BRC PhD students attend NIHR Doctoral Research Training Camp

Two PhD students funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) attended the NIHR Academy Doctoral Research Training Camp to learn more about applying for research funding.

The 2022 NIHR Doctoral Research Training Camp was held in July in Cheshire. Its focus was attracting further research funding from the NIHR and other organisations.

The three-day residential event aimed to support career progression and competitiveness in putting together a funding application. It culminated in a group task to write and submit a research grant application to a fictitious funding programme. It was attended by Dionne Laporte and Elizabeth Tuudah of the NIHR Maudsley BRC.

Dionne (left) said:

“The camp provided a really good opportunity to learn about the research funding process and to hear from other academics who have had experience of this process. I did find the practical task of writing up a fictitious funding application daunting but, on reflection, it improved my understanding of how to write up an application.

“The atmosphere was quite friendly and for me it helped me to come out of my shell - especially the breaks where we were able to network with other early career researchers, senior academics and other stakeholders. The camp helped me to feel more confident about applying for research funding and I would recommend this programme to anyone who might be considering applying for research funding in the near future."

The camp, which was open to NIHR-funded PhD students, taught attendees a range of skills needed when applying for funding and gave them the opportunity to network with doctoral students from diverse scientific and professional backgrounds.

The programme included workshops and presentations on lessons learnt when applying for post-doctoral funding, the art of selling yourself and your project, reaching the right communities, how to make a good research funding application and making the most of the training camp.

Elizabeth (right) said:

“The NIHR doctoral training camp was a valuable experience and I would highly recommend it to early career researchers. The engaging presentations on the first day allowed me to gain some of the essential skills needed to complete a fictitious grant proposal.

“The help of our mentor and Patient and Public Involvement expert throughout the course of the day was invaluable; their experience helped to guide our decision processes and keep our team on track to ensure the grant was submitted on time. The fast-paced nature of the training camp pushed me to work out of my comfort zone. The training camp has provided good insight into the skills required to complete a grant application and the level of preparation required when meeting with a panel of assessors.”


Tags: Training & capacity development -

By NIHR Maudsley BRC at 1 Aug 2022, 09:00 AM


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