Faculty membership: Benefits and Responsibilities*
1. The NIHR ‘Faculty’ is a vibrant community of researchers focused on improving the health and well-being of the nation. The Faculty includes those leading and undertaking research funded by the NIHR.
2. All research staff whose salaries are funded in whole or in part by the NIHR or by the Department of Health Policy Research Programme (PRP), and who are employed by the NHS, a University or by a registered Charity in each case based in England, are automatically members of the NIHR Faculty. This is a recognition that the research proposal with which they are associated has passed the NIHR’s high quality thresholds.
3. Membership of the Faculty offers a range of individual and institutional benefits in addition to (part) payment of salary, depending on the type of membership:
- some Faculty members attract additional funding, including a personal discretionary budget, or Research Capability Funding ((formerly Flexibility and Sustainability Funding) for their institution;
- faster access to NHS Research Passports;
- mentoring and career advice, and leadership development;
- advice from Research Design Services when developing research proposals;
- invitations to NIHR events, such as meetings and workshops;
- access to the NIHR Portal, facilitating collaborative working within the health research community.
4. As a condition of funding, we ask employers to give us details of the individuals funded by the NIHR or PRP. This will enable us to maintain appropriate membership records for the NIHR Faculty, aiding communication with Faculty members, and helping meet our obligations to account for the people whose salaries we fund.
5. The Department of Health expects employers to make reasonable efforts to ensure that their staff abide by the terms and conditions contained in the funding contract with the Department of Health or set out in this document.
6. We expect individuals to abide by the rules, regulations and codes of conduct of their employers, and of their professional regulatory bodies, and with relevant guidance on the conduct of research published by the Department of Health.
7. NIHR Investigators are members of the NIHR Faculty who lead or undertake research. We ask NIHR Investigators to be prepared to offer advice, within the scope of their expertise, to the Department of Health. This may involve carrying out peer review and serving on review panels.
8. Membership of the NIHR Faculty normally ceases when either an individual’s contract of employment or NIHR/PRP funding ends. However, an individual may remain a member of the Faculty if their new employer is also an NHS organisation, university or charity, and their salary continues to be met at least in part from NIHR or PRP research funding. NIHR funding includes Research Capability Funding (formally Flexibility and Sustainability Funding) and Faculty Membership is not conferred anew as a result of receiving Research Capability Funding. The Department of Health may decide to terminate membership, if a Faculty member is considered to have brought the NIHR into disrepute.
* This was previously entitled NIHR Faculty Regulations.