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 2023 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 research?
TIMELINE:
Applications open: Monday 20 February 2023
Deadline for applications: 10am Wednesday 29 March 2023
Programme duration: June - December 2023. For details of session dates and times, click here.
What can I expect from the GROW Programme?
- 1 to 1 coaching to identify and work on your own professional development goals
- Peer networking and support
- Opportunities to meet and connect with senior researchers/PIs
- Monthly virtual workshops on topics such as:
- working across disciplines and sectors
- making an impact – working with policy & 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 June and October, held in London (TBC).
Testimonials from the 2022 GROW Programme cohort
Who can apply to join the GROW Programme?
Essential criteria
- Working in a research role in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, or Wales
- Early career researcher in any discipline or sector
- Have completed a PhD or gained equivalent research experience so we can bring together a group of researchers at a similar career stage
- Passionate about applied mental health research that has the potential to improve lives
- Curious about working across disciplines and sectors
- Interested to meet peers, form new collaborations and support each other
- Able to dedicate the equivalent of 1.5 days per month between June and December 2023 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
20 June: workshop 1
- Time: 10.00am-4.00pm
- Location: face-to-face (London, TBC)
17 July: workshop 2
- Time: 10.30am-2.00pm
- Location: online
22 August: workshop 3
- Time: 10.30am-12.00pm
- Location: online
15 September: workshop 4
- Time: 10.30am-2.00pm
- Location: online
11 October: workshop 5
- Time: 10.00am-4.00pm
- Location: face-to-face (London, TBC)
13 November: workshop 6
- Time: 10.30am-2.00pm
- Location: online
7 December: workshop 7
- Time: 10.30am-2.00pm
- Location: online
Frequently Asked Questions
Anyone working in a research role in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland who feels they meet our essential criteria as described above can apply. However, we are particularly interested in applications from those who have completed a PhD or have equivalent research experience in any setting. The reason for this is that researchers have told us that they would like to connect and work with peers at a similar career stage.
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.
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.
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.
You can email the Mental Health Research Incubator team at mhresearch@psych.ox.ac.uk or DM us on Twitter.
The GROW Programme is free to attend. The Programme is funded under the NIHR’s mental health research initiative via the NIHR School of Primary Care (SPCR), which received additional resources to develop and support a cohort of ECRs and prioritise regions and professional backgrounds where there are particular gaps.