UCL awarded £13m to help train next generation of clinical academics

The investment totals nearly £13million over the next two years (2024-2025) and will help support the development and delivery of UCL’s Integrated Academic Training (IAT) Programme.

UCL has one of the largest cohorts of NIHR clinical academic trainees in the UK and the new award places the university as one of the leaders in the country – receiving the highest amount of any university in the latest round of the NIHR’s national programme.

Funding from the National Institute of Health & Care Research (NIHR) will support 49 posts, while the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and Health Education England (HEE) will support an additional post each.

It is hoped that the award will strengthen UCL’s commitment to enhancing the lives of people and addressing some of the world’s most pressing health challenges alongside clinical partners, including University College London Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, Great Ormond Street Hospital Trust, Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Camden and Islington NHS Trust.

The award includes 31 Academic Clinical Fellowships (ACFs) and 17 Clinical Lectureships (CLs) for medical research across multiple clinical specialities. There are a further 2 AFCs and 1CL for dental researchers.

The posts provides a structured research route for pre-doctoral (ACFs) and postdoctoral (CLs) clinical academic trainees, that enables them to combine research time with their clinical training.

UCL’s Integrated Training Lead, Professor Robert Howard (UCL Psychiatry) said: “Our success in winning so many new clinical academic training posts reflects the World-class opportunities for innovative medical research and excellent clinical training offered at UCL.

“UCL remains the best place in the UK to train as a clinical academic.”

The UCL IAT programme is managed by the Academic Careers Office and its Clinical Academic Training Office (CATO) team.

Head of the Academic Careers Office, Felipe Fouto said: “This is a fantastic result that continues to build on our efforts to support our clinical academic trainees.

“We have an amazing team that is dedicated to delivering the best possible experience for our academic trainees and this outcome reflects their commitment.

“We will continue to build on our work in the next couple of years and create more opportunities.”

Learn more about the career routes for doctors and the IAT pathway, and training and support programmes available on the dedicated ACO/CATO website.

Links

• NIHR Integrated Academic Training Programme
• Professor Robert Howard’s academic profile
• UCL Psychiatry
• UCL Brain Sciences

Image

• Credit: Everyday better to do everything you love on iStock

Media contact 

Poppy Danby 

E: p.danby [at] ucl.ac.uk