Your Path in Research

Are you a public health, social care or health professional?

Are you interested in finding out about how you could add research to your career, but are unsure of where to start?

Play Your Path in Research now to get started on your journey!

Choose your avatar

“I’m Sarah, and I work in public health. Public health promotes and protects the health of people and their communities. Working in public health is about helping people to live healthy and fulfilling lives, and research in this area informs and improves public health policy and practice.”

"I’m Zach, and I work in social care. Social care provides personal and practical care and support that people may need because of their age, illness, cognition, disability or other circumstances.”

“I’m Ameena, and I work in the health sector. I work on the frontline delivering health services to patients, service users, carers and the public. Research in health aims to improve treatment and care for everyone."

Your Path in Research

You've earned a power up!

By adding research to your career, you can help improve health and care for all.

You've earned an apple!

Including research in your career can help you learn and progress in your field.

You collected a key!

You're on your way to unlocking your career in research.

Question 1

How much do you know about a career in research?

Making research part of your career can give you a new opportunity for further learning in your area, increasing your ability to offer the best for patients, services users, carers and the public. It can enable you to build a career around areas you are interested in and challenge yourself in new ways. Find out about our campaign to promote career opportunities in research.

Better research leads to better services for everyone, and maintaining and improving the quality of the research we fund is vital. We need expert people to help prioritise research topics to ensure we fund the best applications. Find out how you can influence our research.

Question 2

What do you want to achieve by adding research to your career?

Provide better care and improve people’s lives

Health and care research provides those working in the NHS, public health and social care with the evidence they need to better support the public and anyone who needs care. Discoveries made through research enable new or improved care, treatments, diagnostics, technologies and services.

By supporting patients, service users, carers and the public to be part of research, you can help change lives. It is through research that we develop better treatments, prevention, care and quality of life for everyone. Not only that, but the research they take part in will have a lasting impact, going on to shape health and care that will help future generations.

To find out how research is improving health and care, read our Making a Difference stories.

Help to shape research in your area of work

By getting involved with research, not only will you gain extra skills and qualifications for your own career, but you will also be empowered to share vital expertise to ensure that studies are optimised to meet the needs of patients, service users, carers and the public. The research you make possible will have a lasting impact, going on to shape policy that will help future generations.

To find out how researchers, social care, public health and health professionals are improving health and care, read our collection of blog posts.

Get better at what you do and open up opportunities in your career

Adding research to your career can:

give you an opportunity for further learning in your area to benefit the public, patients, carers and service users
enable you to build a career around areas you are passionate about and explore new areas of interest to you
provide you with extra skills and qualifications which can benefit your future career prospects
add variety in your career to boost job satisfaction

Find out about opportunities to add research to your career.

Question 3

What kind of support would be most useful to you?

Talking to people about what a career in research is like

There are lots of different ways you can learn about a career in research:

Find out what research is happening in your organisation by attending an NIHR event or initiative
If you work in public health, you may want to contact the NIHR School for Public Health Research
If you work in social care, you may want to contact the NIHR School for Social Care Research
If you work in the health sector, you may want to contact your local NHS Research and Development forum
Finally, you could always ask people in your network if they have experience of research - you might be surprised how many of your colleagues will!

Career development opportunities

NIHR offers a wide range of training and career development awards at different levels which are suitable to different professions, backgrounds and research interests.

Some of these can be applied for directly, or through a host institution. Find out about career development opportunities.

Joining a community of researchers

NIHR Incubators address areas where there is a need to increase the number of people doing research at a national level. They aim to encourage early career interest in target areas including public health and social care to build communities through networking and offering training and development support. Find out about current NIHR Incubators.

Question 4

What do you want to learn more about today?

See how public health research is already helping people and communities

NIHR Evidence provides plain English summaries of a huge range of public health research. You can find out more by visiting NIHR Evidence and filtering by Public Health. For example, there is research on how an advertising ban was linked to lower purchases of unhealthy food and drink, and how better pathways promote physical activity and can decrease health inequalities. Browse our collection of public health evidence.

Learn more about how public health research is being delivered

The NIHR School for Public Health Research is a partnership between nine leading academic centres with excellence in applied public health research in England. The school is committed to building research capacity in public health through training and development opportunities. Learn more about the NIHR School for Public Health Research.

Learn more about research training and career development opportunities in public health

NIHR works closely with local authorities to develop research that improves health and wellbeing, supports independence and reduces health inequalities. We fund a range of professional development opportunities to help further the careers of public health practitioners.

Through our NIHR Local Authority Academic Fellowship Programme and associated opportunities, we offer funded short placements/taster opportunities for individuals to move between local authorities and NIHR settings. We also fund Masters level training, fully funded PhDs and support individuals to develop academically and professionally whilst retaining their existing employment and salary.
Learn more about training and development opportunities.

Question 4

What do you want to learn more about today?

See how social care research is already helping people and communities

NIHR Evidence provides plain English summaries of a huge range of social care research. You can find out more by visiting NIHR Evidence and filtering by Social Care. For example, there is research on what support children affected by adverse childhood experiences need, and how continence care for people with dementia is vital to preserve dignity. Browse our collection of social care evidence.

Learn more about how social care research is being delivered

The NIHR School for Social Care Research is a partnership between seven leading universities in adult social care research in England. The school’s mission is to continue developing the evidence base to inform adult social care practice in England by commissioning and conducting internationally leading research. Learn more about the NIHR School for Social Care Research.

Learn more about research training and career development opportunities in social care

Through our NIHR Local Authority Academic Fellowship Programme and associated opportunities, we offer funded short placements/taster opportunities for individuals to move between local authorities and NIHR settings. We also fund Masters level training, fully funded PhDs and support individuals to develop academically and professionally whilst retaining their existing employment and salary. Learn more about training and development opportunities.

Question 4

What do you want to learn more about today?

See how health research is already helping people and communities

NIHR Evidence provides plain English summaries of a huge range of health research. You can find out more by visiting NIHR Evidence and filtering by topics that interest you. For example, there is research around the impact of ethnicity and risk of diabetes, and how research can help us tackle the global challenge of Long Covid. Browse our collection of health evidence.

Take part in ‘on the job’ training: the Associate PI Scheme

The Associate Principal Investigator (PI) Scheme is a six month in-work training opportunity, providing practical experience for healthcare professionals starting their research career. People who would not normally have the opportunity to take part in clinical research in their day to day role have the chance to experience what it means to work on and deliver a NIHR portfolio trial under the mentorship of an enthusiastic Local PI. Participating healthcare professionals receive formal recognition of engagement in NIHR Portfolio research studies through the certification of Associate PI status, endorsed by the NIHR and Royal Colleges. Learn more about the Associate Principal Investigator Scheme.

Learn more about how research improves healthcare by taking an online course

Take part in a four week online course to find out how medical treatments are discovered, tested and evaluated to improve healthcare for all, and learn more about how you can support the delivery of vital research. This course runs regularly throughout the year. Learn more and register for this online course.

Congratulations, you’ve completed the Your Path in Research game! You are on your way to adding research to your career and unlocking your potential.

Remember to bookmark the webpage links that you clicked on during the game, and to find out more about a career in research, head to the
Your Path in Research webpage.

Your resources

Find out about our campaign to encourage more health and care professionals to consider a career in research Find out more about developing your career in research Read our Making a Difference stories Read our collection of NIHR blog posts Find out about opportunities to add research to your career Learn more about career development opportunities Join a community of researchers See how public health research is already helping people and communities Learn more about how public health research is being delivered Learn more about research training and career development opportunities in public health See how social care research is already helping people and communities Learn more about how social care research is being delivered Learn more about research training and career development opportunities in social care See how health research is already helping people and communities Take part in ‘on the job’ training: the Associate PI Scheme Learn more about how research improves healthcare in an online course