The NIHR Leaders Support and Development Programme seeks to maintain and improve the quality of leadership in health and social care research. We aim to do this by meeting the development needs of current leaders and early to mid-career researchers within the NIHR, whose focus is aligned with the strategic priorities of the NIHR.
Our programme embodies in its design, structure, and approach the NIHR’s commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion. This new programme is being rolled out during 2019 and will have a fresh, tailored and innovative design. It will consist of:
Applications for the Future-Focused Leadership Programme are now closed. Thank you for your interest.
The following information on this page relates to the Future-Focused Leadership Programme.
The new Future-Focused Leadership Programme enables you to develop your capabilities and effectiveness as a leader by identifying and reflecting on your strengths and areas for development.
The programme is arranged into two streams, targeting distinct groups of Leaders:
1. The Emerging Research Leaders stream is for early to mid-career researchers on an academic track, who are taking up their first significant leadership and management roles. This programme will enable you to collaboratively explore management and leadership in health research and what it means at an individual, team, institution and system level in order to improve your leadership and management capability.
2. The Leaders stream is for current leaders based within NIHR or delivering a national role for NIHR. You will be developing into or taking up leadership roles at a senior level, facing significant leadership challenges, where support will be most needed and impactful. This programme will enhance your skills in leading across organisational boundaries, leading strategy and change and influencing others to achieve the strategic aims of NIHR.
The Future-Focused Leadership programme has been developed specifically for the NIHR following an in-depth analysis to understand what makes a successful leader and offers you the opportunity to explore new thinking on how to lead in the 21st century. The programme has been created with reference to years of research in the fields of occupational psychology and applied positive psychology.
The programme is designed around exploring Leading Yourself, Leading Others and Leading Beyond Authority.
The Future-Focused Leadership Programme extends over a period of twelve months and consists of three residential workshops, webinars and online modules. You will be able to apply the insights you uncover and the new skills you learn to your current role throughout the year and will be encouraged to network and share your experience and learning with fellow delegates.
Below is an outline of the programme timeline:
Emerging Research Leaders
As an emerging leader you will be going through a period of transition to become an independent researcher, and will be starting to take responsibility for other researchers and support staff.
To be considered for this stream of the programme you must be a current NIHR Academy member with at least 2 years post-doctoral research experience. Your current post-doctoral funding or NIHR personal award must be active for the majority of the duration of the leadership programme, eg for Cohort 1 your award should not end before 31st May 2020.
As an applicant you must be able to attend all the residential workshop dates within the cohort you select.
To apply you will need to complete the online application form, which will then be accessed by a panel comprising of NIHR Senior Leaders and members of the Programme Advisory Board. You will also be asked to complete an equality and diversity monitoring form (see guidance notes). Please ensure you read these before submitting an application.
Cohort 1 dates
Cohort 2 dates
There will also be a number of 1-2-1 and group virtual meetings throughout the programme with CAPP consultants.
As an NIHR Leader you must be working across the organisation in a senior role and at a national level. You may be a NIHR Research Professor, a senior leader within a NIHR Coordinating Centre or have another NIHR Senior Leadership role, eg a public contributor leading strategically in NIHR.
You will be collaborating with others outside of your host organisation and will need to articulate how the initiatives you are leading on help fulfil NIHR strategic aims. NIHR Coordinating Centre staff will need to be proposed by their Centre Director and indicate this on the application form.
Other NIHR Leaders will need to be proposed by a senior leader from their host organisation and also be ‘sponsored’ by an NIHR Senior Investigator or a member of NIHR Strategy Board. You will need to provide the name of this person on the application form and should have obtained their agreement to act as sponsor prior to your application. Public contributors should discuss with the relevant NIHR Centre PPIE lead before applying.
As an applicant you must be able to attend all the residential workshop dates within the cohort you select.
To apply you will need to complete the online application form, which will then be accessed by a panel comprising of NIHR Senior Leaders and members of the Programme Advisory Board. You will also be asked to complete an equality and diversity monitoring form (see guidance notes). Please ensure you read these before submitting an application.
Cohort 1 dates
Cohort 2 dates
There will also be a number of 1-2-1 and group virtual meetings throughout the programme with CAPP consultants.