Published: 13 January 2021
A new NIHR funding competition invites Royal Colleges and other standard setting bodies to apply for funding to develop new e-learning resources. These e-learning resources should improve the clinical research knowledge and skills of health and social care professionals, and in particular those who have not followed an academic career path or those who have had little or no experience of research delivery.
The funding provides the opportunity for organisations to work with suitable suppliers to develop online learning tools, which will then be hosted on NIHR Learn – the NIHR’s learning management system. Organisations can also work together to use the funding and address the overlap in training needs between different professions. Up to £120,000 is available per award.
In addressing the learning needs for the profession, the resources could cover topics such as:
- innovative trial design and delivery
- patient and public involvement in research
- equality, diversity and inclusion in research
- early career support (both academic and clinical)
- research governance and the relevant regulatory guidelines
- peer review of research
- entry level training in health data science
The e-learning resources should also complement the current learning materials available to clinical professionals.
Dr Pete Thompson, Director of Programmes and Impact at NIHR Academy, said, ‘The new online resources that will be generated from this initiative will provide opportunities to engage clinicians who may not have experience of research and allow them to gain new skills to enable them to feel more confident to engage with research and research opportunities.’
The funding will support research capacity development in clinical professional communities, and forms part of the NIHR Academy’s career development training opportunities. Specific information about the competition can be found in funding opportunities.