This month, NIHR Biomedical Research Centre: Maudsley PhD students attended the 17th NIHR Doctoral Research Training Camp. The three-day annual event provides guidance and practical experience to learn how to put together a successful application for funding.
Rina Dutta, Professor in Psychiatry and Academic Capacity Development, at King’s IoPPN and Academic Career Development Lead at the BRC, attended as an Academic Mentor.
I’m proud of our six outstanding PhD students, Maria‑Mihaela, Sajini, Matt, Kaili, Nare and Tom, who took part in this experiential learning event. Our BRC had the highest level of participation, with six of the 80 delegates coming from our infrastructure. This strong participation was noted and received very positively, not only because of the numbers, but because each student took up their place with such genuine enthusiasm, curiosity, and commitment. They represented the BRC, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, and King’s College London brilliantly, and exemplified the kind of engaged, future‑facing leadership in team science that we are striving to build.
Professor Rina Dutta
Our NIHR BRC: Maudsley PhD students outline their experiences
Maria-Mihaela Avram
“The NIHR Doctoral Training Camp was an experience that I have never encountered before. Within the span of less than a day, I was put in a situation to collaborate with a group of people I had never met on a project on a topic that I was not familiar with. We worked on writing up a fictional grant application, with all the relevant sections such as background, aims, methodology, PPIE, finances, etc. To top it all off, we prepared a presentation to explain all of this to a panel and the public, and answered all the relevant questions from the panel, to motivate why this project is important and why we chose the methods we described.
I found it exciting to be part of a team and work towards a shared goal, with simulated real-life experiences, such as the unexpected absence of a team member, and the rush to finish everything before a hard deadline. It was great that I learned to rely on my team-mates to work on their own sections, while I was entrusted with working on my part.
This training taught me that one can learn a completely new topic in a very short amount of time, it also taught me prioritisation, task management, teamwork, occasional improvisation, using my PhD transferrable skills and cutting the losses when under the pressure of a deadline. I feel more equipped with skills that are essential to funding applications and the resilience needed to carry this process to its finish line.”
Matthew Burrows
“Within just 24 hours of meeting my teammates, we successfully submitted our application for funding and were preparing to defend it live in front of a panel of funders. We had been tasked with creating a research question and developing this into a completed grant application ensuring PPIE requirements and budget requirements had been met. On a topic unfamiliar to the team. In 24 hours. Intense is an understatement.
Once the initial daunting feeling and slight panic subsided, it turned out that this was actually fun. Collaborating with a diverse team outside my usual field of research gave me a fresh perspective on health research and an understanding of how to get from research question to real-world impact. Working on the various requirements for funding was enlightening and really highlighted how transferrable the skills developed during my PhD are. The teamwork, collaboration, and hard work required to pull this off left our entire group feeling confident, proud, and inspired for the future applications that we’ll be making.
Thank you to the NIHR BRC: Maudsley and Professor Rina Dutta for the opportunity to take part in this training camp. Any students thinking about taking part should jump at the chance, you’ll leave with a massive confidence boost and a renewed excitement for the next steps in your academic career.”
Kaili Liang
“The NIHR Doctoral Training Camp was one of the most engaging and rewarding training events I have attended. It provided valuable opportunities to connect with PhD students from different institutions and backgrounds, while offering practical sessions covering every stage of grant development.
The highlight of the camp was the hands-on group project. Working in multidisciplinary teams, we developed a complete grant application within a single day-from formulating a research question and designing the study to preparing the budget and planning PPIE activities. It was an intensive but incredibly rewarding experience that gave me a real understanding of what a successful grant application looks like.
The skills and insights I gained will be invaluable for my future career development and grant applications. I was also inspired by one of the key messages throughout the camp: “trying and failing.” It reminded me that setbacks are a natural part of research and encouraged me to keep learning, improving, and moving forward. I am very grateful to NIHR and the BRC for providing this fantastic opportunity.”
Nare Amasi-Hartoonian
“Attending the NIHR Doctoral Training Camp was equal parts intense and rewarding.
Despite the demands of the task, I feel a sense of achievement that we were able to come together as a team to produce a grant proposal in 24 hours. I’m truly amazed at everyone’s hard work and dedication to producing such a substantial piece of work in a short amount of time.
As team leader, I was initially quite reluctant to take on the role and doubtful of my abilities. However, looking back, I learnt so much through collaborating with the other members of my team. I greatly appreciated all their contributions and perspectives, as well as the support from our brilliant mentor, Professor Kay Mafuba and insightful public contributor, Jean Gibson. I also greatly valued the sharp advice we received from Professor Steve Wootton, which helped shape the direction of our research question.
Moreover, the camp provided me with a better understanding of key considerations involved in writing a grant proposal, which I can apply during my career. This included knowledge mobilisation, the importance of public and patient involvement as well as how to break down a research question into its key components.
Overall, this was an invaluable experience which pushed me out of my comfort zone while also providing opportunities to network and connect with fellow early-career researchers and PhD students.”
Sajini Kuruppu
“What an experience! The NIHR Doctoral Training Camp was absolutely invaluable. We learned how to concept, plan, justify and cost an entire project grant application in just one day. It was a new experience, working so hard and so closely with strangers but I was amazed at how brilliantly we all managed to put our heads together and complete the task.
The sense of achievement was incredible, and despite the chaos we even had a few laughs and bonding experiences. It’s a very new environment and interesting to work with people from several different disciplines – to hear their ideas, and understand their ways of working in such a condensed time period.
I was selected to present our project to the camp and although it was nerve-wracking, it was excellent in helping me develop my public speaking skills. I feel far more equipped and knowledgeable about what makes a good grant application and this will be so helpful in my career. I would recommend this experience to any PhD candidate or early career researcher!”
Tom Gant
“I was delighted to have the opportunity to attend the NIHR Doctoral Training Camp.
I went into the camp with very little knowledge or confidence in grant writing and came away with a much stronger understanding of the process and what makes a competitive funding application.
It was a privilege to learn from experts across different aspects of grant writing, and I have taken away many valuable insights that I know will stay with me throughout my career. One aspect that particularly stood out was the emphasis on patient and public involvement (PPI) throughout the programme. From the talks to the involvement of lived experience contributors, the camp clearly demonstrated the NIHR’s commitment to meaningful stakeholder involvement and the value this brings to high-quality research.
Working alongside PhD candidates from a range of disciplines was equally valuable and reinforced the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration in developing strong research proposals.
I would highly recommend this training to early career researchers considering a career in academia. Even in the busy throes of writing up my PhD for submission, taking the time to attend the camp was well worth it.”
NIHR Ambassador role
BRC PhD student Pooja Schmill attended this year’s event in her role as an NIHR Ambassador. As a member of the planning committee, she helped shape the programme, delivered a session reflecting on her experiences as a previous attendee, and led an interactive surprise workshop challenging delegates to communicate the story behind their research. She also organised the networking evening, creating opportunities for researchers from across the NIHR to connect and share experiences.
