NIHR Senior Investigators
Senior Investigators are the NIHR’s pre-eminent researchers and represent the country’s most outstanding leaders of clinical and applied health and social care research. Senior Investigators are fundamental to the formation of the NIHR Faculty.
Over two hundred NIHR Senior Investigators have been appointed through annual competitions informed by the advice of an international expert panel. Further rounds of the competition will be held to maintain numbers at this level. The Senior Investigator Directory provides details of these individuals.
Senior Investigators receive an award of £15,000 a year as a personal discretionary fund, and attract additional NIHR Research Capability Funding to the main NHS organisation with which they hold a contract of employment or an honorary contract.
NIHR Senior Investigators form the NIHR College, a prestigious body with a programme of events. Senior Investigators:
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provide research leadership to the NIHR Faculty, promoting clinical and applied research in health and social care
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help in planning and speaking at events
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will host visiting fellows and mentor Trainees
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constitute a network of experts, able to provide advice to the Department of Health's Director General for Research and Development.
The outcome of the sixth annual competition was announced on 11 March 2013. Fifty-six Senior Investigators have been appointed - 19 new appointees, and 37 current or previous holders of the award. The total college now stands at 201 NIHR Senior Investigators.
An independent expert panel Chaired by Professor Sir Alex Markham advised on the appointments. These are made according to criteria of quality and volume of internationally excellent research; its relevance to patients; and the public; impact on improvements in healthcare and public health; impact of their individual research leadership including for NIHR; engagement of patients and the public and engagement of healthcare policy makers and planners with their research.
This competition was particularly intense. Of the 169 applications, 60 were from current or former Senior Investigators applying for a second and final term. The overall bibliometric standing of applicants appeared higher than in all previous years.
The impact of this year’s appointments on research fields shows that Economics, Statistics and Biostatistics did particularly well this year with five appointments, doubling the number of Senior Investigators in this area to 10. Cardiac and Cardiovascular Systems is highest represented categories, with 17 Senior Investigators, followed by Psychiatry with 14. The 2013 appointments are listed in the document below.