful research leaders will give talks about their journey and career decisions and will host Q&A.
  2. Skills training: opportunities to learn how to: cost grant applications, manage research finance, project management, rules about applying for specific funding streams.
  3. Leadership qualities development: learn how to build effective collaborations, develop credibility and ensure ethical leadership.
  4. Research in the NHS: navigating the challenges, facilitators and systems
  5. Driving research quality: the Research Excellence Framework (REF)
  6. How to engage diverse and minoritised groups of people in research
  7. Your research: route to impact and developing a theory of change
  8. Individual mentorship/coaching session – 1 hour (including guidance on how to organise the session with the mentor/ mentee yourself).

Key information:

Applications to the Academy are now open.  We particularly encourage applications from people from diverse backgrounds. 

Briefing events will be held in October to provide further information and answer questions.

Please obtain your line manager's approval for your application. A panel will assess applications in November and those that are approved will be notified before the end of the autumn term.

How the programme will be delivered

The programme will be delivered online and will start on 15 January 2025 concluding with an in-person celebration event on 25 June.   The sessions will take place each Wednesday between 1pm – 2pm (excluding half term breaks and Easter). All events will be recorded and shared with the participants. There will be a minimal engagement expectation of 20 hours over the full programme (30 hours). Participants will be asked to complete an evaluation in June 2025.

Public members

We offer this course as a free resource and those who feel they can benefit are very welcome to join. There are no entry requirements for members of the public who attend. We welcome people who have ambitions to become research leaders. Please note - this is not a course in how to do research and there is no expectation for public participants to offer advice on how to manage PPI. Unfortunately, we are unable to fund any costs for PPI participants (e.g to attend the academy or to cover carers’ costs, or travel costs). 

For information or enquiries

Contact, NIHR ARC South London, Capacity building theme email: arcshortcourses@kcl.ac.uk