The NIHR offers three awards through the Integrated Academic Training (IAT) Programme specifically for doctors and dentists. The programme supports individuals to gain research experience as part of their clinical training.
The NIHR offers three awards through the Integrated Academic Training (IAT) Programme specifically for doctors and dentists. The programme supports individuals to gain research experience as part of their clinical training.
NIHR funds approximately 250 Academic Clinical Fellowships (ACFs) and 100 Clinical Lectureships (CLs) in medicine each year. Funding is also available for up to 23 ACFs and 11 CLs in dentistry each year.
ACF and CL posts are hosted by partnerships of medical/dental schools (and their partner universities), postgraduate deanery functions within the Local Offices of Health Education England (HEE), and their partner NHS organisations.
The third award type, the In-Practice Fellowship (IPF) funds Masters-level training for GPs and dentists in clinical practice.
If you’re a nurse, midwife or allied health professional, you should refer to the HEE/NIHR Integrated Clinical Academic Programme page.
Email IAT@nihr.ac.uk, and detail if you're enquiring about the ACF or CL programme in the subject area. For IPF enquiries, please email academy-programmes@nihr.ac.uk.
The NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowship (ACF) is a clinical specialty training post in medicine or dentistry that incorporates academic training.
This post has a standard duration of 3 years (up to 4 years for GPs). Alternatively, it can be taken part-time and extended up to a maximum of 5 years (or 6 years for GPs), as long as the academic component remains at 25% whole time equivalent.
You will have access to Masters-level research training to develop your academic skills and equip you to balance your clinical academic career.
As an ACF you will spend:
To be eligible for an ACF you must be:
A proportion of the ACF posts in medicine are awarded through the annual IAT Competition and these have research projects aligned to NIHR Priority Research Themes.
Find out more about Academic Clinical Fellowships in Medicine 2022
Find out more about Academic Clinical Fellowships in Dentistry 2022
Details of other IAT funding rounds are available in funding opportunities.
NIHR ACF posts are advertised on Oriel and applications must be made via the online recruitment system.
Due to the current situation with COVID-19, interviews for NIHR ACF posts will now be held digitally.
The NIHR Clinical Lectureship (CL) is a post-doctoral award that provides a clinical and academic training environment for doctors and dentists to establish themselves as independent researchers and leaders.
This award has a standard duration of 4 years or until completion of clinical training (CCT/CCST) is reached, whichever is sooner. Alternatively, you can undertake the award part-time and for a maximum duration of 6 years, as long as the academic component does not fall below 33% of whole time equivalent.
As a CL you will spend:
To be eligible for a CL you must:
Nurses, midwives and allied health professionals should reference the HEE/NIHR Integrated Clinical Academic Programme.
From 17th January 2020: Please note that applications for Academic Clinical Lecturer posts (including NIHR Clinical Lecturer posts) require candidates to either hold a current National Training Number (NTN), or if a number is not held the candidate would need to clinically benchmark to be able to take up the post. Clinical benchmarking can be achieved through application for specialty training within the national recruitment window where the minimal appointable score must be achieved. Trainees are responsible for ensuring that their clinical application is submitted within the appropriate recruitment round to ensure that they are benchmarked before the date that the post needs to commence.
For further information please visit: HEE - Medical Specialty Recruitment 2022
The NIHR funds CLs in medicine through the IAT Competition to support Priority Research Themes.
Find out more about IAT Clinical Lectureships in Medicine 2022
Find out more about IAT Clinical Lectureships in Dentistry 2022
The NIHR will recognise locally funded posts developed by IAT partnerships providing they meet the following criteria relating to the appointment and support for doctors and/or dentists in schemes that:
Individuals in NIHR recognised locally funded posts will be classed as NIHR Academy members.
To apply for NIHR recognition of a locally-funded ACF or CL please email IAT@nihr.ac.uk.
The NIHR In-Practice Fellowship (IPF) provides pre-doctoral academic training to fully-qualified general practitioners, general dental practitioners, and community dentists.
This award will equip you with the skills and experience to prepare an application for a competitive, peer-reviewed doctoral level research training fellowship.
You may have received little formal academic training at the point of application, but should be able to demonstrate your commitment to a career as a clinical academic.
As an awardee, you will split your time equally between a clinical position and the academic training funded through the award.
Funding competitions open annually and full round details are available in career development funding opportunities.
Allocated posts for the 2022 IAT clinical lectureship in medicine.
NIHR In-Practice Fellowship Guidance Notes for Round 16
Applicant guidance notes for Round 5 of the ICA Programme Pre-doctoral Clinical and Practitioner Academic Fellowship scheme that supports early career researchers to become competitive applicants for a doctoral level research training fellowship.
NIHR Researchfish Update 2021
A report from the Chair of the IPF selection committee
All Integrated Academic Training documents
NIHR IAT CLs provide opportunities for postdoctoral research and facilitate applications for further research funding.
The NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowship (ACF) is a clinical specialty training post in dentistry that incorporates academic training.
The NIHR Clinical Lectureship (CL) is a postdoctoral award that provides a clinical and academic training environment for dentists to establish themselves as independent researchers and leaders.
This award supports doctors to gain research experience as part of their clinical training.
