Category: Training

‘How to engage with policymakers’ support for Imperial researchers

How to engage with policymakers for Imperial researchers
The Public Affairs team is currently working on a new programme to support Imperial researchers connect with policymakers, including workshops with policymakers on specific themes, training, information and support to individual academics.

Seminars for Imperial researchers were introduced at the end of 2018 and will continue this year. These seminars aim to equip researchers with everything they need to initiate or continue their engagement with policy. The seminar will provide an introduction to policy-making and influencing as well as a practical guide on how to engage policymakers with research to achieve increased impact. It is suitable for all levels of experience and no preparation will be necessary.

The next dates are:

  • Thursday, 21 February: 13:45 – 16:00
  • Wednesday, 27 March: 9:45 – 12:00
  • Friday, 26 April: 13:45 – 16:00
  • Friday, 31 May: 13:45 – 16:00
  • Friday 28 June: 13:45 – 16:00

All seminars will take place in the Boardroom, Faculty Building, South Kensington Campus.

To register or if you have any questions, please email The Forum team: the.forum@imperial.ac.uk

We look forward to seeing you soon. 

Lisa Bungeroth
Public Affairs Manager

GRANTfinder 4 Education – new provider for research funding information

The College no longer subscribes to Research Professional and has moved to a new provider for research funding information, called Idox GRANTfinder 4 Education, offering a searchable database of funding opportunities and the option to subscribe to alerts.

GRANTfinder 4 Education allows academic institutions in the UK to service all their funding search requirements in one place: GRANTfinder for wider projects such as capital investment and spin-offs, RESEARCHconnect for research projects and POLICYfinder to keep track of relevant policy to support funding applications. This resource offers the ability to search for up-to-date funding opportunities and share information across defined groups and the wider communities at Imperial College and to deliver these in a cost-effective manner.

How to use GRANTfinder 4 Education

Information regarding how you can access and effectively use GRANTfinder 4 Education can be found in the Research Office bulletin (12 Nov 2018) and the quick start guide for RESEARCHconnect.

There will be a training session will be on 12 December. Antony McKay from Idox will deliver the training and there will be 3 sessions, all in room SKEM 315. Registration is via Eventbrite. The second session of the day will be tailored for research managers and the other two sessions are open to all College staff. Please register for the session you would like to attend. If you are unable to attend these sessions there will be more scheduled for the early part of 2019. (more…)

Events from the Clinical Academic Training Office (CATO)

Where to start if you’ve been thinking about research!

Have you ever thought about doing some research because you want to make improvements for your patients or how you do your job?

Well, the Imperial Clinical Academic Training Office (CATO) has a session for you…

This informal and exploratory session could be just the start you need. This FREE event is open to all Imperial College Healthcare Trust/Imperial College/Royal Brompton and Royal Marsden Hospital’s non-medical healthcare professionals. Please see below details about the event and to book your place now.

Date: Thursday 3 May 2018

Time: 16:00-18:00

Venue: Wolfson Building, Hammersmith Hospital.

Secure your place

CATO Masterclass: Improving use of genomic information including accessing the 100,000 Genomes project, 8 May

Tuesday 8 May 2018,  17.30-19.30,  W12 Conference Centre, Hammersmith Hospital

This Masterclass will explore the cutting-edge use of genomic information both in clinical practice and clinical academic research, and will give an update on the 100,000 Genomes project and how clinical academics can use/access 100,000 Genomes. Whatever your research interests this will be of enormous interest, given the rapidly changing field,  and might allow you to better think how to access available data/materials.

Secure your place (more…)

Imperial Clinician Researcher Fellowship scheme

Imperial AHSC Support for Clinical PhD/MD(Res) Fellows

Over the coming months the Clinical Academic Training Office (CATO) will be introducing a programme of support for clinical PhD fellows across the Faculty of Medicine and wider AHSC partnership.  The aim of the work is to gain a clearer picture of the range of clinical PhD fellows, even-out and improve their experience (complimenting the support provided already by each department/Trust), establish a visible central liaison hub for supporting clinicians as they undertake PhD programmes, and support them to progress their clinical academic careers into intermediate fellowships and beyond.

The CATO programme will include collecting enhanced feedback from clinical PhD training fellows, a series of Masterclasses covering researcher development and career development topics, fact sheets on common problems/issues, delivering individualised career guidance and enhanced working with the Imperial College London Postdoc and Fellows Development Centre.   Currently there are 2 Masterclasses that PhD/MD(Res) fellows can book on to, details below:

Wednesday 28 February 2018: Improving use of genomic information, including accessing the 100,000 Genomes project

5:30 – 7.30 pm, W12 Conference Centre, Hammersmith Hospital. This Masterclass will explore the cutting-edge use of genomic information both in clinical practice and clinical academic research, and will give an update on the 100,000 Genomes project and how clinical academics can use/access 100,000 Genomes. To book a place please complete this online booking form.

Monday 26 March 2018:  Advancing your academic career with an Intermediate Fellowship: how to win one!

5:30 – 7.30 pm, Paul Wood Lecture Theatre at the Royal Brompton Hospital Campus. The content is most suitable for late-stage PhD training fellows, Clinical Lecturers and other Post-Doctoral Fellows, but anyone interested in furthering their clinical academic career after a PhD is welcome. To reserve a place please complete this online booking form.

Further details about the CATO programme will be posted on the CATO website in due course, queries can be directed to: cato@imperial.ac.uk

Applications open for Calibre Leadership Programme

Do you consider yourself to be disabled? Do you face extra challenges at work?

Find out more about the Calibre leadership development programme for disabled staff by coming along to one of the taster sessions being held in November and December. The Calibre programme is delivered by Dr Ossie Stuart, an international disability consultant and academic, alongside the College’s Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Centre. This is a great course which staff with disabilities are encouraged to attend. The new course starts in January 2018. Registration for the Calibre Taster Sessions is via ICIS My Training.

Find out more (more…)

CATO: Clinical Academic Training Office

CATO is part of the Imperial College Academic Health Science Centre (AHSC), a partnership between Imperial College Healthcare Trust, Imperial College London, The Royal Marsden Foundation Trust and Royal Brompton & Harefield Foundation Trust. The CATO mission is to encourage and support doctors, nurses, midwives, AHP’s, pharmacists, and healthcare scientists – into clinical academic careers.  This drive within Imperial corresponds with national initiatives led by the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR), Health Education England (HEE) and others to increase and develop research engagement and allow clinicians opportunities to bring their expertise and questioning minds to the research table and contribute to enhanced patient care and outcomes.  Many of the activities and resources offered by CATO are only available to people working within the Imperial College AHSC. (more…)

Joint Research Office School Leaver Apprenticeship

The JRO launched a School Leaver Apprenticeship scheme in August 2015.

Our aim was to work with a local school to find a student with appropriate skills who would be motivated to grasp the opportunity of JRO Apprenticeship, with the hope of launching a professional career. We were interested in helping a student who might not otherwise have the chance to develop or seek this kind of professional career trajectory.

We envisaged the post as an entry-level position with a fixed duration of one year, and was aimed at school leavers with an interest in finance. The successful candidate was to be based in the JRO grants team in the Commonwealth Building at Hammersmith.

Burlington Danes Academy, a local school adjacent to the Hammersmith Campus, agreed to work with us on this scheme. The Head of the 6th Form, Laura Stone, was extremely supportive and was instrumental in helping to select the first Apprentice.

Laura said:We were delighted to be approached by Imperial regarding the School Leaver Apprenticeship scheme.  We work hard to try and foster links with employers so that our students can access valuable and relevant work experience; and to receive support from an organisation as renowned as Imperial is just fantastic.  

“What has been the biggest benefit has been the time commitment of a one year paid placement.  This enables the student to fully grasp the wide range of specialist and inter-personal skills required for working in a professional environment and build up real examples that they will be able to use in future job applications.  In a time of increasing cost for university study, it provides students with the opportunity to save up for tuition fees whilst doing something that enriches them.  As a school we feel that being able to provide our students with challenging, relevant and high-quality work experience in our local community is part of our vision, and Imperial have helped us realise that for two very fortunate students. I look forward to working with them for the second year.”

The scheme has been a great success and our first Apprentice, Cherry Thein, has taken her opportunity with both hands. Cherry has been a quick learner, has worked hard and has grown in confidence as the months have progressed. She has not just been a token observer, but has been carrying out important work and her efforts have made a significant impact on the productivity of the grants team.

Cherry said: “I have really enjoyed the scheme and it has been extremely useful, as it has helped ease the transition from a school environment to the workplace. This apprenticeship was a stepping-stone for me and the experience has given me more options for the future, as well as an advantage when looking for a job.

“What surprised me the most about working in the JRO was seeing how the money from charities like the British Heart Foundation and Cancer Research UK is actually being used to fund important research. It really motivated me to work because you’re helping these researchers, at least on a small scale, to find an answer. It is interesting working with several diverse teams and departments to make sure a research project can be carried out smoothly.”

The motivation for setting up the scheme was two-fold. Firstly, it was an opportunity for the College to engage in social responsibility with its local community. Secondly, it allowed us to pick up and run with a project reviewing College apprenticeship, which one of our Grant Manger’s Victor Abah developed on the ‘Impact’ Staff Development Programme. Victor has taken on the role as mentor to the apprentice.

The JRO Apprenticeship scheme could not have worked out better. As a result we are continuing with the scheme and have already signed up another Burlington Danes pupil, who will become the second apprentice in August 2016.

William Mortimer
Operations Director
Joint Research Office

WHO Collaborating Centre for Public Health Education and Training update

WHO EURO ‘Consultation of the European Framework for Action on Integrated Health Services Delivery’

 02-04 May 2016 Copenhagen, Denmark

Between the 2 and 4 May, Professor Salman Rawaf, Ms Federica Amati and Dr Sondus Hassounah participated in WHO Regional Office for Europe’s (WHO EURO) ‘Consultation of the European Framework for Action on Integrated Health Services Delivery’ — a high level international meeting and workshop aiming to strengthen people-centred health systems, as set out in Health 2020, that strives to accelerate maximum health gains for the population, reduce health inequalities, guarantee financial protection and ensure an efficient use of societal resources, including through intersectoral actions consistent with whole-of-society and whole-of-government approaches. (more…)

Data Science and eHealth Training at the Faculty of Medicine

The Global eHealth Unit at the School of Public Health is introducing a range of new training programmes in data science and eHealth for healthcare professionals expected to start in March 2016.
The Unit plans on delivering five new continuing professional development courses in 2016 as part of an ongoing partnership with the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT Digital).

Students presenting during a face-to-face training
Students presenting during a face-to-face training

After organising two successful pilot courses and six student cohorts in 2015, the Global eHealth Unit is responding to the growing demand for data science and eHealth training by expanding on the initial courses and introducing new and advanced topics such as:

·       Exploring and generating data visualisation methods for healthcare data analysis
·       Practical implications of Information Governance policies
·       The potential for eHelath and mHealth to improve the quality of healthcare systems
·       Governance and management of eHelath and mHealth initiatives in healthcare organisations.
·       Improving education in health care through eLearning

Each of the five new courses will be delivered via blended learning which will include five weeks of online training and two days of face-to-face interactive workshop style training in London.
The face-to-face training will present students with an opportunity to explore the course concepts in depth, and consolidate learning.

Professor Azeem Majeed, Head of the Department of Primary Care & Public Health said: “We are very pleased to continue spearheading this initiative with our partners from the European Institute of Innovation and Technology. After training over 60 students in our pilot courses last year, we are looking to continue to deliver training.”

Dr Josip Car, Director of the Global eHealth Unit added: “The healthcare sector is no exception to the growing demand for data scientists and IT professionals. With these courses we are looking to bridge the gap between these two fields in a unique and innovative way.”

See programme website – https://gehu.training/FoM for more information about the courses, faculty and teaching schedule.

Boris Serafimov
Global eHealth Unit
Department of Primary Care and Public Health