HEE / NIHR ICA BRIDGING SCHEME
Applications are now closed.
Main features
ICA Bridging schemes support health and care professionals to build on their previous academic training and to develop proposals for a pre or post-doctoral award, and take the next step in their practitioner academic career. These prestigious Bridging awards are dedicated to non-medical health and care professionals (excluding doctors and dentists) employed by health and care service providers in the North West, North East, and Yorkshire & Humber regions.
Our scheme aligns with the national agenda to bolster research capacity, leading to improved patient outcomes. It offers a range of opportunities, including dedicated periods to develop research proposals, enhanced researcher skills, exposure to advanced research techniques, and the development of personal communication abilities vital for academic researchers. Additionally, it provides a platform to expand your research network regionally, nationally, and potentially internationally while equipping you with the knowledge and skills to become a research leader.
We offer two award categories:
Pre-Doctoral Bridging Scheme Award: Designed for fellows with a research master’s level qualification (or evidence of postgraduate study at level 7) who aspire to undertake a Doctoral Clinical and Practitioner Academic Fellowship (DCAF) or an equivalent opportunity.
Post-Doctoral Bridging Scheme Award: Tailored for fellows who have either completed a PhD or are about to do so immediately before the scheme commences and are interested in applying for a Advanced Clinical and Practitioner Academic Fellowship (ACAF) or an equivalent opportunity.
Who it is for
- Health and social care professionals, including but not limited to nurses, midwives and allied health professions, social workers, psychologists, counsellors and care workers who hold a substantive contract of employment with a NHS Trust or other organisation. Whose core business is delivery of NHS care as a primary aspect of your professional role in the North East-Yorkshire region or North West region;
- Individuals with a completed or upcoming master’s level degree or PhD;
- Those interested in pursuing a PhD or post-doctoral level fellowship;
- Individuals passionate about making a difference through high-quality clinical research.
How to apply
Applications for this round are now closed.
For further details and to access application forms and guidance notes, please click the links below.
Additional Details
In addition to inform potential applicants about the programme and the application process, we will be holding 2 online Q&A sessions open for anyone to join who wishes to know more about the scheme and ask any questions.
These will be an hour in duration, 12pm – 1pm, and held on MS Teams, the dates of these are sessions are:
1st March 2024
20th March 2024
For more information of previous cohorts please visit our archive.
For additional information please contact
joanne.simpson@researchnorthwest.nhs.uk