GROW: Researcher Development Programme

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 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.

No. If you are working in a research role and based in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland you can apply.  For example, you might be working in a research role in a local authority, in a clinical setting, or for a charity or third-sector organisation.  We would love to have participants from a range of sectors participating in the programme.

No – in fact we are keen to have participants join the GROW Programme from a broad range of disciplines and professional backgrounds. Previous cohorts have included researchers from pharmacy, nursing, social work, psychiatry, economics, and art.

This year we are expanding our focus to include early career researchers who focus on addiction. Addiction is an area which often overlaps with mental health research, but is under-funded and understudied by NIHR applicants. We therefore particularly welcome applications from addiction researchers this year.  

The programme is completely free to attend. While the majority of our sessions will be online, we will be able to support participants with the cost of travel to the two face-to-face sessions if needed.

We often get asked why we hold all our in person events in London rather than in other areas of the country. Each year when we do our planning we reevaluate this and look into other locations which would be as accessible and enable all GROW participants to attend easily with as little time commitment and upheaval to life as possible. However, given the geographic dispersal of participants and transport links around the UK, London is the only hub that would enable people from all areas of the country to access with the minimal amount of transport hassle. Many considered locations are tricky to access from one side of the country or the other, leading to journey times that are often as long and require changes on a train, as opposed to long or similar length, more straight forward journeys.  

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 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 not be assessed until after the closing date on 5 March, not on a first come first served basis.