ARC-GM welcomes new cohort of future researchers
On 10th September, we formally welcomed our 2024/25 cohort of Pre-doctoral Fellows, Interns and Social Care Research Champions at an in-person induction led by Dr Penny Lewis, ARC-GM Academic Career Development Lead.
As part of our ongoing efforts to enhance capacity in applied health and care research, this year we welcome 12 Interns and four funded Pre-doctoral Fellows. Two Research Champions also joined as part of our new programme of Capacity Building in Social Care, funded by the NIHR. Staff join from a range of employing organisations, including four NHS Trusts, three Local Authorities, a GP surgery, charity and a private adult social care provider.
The induction day provided an excellent opportunity for all candidates to introduce themselves, present their ideas and gain insight into the offerings of our programmes. Following an overview of NIHR ARC-GM and its research themes, candidates were given the opportunity to network over lunch. In the afternoon, a breakout session was held for each of the three groups to provide greater focus on their respective programmes.
We were particularly pleased to welcome Dr Caroline Leah, Senior Lecturer in Mental Health Social Work from Manchester Metropolitan University, who, alongside Alison Littlewood, ARC-GM Programme Manager, led the session for our new Social Care Research Champions. The role of the Research Champions will be to promote applied research in social care and explore new opportunities for capacity building in the sector.
Dr Penny Lewis commented:
“We are delighted that such a fantastic range of candidates applied and were successful on this year’s programmes. There are in excess of 10 professional groups represented, which shows we are making strides towards our goal of widening our reach and providing opportunities for those in practice who wish to explore and develop a career in applied research. Applied Research Collaborations have a key role in helping these people develop their skills who might not otherwise have chance to do so. We are grateful to all those who make this happen – not only those who apply, but their supervisors, the recruiting panel and our partner organisations who support their staff in taking up these opportunities.”
For more information about the ARC-GM Pre-doctoral Fellowships and Internship Programmes, please visit the ARC-GM website or contact Ross Atkinson, Programme Manager for Capacity Building, at ross.atkinson@manchester.ac.uk.
In the coming nine weeks, we’ll be sharing a series of blog posts featuring insights from our former and current Pre-Doctoral Fellows and Interns. These posts will highlight their experiences with the NIHR ARC-GM’s applied health and social care research training and development programme. Check out the blogs here...
