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Supporting local authority colleagues in developing their research skills

Workshop 4

Kieran Lee, Senior Programme Manager, NIHR Academy

Rachel Murphy, NIHR Doctoral Fellow, HDRC North Yorkshire

Nicola Sheen, Training and Development Manager, NIHR RSS Specialist Centre for Public Health

Joanne Smithson, Senior Manager, HDRC North Yorkshire

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Today's workshop...��Welcome and expectations – Joanne Smithson�NIHR Academy offer – Kieran Lee�Fellowship journey and local authority support – Rachel Murphy�NIHR RSS Specialist Centre for Public Health support and resources – Nicola Sheen�Discussion: what do you need to promote research opportunities in your local authority?

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Your expectations

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NIHR Academy offer��Kieran Lee

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Short Placement Award for Research Collaboration (SPARC)

This scheme offers NIHR Academy members (from pre-doctoral to early career postdoctoral researchers) supported by a part of NIHR Infrastructure, a Health Protection Research Unit or an NIHR School an opportunity to spend time in other parts of the NIHR to network, train in a specific skill or collaborate with other researchers/specialists.

Individuals can apply to the SPARC scheme for up to £15,000 to undertake a bespoke short placement designed to optimise and enhance their research training experience, CVs and academic careers.

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Pre-Application Support Fund

The Pre-Application Support Fund is open to all career stages and provides extra support to those who need it. It will help you to produce a competitive NIHR career development award application. It provides up to 12 months of flexible funding.

This funding enhances the opportunities and support available to those that otherwise would not be able to apply for one of our career development awards.

3 application rounds per year, providing regular opportunities to apply.

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Development and Skills Enhancement Award

The NIHR Development and Skills Enhancement award (DSE) is a post-doctoral level funding opportunity that supports the acquisition of skills and the undertaking of experiences that will enable the next phase of an awardee’s research or clinical/ practitioner academic career.

The award can support an awardee’s salary for up to 2 years whole time equivalent, and the costs of the training and development programme.

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Predoctoral Award

Designed to advance your health and social care research career at a Masters level.

The award supports masters-level training up to a full masters degree, if required, or provides the opportunity for you to gain additional bespoke training and development. All the training you propose in your application should support the development of a competitive PhD application or, if you are an aspiring methodologist, help you advance your career.

This award is 12-months full time, or 24 months for Methodologists.

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Doctoral Award

This flexible Fellowship enables you to complete a PhD in applied health or social care research. Your research project must be within NIHR’s remit.

We are looking for applicants who have the potential to develop into future leaders in our research environment. You will need to submit a high-quality research proposal with clear and impactful patient and public benefit. You should include a comprehensive training and development programme to further develop within your research career.

The fellowship is 3 years full-time, or part-time options are available.

Funding rounds open in April and October each year.

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Postdoctoral Award

The NIHR Postdoctoral Award supports early career researchers in health and social care, funding both a research project and a tailored training and development programme. It’s designed to help you build independence and leadership as a researcher.

The award is open to researchers in any scientific discipline or sector whose work contributes to improving health and social care.

Applications open twice a year – in March and October.

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NIHR Academy offer for local authorities

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Dates for 2025

Predoctoral Award

29 January - 20 March 2025 (closed)

Postdoctoral Award

26 March - 03 July 2025 (currently open)

Doctoral Award

9 April - 10 June 2025 (closed)

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My Fellowship journey and local authority support ��Rachel Murphy

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My fellowship journey

2016: Mental Health Social Worker / Team Manager / Service Manager in North Yorkshire Council (NYC)

2021: Pre-Doctoral Local Authority Fellowship

2023: Doctoral Local Authority Fellowship

Research Lead for Adult Social Care in NYC

Research Development Manager HDRC NY

Research Skills

Research Knowledge

Subject Area Expertise

Pilot Study

Publication

PG Cert / PhD

How can mental health services better support non-offending adults who have sexual attraction to children, to facilitate improved

outcomes?

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Supporting others

What helps?

Established channels to share information – Research Community / SharePoint / Teams / Viva Engage

A point of contact with knowledge of the NIHR Academy offer

Understanding the wider support available to applicants

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Initial discussions

Which opportunity is best for you?

Career development funding programmes | NIHR

What are the timeframes?

Have you got a research idea?

Have you got Local Authority Support?

Have you got academic organisations/supervisors in mind?

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Research topic

An identified topic area or a defined research question
Relevant to your practice / service area
Filling a knowledge gap
Potential for impact
Beneficial to your Local Authority – link to organisational priorities and plans
Of interest to you

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Local authority support

Obtaining Senior Manager Approval:

Go equipped with information
Familiarise yourself with the application guidance
Involve colleagues with experience
Explain the benefits

Will also need discussions with:

HR (staffing)
Finance Officer (budgets)
Legal (contracts)

Fully funded – your post can be back filled
Workforce development / CPD
Knowledge generation
Evidence-informed practice
Service improvement
Cost efficiency of services
Leading the way
Recruitment and retention
Research network development – bridging the gap between research and practice
Indicates a culture of learning for inspections/peer review

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Academic organisations/supervisors

Consider:

Early contact and discussions
Relevant research/topic expertise
Developing a bespoke plan for your application
Travel / online learning – think budget
Courses and opportunities

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THINK BIG!

Who and what could help you achieve what you’re aiming for?

External courses
Conferences
Trips / Placements / Observations

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Additional considerations

Applicant Research Background

If this is limited, don’t be put off - think of the research skills you use every day.

Patient and Public Involvement

Try to speak to people with lived experience, or their advocates as you develop your proposal, think about co-production.

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Additional support

NIHR Research Support Service

NIHR RSS Specialist Centre for Social Care

NIHR RSS Specialist Centre for Public Health

NIHR Academy

NIHR Applied Research Collaborations (ARCs)

NIHR Research Delivery Network (RDN)

Future NHS: Developing Local Authority Researchers Workspace

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NIHR RSS Specialist Centre for Public Health support and resources��Nicola Sheen

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Fund Public Health Engagement Leads (PHELs),

Local Authority Research Practitioners (LARPs) and Grassroots Awards

to support research in local authorities.

Provide researchers at all career stages with advice on research design and funding applications for public health research outside NHS.

Scope current and emerging systems around ethics and governance. Foster shared learning, develop guidance, templates and a repository of examples of best practice.

Increase capacity and capability to undertake research that can provide evidence on the interventions likely to be effective in improving population health.

Local authority support and resources

Research design advice

Training and development

Public and Community Partnerships / Research Inclusion

Research governance and ethics

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Support available from the Specialist Centre for Public Health

We want to help researchers to develop their ideas, apply for funding and go for Fellowship opportunities.
The pre award research design advice team has methodologists who specialise in mixed methods, health economics, qualitative methods, epidemiology, quasi-experimental design, and involving the public in your research.
We work with and support local authorities to apply for Public Health Research funding awards.
We can peer review your Fellowship application, help with mock interviews, identify appropriate supervisors and mentors and put you in touch with current and previous recipients of these awards for advice.
Speak to us at least 6 months before a Fellowship application deadline!

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Available resources

The following are examples of what is available on our intranet:

Explainer animations - what is research and how does it fit into a local authority context?
Glossary of research terms.
A range of resources covering public health, the wider determinants of health, public and community engagement, methods, and governance and ethics.
Bespoke resources created specifically for those in local authorities.
Series of training webinars.
Research governance and ethics explainers.
Funding call updates.
Case studies and publications relevant to local authority research.

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Public Health Grassroots Awards

Public Health Grassroots Awards are personal, short-term (typically 3–6 months) awards (£5000) for colleagues in local authorities, non-NHS providers, or voluntary community and social enterprises (VCSEs) delivering services on behalf of a local authority.
Funding allows time to be involved in public health research and could involve a placement with an existing research team, lending support to a research project or undertaking training to develop research skills.
Our first funding call was 23 April 2025 - 19 June 2025. 39 applications with 10 coming from Local Authorities and the vast majority of the remainder from charities/VCSE.
Next call will be early 2026.

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Our Public Health Engagement Leads (PHELs)

13 PHELs funded in September 2024 and May 2025 covering 77 local authorities.

Over £200,000 investment into local authorities.

Each PHEL is funded 4 hours per week.

Our next PHEL call is due to open 23 September 2025 – 30 October 2025.

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Public and Community Partnerships (PCP) Funding call

Opportunity for local authorities to apply for between £5,000 and £10,000 to cover revenue costs of a project involving the public and communities in research in new ways.
This award is to explore, test and evaluate new ways of involving people and communities in public health research. The aim is to produce evidence and learnings that can be shared with other local authorities.
Pilot to run over Summer 2025 in specific local authorities. Full funding call to be launched on 1 October 2025.
While HDRCs cannot apply for the funding directly, they can partner with other non-HDRC local authorities and Local Authority Research Practitioners. Max 2 partners per award.
Other examples could be where a Public Health Engagement Lead connects a local authority with an HDRC in their region, or in a Combined Authority where one local authority has an HDRC.