ARE YOU READY TO:
- Work on your professional goals?
- Be part of a network of early career mental health researchers who can support each other in 2024 and beyond?
- Be supported to achieve your goals in a fully funded programme?
- Develop your professional networks, skills and experience to work across sectors and disciplines and make a difference through mental health and addictions research?
TIMELINE:
Deadline for applications: 16 September 2024
Programme duration: November 2024 - April 2025. See schedule for exact dates
What can I expect from the GROW Programme?
- Five 1:1 coaching sessions to identify and work on your own professional development goals
- Peer networking and support with Mental Health Mission colleagues
- Opportunities to meet and connect with senior researchers/PIs from across the Mental Health Mission
- Monthly virtual workshops on topics such as:
- working across disciplines and sectors
- making an impact – working with policy and practice
- securing funding
- collaborating with patients and the public in research
- looking to the future of mental health research.
Most programme activities will be held virtually, but we also bring our researchers together for two face-to-face workshops in November 2024 and March 2025, held in Manchester.
Testimonials from GROW Programme alumni
Who can apply to join the GROW Programme?
Essential criteria
- Employed by or linked to the Mental Health Mission If in doubt about your eligibility to apply, please reach out to MHM-capacity@manchester.ac.uk.
- Early career researcher in any discipline or sector
- Have completed a PhD (or in exceptional circumstances gained equivalent research experience) so we can bring together a group of researchers at a similar career stage from across the Mental Health Mission
- Passionate about applied mental health or addiction research that has the potential to improve lives
- Curious about working across disciplines and sectors
- Interested to meet peers, form new collaborations across the Mental Health Mission, and support each other
- Able to dedicate the equivalent of 1.5 days per month between November 2024 and April 2025 to participate in GROW activities
- Be ready to reflect on your professional development, and identify and work towards new professional goals.
Desirable criteria
We particularly welcome applications from researchers whose backgrounds, disciplines, and regions are currently under-represented in mental health research.
Workshop dates and times
| Tuesday 26 November, 10am - 3pm, in person workshop 1 in Manchester |
| Monday 16 December, 11am - 2.30pm, workshop 2, on Zoom |
| Wednesday 15 January, 11am - 2.30pm, workshop 3, on Zoom |
| Friday 7 February, 11am - 2.30pm, workshop 4, on Zoom |
| Thursday 6 March, 10am-3pm, in person workshop 5 in Manchester |
| Wednesday 2 April, 11am - 2.30pm, on Zoom |
Frequently Asked Questions
In most cases, no.
We are particularly interested in applications from those who have completed a PhD and will, in very exceptional circumstances, consider applications from individuals who have equivalent research experience in any setting.
One of the aims of GROW is to build a network of peers from across the Mental Health Mission who are all at the same stage of their career so they can learn and develop together. The sessions will be pitched at providing the most use to this group and will have less impact for all those involved if the focus is split among different career stages. We have had feedback from previous cohorts who have highlighted the importance of this for their experience of the programme and in order to get the most out of their participation.
All applicants can use the questions we ask in the application form to set out what they will bring to the programme and how they meet the criteria.
The Mental Health Research Incubator and our partners have lots of activities planned in the year ahead for researchers at all levels and backgrounds so it is worth subscribing to our newsletter to keep in touch with events and opportunities if you are not quite at the career stage for the GROW programme yet.
Yes.
No – in fact we are keen to have participants join the GROW Programme from a broad range of disciplines and professional backgrounds employed across the Mental Health Mission workstreams and sites. Previous cohorts have included researchers from pharmacy, nursing, social work, psychiatry, economics, and art.
The programme is completely free to attend. While the majority of our sessions will be online, we are able to support participants with the cost of travel to the two face-to-face sessions.
You can email the Mental Health Research Incubator team at mhresearch@psych.ox.ac.uk or DM us on Twitter.
Applications are assessed by a group of senior mental health researchers from the Mental Health Mission with significant experience in research and academia. Applications are assigned to reviewers randomly and any conflict of interests are avoided (such as knowing the applicant/coming from the same institution).
Applications will be assessed after the closing date, not on a first come first served basis.
The GROW Programme is free to attend for successful applicants and funded under the Mental Health Mission Capacity Development workstream (Capacity Development – NIHR Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre).