There are a number of routes available to Clinical Lecturers who have reached CCT to continue in academia or research, and for clinicians who have not undertaken an NIHR Integrated Academic Training role but who hold a PhD to become a clinical academic.
Some of the options are highlighted below, however this list is not exhaustive.
Postdoctoral fellowships
Clinicians who wish to continue as a clinical academic and be employed by a university can apply for external funding to undertake a postdoctoral fellowship that will enable them to build their independent research career. These typically provide salary costs, protected research time and often budget for training and development and conference attendance, and additional research staff. Examples of these include:
Applying to do a postdoctoral fellowship
If you are interested in undertaking a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Southampton, we strongly encourage you to begin preparing at least 6 months in advance of any submission deadline to maximise your chances of success.
In the first instance, please email us at: FMED-fellowships@soton.ac.uk to inform the Faculty of your intention to apply and area of intended research or School aligned with (if known).
On receipt of your statement of intent, you will be:
- allocated a Fellowship mentor who will arrange to meet you and discuss any practical support you may require. This may include arranging a named individual to mentor you through managing your application on Worktribe, our internal bid management system (essential for applicants from outside the University or who are unfamiliar with WorkTribe).
- provided with details of other support and resources available to help you develop your application.
Intermediate awards
In some instances, additional time may be needed in order to develop the required skills and experience, building towards an application for a fellowship while the clinician is in clinical practice. Options might include:
- NIHR Development and Skills Enhancement Award
- NIHR BRC Southampton BRC Postdoctoral Bridging Fellowships
Other options
Some clinicians prefer to enter clinical practice as a Consultant but remain research active. The University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust Research Leaders Programme is one scheme that provides researchers with protected time to conduct research while employed in an NHS organisation.
If you are a current member of UoS staff and want to find out more about the support available to help you prepare a fellowship application, please visit our internal SharePoint site. External applicants are encouraged to notify us of your interest in applying for a fellowship by emailing fmed-fellowships@soton.ac.uk and you will be signposted to appropriate information and contacts by our team.