Incubator Gathering 2026 - Registration

The 2026 Mental Health Research Incubator Gathering brings together addiction and mental health researchers from across the UK. This fully funded event is for you if you have ever participated in any of the Incubator programmes (e.g. a writing retreat, internship, placement, GROW or PeCO). You will have the chance to:

- meet and network with early- and mid-career researchers, and relevant industry members, in mental health and addiction research from across the UK;
- take part in practical skills development workshops;
- host and participate in informal conversations and sessions on a range of cross-cutting topics.

Incubator Gathering 2026 Registration Form

Incubator Gathering 2026 - Registration Form

Details

Please select an option from the list below
Which MHR Incubator programme(s) are you affiliated with?
Check all that apply.

About you

0 of 250 max words

Maximum file size: 52.43MB

Accommodation and Travel

The Incubator Gathering will take place in Reading, UK on Friday 6 November 2026, 9:30am-3:30pm. We are able to fund the cost of accommodation the night before (Thursday 5 November) for anyone that would like it.
Please choose the most appropriate answer
For health and safety purposes, we are required to share the phone number of any guests with the hotel, to be used only in the case of an emergency. This information will not be shared with anybody else, apart from the designated hotel staff.

We reimburse travel costs according to the University of Oxford’s Expenses Policy. Please kindly familiarise yourself with this policy and refer to it when booking any travel. If you need to discuss alternate options/exemptions to this, please email us.

We are also able to cover the cost of childcare or other caring responsibilities to enable you to attend the Gathering.

Please check the below box if you would welcome financial support to cover childcare/other caring costs to help you attend the retreat..

Dietary and accessibility needs

The information in this section will NOT be shared with anybody, apart from the MHR Incubator team and the appropriate venue facilitators (e.g. catering).

Parallel sessions and workshops

A very popular part of the Incubator Gathering is our hosted conversations - hosted by you! This is a particularly important opportunity for mid-career researchers to steer discussion on an important and/or emerging issue in your field.

  • Looking beyond the UK: ECRs in global mental health
  • Support for researchers with lived experience: what works and what needs to change?
  • Navigating clinical academic career pathways

Please let us know any thoughts you have about sessions you would like to host below. We encourage you to step forward and take advantage of this special opportunity to discuss key issues with fellow mental health researchers who have similar interests and experience.

We will get in touch closer to the time about your proposal.

Would you be open to being paired up with a co-host if similar topics are suggested?
We will also be offering skills workshops at this year's Gathering. Previously, topics have included:

  • Career Planning - How to ensure my work brings me what I need now and in the future
  • Addressing 'Impostor Syndrome'
  • Pitching to funders - Writing Successful Funding Applications

Networking

Following popular demand, we are keen to do the most we can to enable you to develop useful connections with other mental health researchers during the Incubator Gathering.

We are planning a structured networking session based on your research interest areas, discipline background and methodological expertise.

Given the wide range of disciplines, interest areas and expertise among us, we need your help to facilitate this as best we can.

Please describe your three main research interest areas within the broad area of mental health research. For example: alcohol; electronic health records; prevention; global mental health; dual-diagnosis; trials; parenting; anxiety disorders; intersectionality; domestic violence; loneliness; trauma; children in care, etc.
Please describe up to three main research methods you employ in your work: For example: creative methods; qualitative interviews; big data; database analysis.
Please check your preferred option:
Personal data that you share with the Mental Health Research Incubator is collected, stored, accessed, and used in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the Mental Health Research Incubator privacy policy, and the University of Oxford data protection policy. If you have any questions or concerns about your personal data, please email us at mhresearch@psych.ox.ac.uk
Confirmation

The Incubator Gathering 2026 will be held on 6 November 2026 from 10am - 3pm, followed by optional networking.

The main event will be held at Reading Town Hall, Blagrave St, Reading, RG1 1QH, which is a five-minute from Reading station. The location for optional networking post-event will be confirmed closer to the time.