14 August 2024

Nurses, midwives, allied and other health professionals across south London will be supported into research careers, following a funding award from the NIHR’s INSIGHT: Inspiring Students into Research scheme.

Part of the NIHR Academy's funding to support students into research careers, the INSIGHT scheme aims to attract students in registered healthcare, social work, and public health professions. 

The funding will provide training for students who may have had limited exposure to real world research and inspire careers which combine research and practice across community, mental health, acute and social care settings. 

The scheme will support 90 Research Master Scholarships, with students being able to access over 20 courses across four universities in South London.

The joint bid for the South London NIHR Insight Programme was led by King’s Clinical Academic Training Office, King’s College London and London South Bank University (LSBU). 

Prof Catherine Evans, Professor of Palliative Care and Honorary Nurse Consultant, and Deputy Director of King’s Clinical Academic Training Office (KCATO), King’s College London, said:

“We are delighted to receive this award which will support us to realise our ambition to inspire students and early career health and social care registrants to engage in research from the start to pursue research careers early in their training.

Strengthening the research offer across these professions will benefit not only the students themselves in their careers, but driving the quality of care we can provide for patients and communities across south London.”

Dr Adele Stewart-Lord, Associate Dean Research and Enterprise, School of Allied and Community Health Institute of Health and Social Care, London South Bank University, said:

"This is a great opportunity for health professionals to become research active and be sponsored to undertake master level education, ultimately leading to a better workforce.  

I am pleased to be co-leading this with our academic partners and clinical colleagues; this strengthens our provision and enables us to reach a wide target audience."   

Professor Waljit Dhillo, Dean of the NIHR Academy, said:

“We know how important early exposure to research is for building capacity within health and social care. The INSIGHT programme will offer over 300 funded research masters places per year and provide engagement activities that have the potential to excite and capture the imagination of students at an early stage in their career.  

I’m delighted that we’ll be able to show students all of the benefits that research roles and careers have, both for professionals and within health and care.”

NIHR has funded universities across 12 regions in England £34.9m to provide research training and engagement programmes for students.

Universities 
•    King’s College London (lead)
•    London South Bank (co-lead)
•    Kingston University
•    St George’s, University of London

NHS Trusts
•    Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS FT
•    King’s College Hospital NHS FT
•    South London and Maudsley NHS FT
•    St George’s University Hospitals NHS FT
•    Central London Community HealthCare NHS Trust
•    The Royal Marsden Hospital NHS FT
•    Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust

NIHR organisations south London 
•    NIHR Health Improvement Network
•    NIHR Applied Research Collaborative SL
•    NIHR Clinical Research Network SL
•    NIHR Maudsley BRC, including Care Home Research Network SL

Find out more about King's Clinical Academic Training Office.