Capacity development in CLAHRC East of England is led by Professor Eneida Mioshi (UEA).

Research capacity development is a major component of CLAHRC East of England’s work. The aim is to equip clinical and non-clinical staff to scrutinise and question the way things are done, to welcome innovation, ensuring more rapid diffusion and adoption of evidence-based best practice. To achieve this, the CLAHRC invests in education and research skills training; supports the dissemination of research findings that are directly relevant to practice; promotes and sustains engagement with, and support for, practitioners, managers and commissioners; has created academic apprenticeships in mental health and primary care; and mentors and supports emergent and future research leaders from health and social care. We also hold capacity building events including one-off events supporting capacity in under-researched areas or areas where there is limited experience of cross-CLAHRC working.   The CLAHRC East of England is the national lead for the NIHR-funded Doctoral Training Centres in dementia care research and supports funded PhD studentships in all the CLAHRC themes. We use mixed models of funding, both internally funded and also funded through NIHR and charity funders, and individualised mentorship will be provided to those identified as suitable candidates.

CLAHRC East of England offers CLAHRC Fellowships every year. 105 CLAHRC Fellowships have been awarded since the Fellowship started in 2011. The focus of the Fellowship programme is on local applied research and evaluation projects, building local capacity for evidence-informed practice, and facilitating networking across health and social care. The Fellows are funded by the CLAHRC for one day a week for a year.  The CLAHRC Fellowship programme is led by Dr Christine Hill.

From 2020 our successor organisation, the NIHR ARC East of England, will be offering the ARC East of England Fellowship. The ARC Fellowship is essentially the same as our CLAHRC Fellowship, but introduces an additional component, implementation, as an alternative to research.  Applicants for our 2020 ARC Fellowship will be able to apply for either the Research Fellowship or the Implementation Fellowship. Find out more about the 2020 ARC Fellowships here.

Current capacity building activities

For those thinking about a career in research CLAHRC East of England runs a range events that provide information about funding options and support for would-be applicants to develop and refine their research ideas. Currently we are offering:

  • CLAHRC EoE partner, the University of East Anglia, is pleased to announce that it is one of 10 institutions that has been awarded a contract to run a fully funded MSc in Clinical Research for non-medical practitioners. This course is funded by Health Education England and administered by the National Institute for Health Research. Funding is for course fees and backfill salary costs. If you are interested in applying for the course please find out more about it here.
  • A CLAHRC EoE residential Boot Camp was also held in the autumn of 2015. The two-day event provided participants with support to develop a funding application, opportunities to meet and learn from researchers that have awarded and received career funding from NIHR and other leading health charities. Participants also had the experience of presenting their research ideas to peers and experts.

For further information on the CLAHRC fellowship programme and PhDs see Capacity Building – FAQ’s, 

CLAHRC EoE occasionally has small amounts of funding available to support and develop applied health research projects and build capacity in line with the CLAHRC’s aims and values. If you are interested in finding out more about this please speak with one of CLAHRC EoE’s Deputy Directors in your area:

  • Professor Claire Goodman, Professor of Health Care Research at the Centre for Research in Primary and Community Care at the University of Hertfordshire, Email: c.goodman@herts.ac.uk
  • Professor Eneida Mioshi, Chair of Dementia Care at the School of Health Sciences at the University of East Anglia (UEA), Email: E.Mioshi@uea.ac.uk
  • Dr Christine Hill, Consultant in Public Health Medicine based at the Cambridge Institute of Public Health (CIPH) Email: cmh86@medschl.cam.ac.uk

Opportunities and Vacancies – for current opportunities, or email CLAHRCoffice@cpft.nhs.uk.Links to other organisations who offer opportunities in Health and Social Care Research can be found here.