Essential tools 94

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Tools, guidance and support for early career researchers.

If you think we’re missing something and would like to suggest a new category, just email: dementiaresearcher@ucl.ac.uk

Tools, guidance and support for early career dementia researchers – everything you need, all in one place from Dementia Researcher.

Join ISTAART for more free resources.

Applying for jobs & careers advice8

Bench to Bedside – King’s guide to careers in medicine, healthcare and sciences

Are you passionate about science and how the human body works and want to make a difference to patients' lives? Do you know you want to work in health but not sure which direction is right for you?

This new interactive video guide can help point you in the right direction by introducing you to the exciting range of health careers available, from the research scientist's bench to the patient's bedside.

https://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/bench-to-bedside/index.aspx

Career Tools

Jobs.ac.uk website has a really helpful and informative careers advice area. Here you will find helpful blogs, stories from other early careers researches and practical things like CV templates and interview advice.

https://www.jobs.ac.uk/careers-advice/

The BERA Early Career Researcher (ECR) Network aims to offer support to those who are in the process of completing their masters or doctorate in education, as well as those who have completed their studies within the past 5 years.

https://www.bera.ac.uk/community/early-career-researcher-network

Employment & Studentship Websites

We do our best to research opportunities and jobs through the jobs section of our website. However, some do slip through the net. Below are some links to websites we know regularly have studentship opportunities in dementia.

https://www.jobs.ac.uk allows you to search international jobs in academic, science, research and administration in the UK, Europe, Australasia, Africa, America and Asia & Middle East.

https://www.jobs.nhs.uk is the main employment website for all NHS organisations across the UK. Here you will find clinical, research and research administrative opportunities.

https://ukdri.ac.uk is the newly established UK Dementia Research Institute, through 2018 they are on the hunt for brilliant people to transform the range and pace of research.

https://www.pharmafile.com has a selection of jobs advertised for the pharmaceutical industry.

 

 

EU Erasmus+ Programme – to support education, training, youth and sport in Europe

Erasmus+ is the EU's programme to support education, training, youth and sport in Europe. Its budget of €14.7 billion will provide opportunities for over 4 million Europeans to study, train, gain experience, and volunteer abroad. The programme contributes to the Europe 2020 strategy for growth, jobs, social equity and inclusion, as well as the aims of ET2020, the EU's strategic framework for education and training.

Detailed information on these opportunities, including eligibility criteria, is available in the Erasmus+ Programme Guide. An indicative funding guide for some centralised opportunities is also available.

https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/

 

Guide to applying to British Universities and UK jobs from ‘The Professor is In’

Alice Kelly is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Oxford. Her academic training has been in the UK and the US, and whilst this has been in the field of English., this four-part blog series published to the 'Professor is in' website, provides a great guide for anyone thinking of studying in the UK, and for those interested in the field of Dementia.

Please, Sir, I Want Some More Employment: Applying For UK Jobs, Part I – The Lay of the Land

The UK Job Market Part II: Research By Numbers, or The REF

The UK Job Market, Part III: “I Beg Your Pardon, But May I Have This Job?” (The Winning Cover Letter)

The UK Job Market, Part IV: Interviews, British-Style

Health careers advice from Health Education England

Health Education England's website - Health Careers provides all you need to know about working in the health sector - how it is structured, the sort of people we need, where you might work and the the pay and benefits. This includes advice on how to pursue a career in healthcare whilst also furthering your own research and studies. For more information take a look at the various sections below:

Health Careers - Academic Clinical Fellowships

Health Careers - Clinical academic medicine

Health Careers - Career Planning

 

NIHR Academy

A skilled clinical research delivery workforce is crucial to making research happen in the NHS and other health and social care settings.

The NIHR wants to attract, develop and retain the best health and social care professionals to lead and support the delivery of important research. There are currently over 10,000 front-line research delivery staff working throughout the NHS who are funded or part-funded by the NIHR. The NIHR Academy supports a vibrant community of health researchers from different professions, backgrounds and research interests.

Visit the NIHR Academy website

Research Degree Voodoo

This site looks behind the legerdemain and razzle-dazzle and shows the tricks of the trade.

This site has lots of resources gathered, or developed, as part of Dr Katherine Firths work as an Academic Skills Advisor for the University of Melbourne; and now maintained as a doctoral mentor and external supervisor, for sharing with you. It is regularly updated with lots of great tips on writing.

Research Degree Voodoo Website

Bloggers & websites we like10

40 Must-read academic blogs for researchers and PhD students

The link below will take you to a well collated blog written by Andrea Hayward in this blog Andrea provides information on 40 popular blogs by academics. Each listing gives you a brief idea of what you will find in the blog. Aside from being avid bloggers, these academics also have a prominent Twitter presence. For this reason, Andrea also includes one of their tweets at the end of each listing. We hope you like this list and find an academic blog that you really enjoy reading!

40 Must-read academic blogs for researchers and PhD students

Blogs by people living with a diagnosis

So many people are now coming forward and sharing their experiences, thoughts and feelings on life, having received or sharing life with someone who has received a diagnosis of some form of cognition problem or dementia. We love these blogs, and feel they can help Early Career Researchers in so many ways; reminding us all that there are people behind the experiments, helping us understand what is really important to people and carers living with the disease, and better understanding life behind the diagnosis.

Here are some of our favourites:

Living with dementia as well as I can by George Rook - www.georgerook51.wordpress.com

Creating life with words inspiration, love and truth by Kate Swaffer - www.kateswaffer.com

Which me am I today by Wendy Mitchell - www.whichmeamitoday.wordpress.com

Early Onset Alzheimer's blog by Linda Fisher - https://earlyonset.blogspot.com/

Sharing my life with Lewy Body Dementia by Wendy Ledbtter - https://parkblog-silverfox.blogspot.com/

Dealing with Dementia by Kay Bransford - https://dealingwithdementia.wordpress.com/

Listen to us by Martin Robertson - https://listentous.home.blog and workafterdementiadiagnosis.wordpress.com

Too young for dementia by Gail - https://dementiaalzheimers.home.blog/

Dementia by day by Rachael Wonderlin - https://rachaelwonderlin.com/dementiabyday/

Dementia Diaries sharing people’s experiences of living with dementia as a series of audio diaries - www.dementiadiaries.org

(please contact us if you have a blog you would like us to consider including)

Dementia in rural areas by Fiona Marshall

Fiona Marshall is a Senior Research Fellow working in Dementia at the University of Nottingham. Fiona is particularly interested in understanding the needs and experiences of people affected by dementia in rural areas - she is doing this via her 'Scaling the Peaks Research Study. We love how her blog shares her passion, but also works as a practical guide for anyone interested in work with and supporting a community to become more helpful and supportive of the needs of people with dementia. Take a look:

https://ruraldementiaresearch.com/

Explorations of Style – A Blog about Academic Writing

Explorations of Style offers readers an ongoing discussion of the challenges of academic writing. The ability to formulate and clarify our thoughts is central to the academic enterprise; this blog discusses strategies to improve the process of expressing our research in writing.

https://explorationsofstyle.com/

Nature jobs podcast and blogs

We have all heard of Nature, the massive multi-disciplinary journal first published in 1869, and ranked as the world's most cited scientific journal (I'm sure you will be published in it one day). Did you know that they also publish careers and jobs blogs and podcasts? This is work adding to your subscriptions, and we regularly cross link to their brilliant content

https://www.nature.com/careers

PhD Women Scotland

The ‘PhD Women’s Group – Scotland’ was created to be a supportive and encouraging network for women who are studying for a PhD in Scotland. This group was started they saw first hand the benefits of chatting about the PhD experience to women who are following similar (albeit never exactly the same) journeys. Read their monthly blogs to get insights, advice, tips and other support from fellow PhD Students:

https://phdwomenscot.wordpress.com/

Research Degree Voodoo

This site looks behind the legerdemain and razzle-dazzle and shows the tricks of the trade.

This site has lots of resources gathered, or developed, as part of Dr Katherine Firths work as an Academic Skills Advisor for the University of Melbourne; and now maintained as a doctoral mentor and external supervisor, for sharing with you. It is regularly updated with lots of great tips on writing.

Research Degree Voodoo Website

The Professor is In – Pearls of Wisdom Blog

Karen Kelsky is the Founder and President of The Professor Is In, which provides advice and consulting services on the academic job search and all elements of the academic and post-academic career. Over the years her blog (with lots of additions from fantastic guests) has developed into a fantastic resource of advice and guidance on topics such as 'How to do an interview', 'PhD poverty' and 'Sexual harassment in academia'.

https://theprofessorisin.com/pearlsofwisdom/

The Research Whisperer

The Research Whisperer is run by a couple of smart Australians and is dedicated to the topic of doing research in academia. They talk about finding funding, research culture, and building academic track-records. This blog is managed by Jonathan O'Donnell (@jod999) and Tseen Khoo (@tseenster) and is worth bookmarking.

https://theresearchwhisperer.wordpress.com/

The Thesis Whisperer

The Thesis Whisperer is a  blog newspaper dedicated to the topic of doing a thesis and is edited by Associate Professor Inger Mewburn, Director of research training at the Australian National University.

https://thesiswhisperer.com/

Clinical academic careers3

Bench to Bedside – King’s guide to careers in medicine, healthcare and sciences

Are you passionate about science and how the human body works and want to make a difference to patients' lives? Do you know you want to work in health but not sure which direction is right for you?

This new interactive video guide can help point you in the right direction by introducing you to the exciting range of health careers available, from the research scientist's bench to the patient's bedside.

https://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/bench-to-bedside/index.aspx

Health careers advice from Health Education England

Health Education England's website - Health Careers provides all you need to know about working in the health sector - how it is structured, the sort of people we need, where you might work and the the pay and benefits. This includes advice on how to pursue a career in healthcare whilst also furthering your own research and studies. For more information take a look at the various sections below:

Health Careers - Academic Clinical Fellowships

Health Careers - Clinical academic medicine

Health Careers - Career Planning

 

National Institute for Health Research UK funding

The primary source of funding for UK medical research is the National Institute for Health Research. They have a number of grant programme and studentships schemes which are constantly updates, for more information visit the links below.

NIHR - Funding for research studies

NIHR - Funding for training and career development

NIHR - Study support service

NIHR - Trainees programme

 

Datasets23

Care Quality Commission

The Care Quality Commission is the independent regulator of health and social care in England. It publishes inspection data on all healthcare and care settings, it also publishes a complete care directory with details of all care and nursing homes.

https://www.cqc.org.uk/

Compendium of Health Datasets for Economists

This Compendium of Health Datasets for Economists (ICoHDE) published by Oxford University, provides the largest collection of English specific datasets available for researchers interested in the field of economics of health and health care. It is a repository that aids the detection of data resources and provides support for secondary use of quantitative and qualitative data in research, learning and teaching.

https://www.herc.ox.ac.uk/downloads/health_datasets

Dementias Platform UK

Dementias Platform UK (DPUK) is a public-private partnership that gives free access to the detailed information concerning health, family history, and lifestyle for over 2 million individuals from over 40 cohort studies, including large, longitudinal population-based studies. It has been created by MRC to facilitate and accelerate the discovery of new ways to understand, diagnose, and treat dementia.

https://www.dementiasplatform.uk/

Diagnostic Imaging Dataset

The Diagnostic Imaging Dataset (DID) is a central collection of detailed information about diagnostic imaging tests carried out on NHS patients, extracted from local radiology information systems and submitted monthly.

https://content.digital.nhs.uk/did

EPAD Longitudinal Cohort Data

The European Prevention of Alzheimer’s Dementia (EPAD) project final dataset is available for researchers worldwide.

The final dataset is called Version.IMI (V.IMI) as it represents all the data collected and processed during the IMI period of EPAD. It includes data from its Longitudinal Cohort Study (LCS) that screened a total of 2,096 participants, collecting a wide range of cognitive, clinical, neuroimaging and biomarker data.  The LCS was initiated and the first participant screened in May 2016. Screening into the LCS was stopped on 29 February 2020. The 2096 participants who consented and were entered into the eCRF during the IMI-period of funding are included in the V.IMI data release.

To access the data, you will need to make an online request via EPAD LCS Research Access Process.

https://ep-ad.org/open-access-data/overview/

Government Data

All UK Government departments, agencies, public bodies and local authorities publish datasets. You can use this data to learn more about how government works, carry out research or build applications and services. These datasets include information such as road traffic information, government spending, education etc.

https://data.gov.uk/

iPSC Collection from Tauopathy Patients

Researchers can request all the reported cells online at https://neuralsci.or/tau. They must provide a summary of experimental plans, an institutional material transfer agreement, and a nominal fee to cover maintenance and distribution costs.

To find out more visit this article on the Alz Forum - https://www.alzforum.org/news/research-news/introducing-ipsc-collection-tauopathy-patients

JPND Database of Experimental Models of Parkinson’s Disease

This new, publicly accessible website is cataloguing the range of animal and cellular models currently available for the study of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and providing a forum for scientists to discuss the limitations of these models and how they might be improved.

The database provides detailed information on in-vivo mammalian models, in-vivo non-mammalian models, and some major cellular models. You may comment on specific individual models or categories of models and respond to comments already left by other users.

Why join the forum?

·         Discuss the limitations and potential improvements of current models with other scientists

·         Get the latest updates on the state-of-the-art of experimental models for PD

·         Participate in real-time discussion

 https://www.neurodegenerationresearch.eu/models-for-parkinsons-disease/

JPND Global Cohort Portal

The JPND Global Cohort Portal is a searchable catalogue of cohort studies that covers both disease-focused and general population studies.

The portal can be used to perform a quick search, refine your search with additional variables, click on advanced search to filter and you can also view cohorts in comparison to one another. Search results may be viewed in either a matrix or a list, and can e exported as a .csv file.

For more information, please visit 'How to use the Portal' or email cohorts@jpnd.eu.

https://www.neurodegenerationresearch.eu/jpnd-global-cohort-portal

 

 

 

JPND Research Database

The JPND Research Database is a product of the Research Mapping exercise conducted by JPND in 2016 and 2011.

It contains data on the scope and spread of research related to neurodegenerative diseases in 27 European countries together with data from Australia, Canada and the USA.

https://www.neurodegenerationresearch.eu/search-our-database/

NHS Data

NHS Digital collects and analyses health care data and information. It makes much of this data and information freely available. The data and information they collect can be used and viewed through the website and through bespoke tools. Access to published data is free, and you can also request access to data that cannot otherwise be made freely available, however this may incur a charge.

https://digital.nhs.uk

NHS Improvement Data

This practical, interactive guide is suitable for those working at all levels in the NHS, from ward to board, and will show you how to make better use of your data.

Measurement approaches popular in the NHS such as red, amber, green (RAG) tables have many limitations for good decision-making. You will learn that better decisions are made when data plotted over time is considered and the benefits of doing this by creating SPC charts.

Read more at: https://improvement.nhs.uk/resources/making-data-count/

NHS Information Services Division Scotland

The Information Services Division (ISD) is a division of National Services Scotland, part of NHS Scotland. ISD provides health information, health intelligence and  statistical data. Including information on dementia and social care.

https://www.isdscotland.org

 

NIHR Funded Research Portfolio

This dataset from the NIHR contains awards funded by the NIHR which were active at any time on or after 1st April 2011. The dataset is updated quarterly, and the export date for the first edition is 1st April 2018.

NIHR Funded Studies Dataset

NIHR Health Data Finder

The Health Data Finder for Research enables you to find information about the UK healthcare data sets that are available for research and to direct you to the relevant data custodian experts to request access to these data sets. The aim of the Health Data Finder for Research is to help you navigate the UK health data landscape.

https://ukhealthdata.org/

Northern Ireland Statistics & Research Agency

NISRA is the principal source of official statistics and social research on Northern Ireland. It publishes all government data, including data on health, social care, local population and the economy.

https://www.nisra.gov.uk/

Open Datasets List

Cameron Brick  a Psychology  / Communication Scientist from Cambridge University has started to a collate a massive crowd sources list of datasets. You can follow Cameron on Twitter here. You can find the ever growing lists of data sets from the google doc link below:

Cameron Brick datasets shared list

Stats Wales

StatsWales is a free-to-use service that allows you to view, manipulate, create and download tables from Welsh data. This includes information on patients, health and social care.

https://statswales.gov.wales

UK Biobank

UK Biobank is a major national health resource. It has recruited 500,000 people aged between 40-69 years in 2006-2010 from across the country. Participants have undergone measures, provided blood, urine and saliva samples for future analysis, detailed information about themselves and agreed to have their health followed. Over many years this will build into a powerful resource.

Preliminary applications cost £250, if awarded, full costs are calculated based on the variables you request.

https://www.ukbiobank.ac.uk/

UK Brain Banks Network

The MRC’s UK Brain Bank Network supplies tissue samples to academic and industry researchers in the UK and internationally. All brain banks in the Network have approval to provide tissue samples to research projects and pilot studies. Approval is based on scientific merit and also takes into account ethical issues (if peer review and ethics approval has not already been obtained).

Researchers can search an online database that carries details of all the tissue samples available throughout the Network.

UK Brain Bank

UK CRC Health Research Classification System

The Health Research Classification System (HRCS) is a bespoke system for classifying the full spectrum of biomedical and health research - from basic to applied - across all areas of health and disease.

https://www.hrcsonline.net/

UK Data Service

The UK Data Service is a national data service that provides research access to a range of social and economic data collections including UK census data and government funded surveys as well as qualitative and business data. Access to the virtual lab is free for academic institutions. This service also hosts several well known datasets created by the UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies including the 1970 British Cohort Study (BCS70) and the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS).

https://www.ukdataservice.ac.uk/

University of Aberdeen

The University of Aberdeen hosts a number of topic specific research datasets.  Including Aberdeen Birth Cohort (ABC1936) and Aberdeen Children of the 1950’s (ACONF), it also hosts the Primary Care Clinical Informatics Unit (PCCIU) the first Scottish Primary Care dataset, holding substantial data from around 200 Scottish practices.

https://www.abdn.ac.uk

Delivering studies1

NIHR Research Design Service

In an increasingly competitive research environment, securing funding to conduct health and social care research can be difficult and time consuming. Our Research Design Service (RDS) supports researchers to develop and design high quality research proposals for submission to NIHR funding programmes and other open, national, peer reviewed funding competitions for applied health or social care research.

NIHR Research Design Service

Funding opportunities8

CHAIN Network

CHAIN is an informal, multi-professional mutual support network in the field of health & Social Care.

CHAIN, (standing for Contacts, Help, Advice & Information Network), originated 20 years ago in the NHS Research & Development programme in England and has since grown into a not-for profit international online community of over 15,800 people who are willing to share their knowledge and experience with each other. The community includes frontline healthcare practitioners from all professions, managers, educators, researchers and knowledge specialists (see the latest analysis of CHAIN membership). It is currently funded by a consortium of stakeholders including the National Institute for Health Research, Macmillan Cancer Support, Health Service Executive, NHS Education England, NHS Leadership Academy and Alzheimer’s Society. Sister networks exist in Canada, Australia, Scandinavia, Italy and Spain forming an international pool of tacit knowledge and mutual support for health care professionals.

Recent developments also include the establishment of facilitated sub-groups focusing which includes Dementia and Improving Patients’ Experience.

Membership is entirely FREE and members of CHAIN get access to the network’s online directory, as well as receiving occasional messages which are targeted specifically to their individual interests.

www.chain-network.org.uk (Click on ‘Join’ for the membership form).

Charities and 3rd sector funding

In our funding opportunities page, we try to provide a comprehensive list of all the calls and funding opportunities we can find. However, there are some we might miss, and some which are freely open to year round application. A a number of UK based charities that provide grants and funding for dementia research,  here are a few places to look:

Alzheimer's Research UK

Alzheimer's Society

BRACE

Brain Research UK

Chronic Disease Research Foundation

Medical Research Scotland

Motor neurone disease association

Neuroscience Research Foundation

Parkinson's UK

Pharmacy Research UK

Rosetrees Trust

The Abbeyfield Research Foundation

The British Society for Research on Ageing (BSRA)

The Cure Parkinson's Trust

The Dunhill Medical Trust

The Florence Nightingale Foundation

The Health Foundation

The Lewy Body Society

The Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust

Wellcome Trust

Wessex Medical Research Trust

European funding

There are a number of funders of UK based research and researchers who operate outside the UK. Some of these fund student costs, PhD studies and full research grants.

European Research Council Starting Grants - you can also apply for these ECR grants from outside the EU, each country has a local named contact.

EU Joint Programme  - Neurodegenerative Diseases Research

The Horizon 2020 Programme

 

Health careers advice from Health Education England

Health Education England's website - Health Careers provides all you need to know about working in the health sector - how it is structured, the sort of people we need, where you might work and the the pay and benefits. This includes advice on how to pursue a career in healthcare whilst also furthering your own research and studies. For more information take a look at the various sections below:

Health Careers - Academic Clinical Fellowships

Health Careers - Clinical academic medicine

Health Careers - Career Planning

 

International Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias Research Portfolio

Our database brings together funded research supported by public and private organizations both in the US and abroad all categorized using the Common Alzheimer's and Related Dementias Research Ontology  or CADRO.

https://iadrp.nia.nih.gov/

National Institute for Health Research UK funding

The primary source of funding for UK medical research is the National Institute for Health Research. They have a number of grant programme and studentships schemes which are constantly updates, for more information visit the links below.

NIHR - Funding for research studies

NIHR - Funding for training and career development

NIHR - Study support service

NIHR - Trainees programme

 

Network of Centres of Excellent in Neurodegeneration (COEN)

The overall aim of the initiative is to build collaborative research activity in neurodegeneration research across borders, focusing on the critical mass and excellence. COEN is aligned with the broader Joint Programming Initiative in Neurodegeneration (JPND), although it operates as an independent entity.

The COEN initiative is based on a joint programme initially agreed between the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Deutsche Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE, Germany) and the Medical Research Council (MRC, United Kingdom), established in June 2010. The initiative was subsequently joined by the Flanders Institute of Biotechnology (VIB Flanders, Belgium), the Health Research Board (HRB), Ireland / Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), and the Ministero della Salute (MDS, Italy) in October 2011. The Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Spain) and the Ministry of Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic joined the initiative in October 2012.

 https://www.coen.org/

NIHR Research Design Service

In an increasingly competitive research environment, securing funding to conduct health and social care research can be difficult and time consuming. Our Research Design Service (RDS) supports researchers to develop and design high quality research proposals for submission to NIHR funding programmes and other open, national, peer reviewed funding competitions for applied health or social care research.

NIHR Research Design Service

Governance, Ethics & Consent2

ESRC Guidance – Framework for Research Ethics

This framework for research ethics, provided by the Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC) helps you to consider ethics issues during the complete lifecycle of a project and includes information and guidelines on good research conduct and governance.

ESRC Guidance - Framework for Research Ethics

Medical Research Council guidance on patient consent

This guidance from the Medical Research Council (MRC) provides information on planning or conducting studies involving people who lack the mental capacity to give informed consent about taking part in research. It also covers the use of personal information by medical researchers, including patient data for which consent has not or will not be obtained.

MRC Guidance on Patient Consent

Grant writing9

Dementia Researcher Grant Writing Content

Dementia Researcher has dozens of blogs and podcasts covering the topic of grant writing - take a look and get the support you need/

https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk/tag/grant-writing/

Dr Lisa Barker – How to write a good research grant proposal

This article from Science Direct, aims to provide a step-by-step overview of the process of applying for research funding and will be most relevant to either a new academic joining a group or a young clinician wanting to establish their own research.

Dr Lisa Barker, Science Direct article

ESRC Guidance – How to write a good research grant proposal

The Economic & Social Care Research Council (ESCR) is UK's largest organisation for funding research on economic and social issues. They support independent, high quality research which has an impact on business, the public sector and civil society. As a leading UK research funder, they know a thing or two about what makes a good grant applications.

ESRC Guidance - How to write a good research grant proposal

 

International Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias Research Portfolio

Our database brings together funded research supported by public and private organizations both in the US and abroad all categorized using the Common Alzheimer's and Related Dementias Research Ontology  or CADRO.

https://iadrp.nia.nih.gov/

Medical Research Council – 12 top tips for writing a grant application

Building grant writing skills is a great way to help secure funding. With experience of working with various MRC boards and panels, Dr David Crosby, Programme Manager for Methodology and Experimental Medicine, has a pretty good idea of what they’re looking for. Here he describes how to master the application process and make your grant stand out from the rest.

MRC 12 top tips for writing a grant application

NIHR Research Design Service

In an increasingly competitive research environment, securing funding to conduct health and social care research can be difficult and time consuming. Our Research Design Service (RDS) supports researchers to develop and design high quality research proposals for submission to NIHR funding programmes and other open, national, peer reviewed funding competitions for applied health or social care research.

NIHR Research Design Service

Professor Husain – How to write a successful grant or fellowship application

In this BMJ Journals article Professor Masud Husain from University of Oxford write on how to write a successful grant or fellowship application, looking at the key reasons for success and failure.

Professor Husain, BMJ Journals article

Research Proposal Template from ‘The Professor Is In’

A simple foolproof research proposal template from Karen Kelsey's 'The Professor is In' Blog.

The Professor is In - Research Proposal Template

The writing center

Article from the Writing Centre, helping you write and revise grant proposals for research funding in all academic disciplines (sciences, social sciences, humanities, and the arts). Targeted primarily to graduate students and faculty, although it will also be helpful to undergraduate students who are seeking funding for research.

Writing Centre - Grant application advice

Guide to posters and presentations4

Advice from BMJ Careers

Being asked to give a poster presentation can be exciting, and you need not be daunted by the prospect of working out how to prepare one. As Lucia Hartigan and colleagues explain, from the British Medical Journal explain.

https://careers.bmj.com/careers/advice/How_to_prepare_an_effective_research_poster

Colin Purrington – Do’s and Don’ts for conference posters

This blog by Colin Purrington is a great summary of what posters are and how to get started, it also includes links to other features that should help, around printing, design etc.

https://colinpurrington.com/tips/poster-design

Science Direct feature paper – Publishing your poster

This series was published in the annal of Medicine and Surgery, it includes three papers on how to publish a paper.

https://www.sciencedirect.com

University poster tools and presentation guides

Academic posters are an excellent way for early career researchers to showcase their work at conferences and meetings. The following resources provide practical advice on producing an effective academic poster.

Top tips

  1. Check the instructions, should your poster be landscape or portrait? What size should it be?
  2. Are you using the correct template? Your university will almost certainly have a standard template with logos etc.
  3. How are you going to print / display it? Check how long the printer will take.

 

University of Leicester –  advice on how to make your poster as effective as possible

Napier University – Lots of tips on how to design a poster, from the use of graphics to how to present it.

North Carolina State University – a helpful resource, including an intro video, with examples of good and bad posters.

The University of Manchester – advice on creating an academic poster, including some example templates.

University of Stirling – a guide to creating academic posters using Microsoft PowerPoint 2010.

University Plymouth College St Mark & St John – video full of advice and tips, presented by an E-learning Technologist.

Imperial College of Science, Technology & Medicine – a guide to poster presentations.

Health and wellbeing16

‘One You’ support for healthy living from the NHS

Public Health England's 'One You' programme, encourages everyone to consider their health. With a focus on smoking, drinking, eating, moving, sleep and stress. This website is a fantastic one top shop of resource that can help you. The first stage one be to take the overall health check-up quiz, and progress from there. They also provide a whole range of free Apps for Android and iOS, to help track activity and exercise, how you sleep, drink and eat.

https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou

Blurt helping with depression

For people experiencing depression, a list of resources to help arm you with information to help you understand more about it and some lifestyle changes which may help you including a mental health toolkit, self care starter kit and a list of more useful apps.

https://www.blurtitout.org/mental-health-toolkit/

https://www.blurtitout.org/2017/06/08/apps-help-mental-health/

E-Worklife Resources

E-WORKLIFE was created by experts in digital distraction and work-life balance to provide you with evidence-based strategies to support remote working. It builds on a decade of research into how to best manage our digital devices to support both the work and non-work parts of our lives.

https://www.eworklife.co.uk/

Guide to UK FREE Eating Disorders Helplines

Life Works - has recently put together a guide to the free eating disorder helplines in the UK.

These free eating disorder helplines provide people with someone to talk to as well as access to advice, information and support at moments when they are worried and feel that they need to reach out.

Living life to the full – helping with low mood and stress

Free online courses covering low mood and stress - work out why you feel like you do, how to tackle problems, build confidence, get going again, feel happier, stay calm, tackle upsetting thinking and more.

https://www.llttf.com/

Mental Health Foundation

The Mental Health Foundation offers a range of information to inform and encourage a greater understanding of how to look after your mental health, as well as an A-Z guide of mental health.

https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/your-mental-health/looking-after-your-mental-health

https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/a-to-z

Mental health foundation – Podcast series

Have a look at this link to download free wellbeing podcasts on mindfulness, exercise, diet, relaxation, stress and anxiety.

https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk

Mobile apps for health and wellbeing

Headspace have a mobile app which makes practicing mindfulness much easier! Helping you learn easy techniques that you can transfer from the session into your everyday life. You can sign up for free on their Take 10 programme - just 10 minutes a day for 10 days.

https://www.headspace.com/headspace-meditation-app

iBreathe is a mindfulness app for iOS that helps you stay calm and battle anxiety by sending you gentle deep breathing reminders throughout the day.

https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/ibreathe-relax-and-breathe/id1296605806

Emoodji is an app for iOS and Android created by Mind, designed specifically for students. Uni life can have its ups and downs, but Emoodji is there throughout. A fun way of looking after yourself, sharing with friends and supporting each other.

https://www.emoodji.co.uk/

Happify is an app for iOS aimed at developing skills in order to boost emotional wellbeing.

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/happify/id730601963?mt=8

MoodGYM helping with depression

Learn cognitive behavioural therapy skills for preventing and coping with depression with MoodGYM, for free.

https://moodgym.anu.edu.au

Need someone to talk to?

It doesn’t matter who you are, how you feel, or what has happened. If you feel that things are getting to you, get in touch.

Call - 116 123

https://www.samaritans.org

Self assessment wellbeing tools from the NHS

The NHS Mental health tools page offers lots of useful resources including:

  • Wellbeing self assessment
  • Mood self assessment
  • Depression self assessment
  • Mental health video wall
  • Lift your mood video wall

https://www.nhs.uk

Self-Management booklets (based on CBT)

Northumberland, Tyne & Wear NHS Foundation Trust has a wide range of free self-help booklets to download. Many are based on CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) based and cover everything from anxiety, self-harm and depression.

https://www.ntw.nhs.uk/pic/selfhelp/

Selection of free self-help booklets to download and audio relaxation techniques published by Manchester Mental Health & Social Care Trust. Their free self-help booklets are based on CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) and include sleep, self-esteem and physical activity and mood.

https://www.mhim.org.uk/resource_library.html

Moodjuice is a website designed produced by the NHS in Scotland, to help you think about emotional problems and how to work towards solving them. For people who are concerned about their mental health, carers and professionals.

https://www.moodjuice.scot.nhs.uk/

Silver Cloud computer-based therapeutic programmes

Delivered online, these aim to offer information and self-help support for students & staff experiencing problems. There are four programmes on offer to Students and Staff:

  • Space from anxiety
  • Space from depression
  • Space from stress
  • Space from eating issues

https://www.silvercloudhealth.com

Stress management and time management for students.

There are a lot of times in life when it is pretty normal to feel overwhelmed. Making a big life change such as heading to university for the first time (especially if you’re living away from home for the first time too), feeling under pressure during exam season or making decisions about your next move post-university are all times when stress can catch you out and make you feel like you can’t cope. University of the West of Scotland has produced a new stress and time management guide for new students.

Access the complete guide to stress management and time management for students.

Student Minds

Student Minds is the UK's student mental health charity. Their website features lots of really useful resources on a veriety of topics, including exam stress, student finance and university life through a family health crisis.

https://www.studentminds.org.uk/looking-after-your-mental-wellbeing.html

UCL – ADAPT personal development scheme

ADAPT is a portfolio of personal development schemes run by the Academic Careers Office. ADAPT aims to build a more resilient and risk-tolerant academic community through programmes targeted at researchers in various stages of training.

ADAPT to Grow - an innovative online coaching scheme for early career scientists who have not yet begun a PhD. This scheme addresses common concerns about navigating working relationships, recovering from setbacks and planning your future career path.

ADAPT Together - a peer mentoring scheme open to PhD students across UCL’s School of Life and Medical Sciences and the Built Environment, Engineering and Mathematical and Physical Sciences. Peer mentoring enables students to share advice and talk through problems.

ADAPT to Lead - an arts-based leadership programme run in coordination with SLASH Knowledge Exchange and Enterprise. The programme aims to enable newly independent researchers to lead teams with authenticity, integrity and resilience.

ADAPT to Thrive - an event series promote for early and mid-career researchers where their peers and senior colleagues share their experiences on how they failed and lived to tell the story. Taking risks and failing is an integral part of building a research career. The scheme aims to normalise speaking out about failure, reduce stigma and shift the perception of risk to promote new approaches to work.

Patient and public involvement9

Alzheimer’s Society Research Network supporting PPI

The Alzheimer's Society supports researchers with patient and public involvement (PPI) through its Research Network. Its volunteers play an active role in dementia research funded outside Alzheimer’s Society. They co-design research projects, sit on steering groups, take part in focus groups and act as co-applicants in our partnership projects.

Alzheimer's Society Research Network Information

Alzheimer’s Research UK Network Centres supporting PPI

Alzheimer's Research UK, Research Network is designed to support biomedical dementia research through the funding of collaborative science and networking to share findings and resources. The Network also serves to not only bring researchers into the dementia field but to disseminate research findings to the local community through annual Public Meetings.

Alzheimer's Research UK - Network Centre Support

CHAIN Network

CHAIN is an informal, multi-professional mutual support network in the field of health & Social Care.

CHAIN, (standing for Contacts, Help, Advice & Information Network), originated 20 years ago in the NHS Research & Development programme in England and has since grown into a not-for profit international online community of over 15,800 people who are willing to share their knowledge and experience with each other. The community includes frontline healthcare practitioners from all professions, managers, educators, researchers and knowledge specialists (see the latest analysis of CHAIN membership). It is currently funded by a consortium of stakeholders including the National Institute for Health Research, Macmillan Cancer Support, Health Service Executive, NHS Education England, NHS Leadership Academy and Alzheimer’s Society. Sister networks exist in Canada, Australia, Scandinavia, Italy and Spain forming an international pool of tacit knowledge and mutual support for health care professionals.

Recent developments also include the establishment of facilitated sub-groups focusing which includes Dementia and Improving Patients’ Experience.

Membership is entirely FREE and members of CHAIN get access to the network’s online directory, as well as receiving occasional messages which are targeted specifically to their individual interests.

www.chain-network.org.uk (Click on ‘Join’ for the membership form).

Engaging Care & Nursing Home Managers, Staff and Residents

The NIHR Enabling Research in Care Homes (ENRICH) website, provide information on how to engage Care Home managers, staff and residents in research. It can also support Early Career Researcher to find and engage these people through its Research Ready Care Home Network.

NIHR Enabling Research in Care Homes (ENRICH)

EU Joint Programme – Neurodegenerative Diseases Research (JPND) guide to PPI

 

Research funders recognise the importance of good PPI in the delivery of high quality research. This guide from the EU Joint Programme - Neurodegenerative Diseases Research (JPND) was issues as advice for anyone applying for funding from is previous Dementia themed call. A user-friendly guide on how to involve patients, their family members and caregivers, and the organizations that represent them, in research studies.

JPND Guidance for Patient & Public Involvement in Research

Medical Research Council PPI Advice Films

The Medical Research Council (MRC) Clinical Trials Unit and University College London (UCL), has published a number of films to explain what Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) is, how patients can become involved and information on the benefits PPI and the practicalities.

MRC Clinical Trials Unit PPI Films

National Institute for Health Research
NIHR INVOLVE supporting researchers with PPI

NIHR Involve supports active public involvement in NHS, public health and social care research. The website includes briefing notes for researchers on how to involve members of the public in research, advice around how to write plain english summaries and education opportunities.

NIHR Involve Website

NIHR People in Research supporting researchers with PPI

The NIHR People in Research website advertises opportunities for members of the public to become involved in research, and provides a service that allows researchers to who want to find members of the public to get involved in their research. This includes, for example, helping researchers by deciding how to prioritise research, offering advice as members of a project steering group, commenting on and developing research materials and undertaking research with participants.

NIHR People in Research Website

Peer Review1

Mature Peer Review Training

Free Peer Review Training from Nature Careers - For students and researchers in the natural sciences who are new to peer review or wish to refresh their skills

https://masterclasses.nature.com/online-course-on-peer-review/16507836

 

 

Social Media / Communications3

CHAIN Network

CHAIN is an informal, multi-professional mutual support network in the field of health & Social Care.

CHAIN, (standing for Contacts, Help, Advice & Information Network), originated 20 years ago in the NHS Research & Development programme in England and has since grown into a not-for profit international online community of over 15,800 people who are willing to share their knowledge and experience with each other. The community includes frontline healthcare practitioners from all professions, managers, educators, researchers and knowledge specialists (see the latest analysis of CHAIN membership). It is currently funded by a consortium of stakeholders including the National Institute for Health Research, Macmillan Cancer Support, Health Service Executive, NHS Education England, NHS Leadership Academy and Alzheimer’s Society. Sister networks exist in Canada, Australia, Scandinavia, Italy and Spain forming an international pool of tacit knowledge and mutual support for health care professionals.

Recent developments also include the establishment of facilitated sub-groups focusing which includes Dementia and Improving Patients’ Experience.

Membership is entirely FREE and members of CHAIN get access to the network’s online directory, as well as receiving occasional messages which are targeted specifically to their individual interests.

www.chain-network.org.uk (Click on ‘Join’ for the membership form).

ESRC Guidance – Communicate your research using social media

Social media can provide effective and efficient ways to communicate your research. Social media includes:

  • social networking sites (eg Facebook and LinkedIn)
  • blogging (eg WordPress) and microblogging (eg Twitter)
  • video sharing sites (eg YouTube and Vine)
  • photo sharing sites (eg Flickr and Pinterest)
  • podcasing
  • content collecting and curating (eg Storify and Scoop.it)

You could choose to use one or several of these resources, depending on the nature of your work and the time and resources you have available. This best practice guidance from the Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC) provides a great introduction for anyone who is starting out and planning to use social medical in their research.

ESRC Guidance - Communicate your research via social media

MRC Public Engagement

MRC-funded scientists are encouraged to participate in engagement activities. Sharing our research work with the public who fund it and the wider world is a crucial part of the MRC mission. This guidance from the MRC could be useful in supporting your work to disseminate research findings.

https://mrc.ukri.org/research/public-engagement/

Study Recruitment2

NIHR Clinical Research Network

The NIHR Clinical Research Network can can support your study and study recruitment via our coordinating centres if you have been funded by us, or via our facilities and the Clinical Research Network if you are a health professional conducting non-commercial or commercial studies, or if your research was funded through open competition or a charity partner.

NIHR Clinical Research Network - Study support services

Recruiting volunteers with Join Dementia Research

Join Dementia Research is UK wide service funded by the Department of Health and delivered in partnership with the National Institute for Health Research, Alzheimer Scotland, Alzheimer's Research UK and Alzheimer's Society. It has over 30,000 people registered who wish to participate in research studies, any researcher wishing to find participants for an ethically approved dementia study (including student research) can apply to recruit via the service.

Join Dementia Research

Study tools4

Explorations of Style – A Blog about Academic Writing

Explorations of Style offers readers an ongoing discussion of the challenges of academic writing. The ability to formulate and clarify our thoughts is central to the academic enterprise; this blog discusses strategies to improve the process of expressing our research in writing.

https://explorationsofstyle.com/

Oxford University Research Skills Toolkit

The Researcher Development Framework (RDF) brings together key skills, knowledge, behaviours and attitudes relevant to researchers, and it is used by universities across the UK to guide researcher learning and development. As a researcher, you can use the RDF Domains, Subdomains and Descriptors strategically to help you plan your learning and development, according to your career stage, plans and aspirations. Here you will find a range of resources that you can use to develop your IT skills for study, research and work.

https://www.skillstoolkit.ox.ac.uk/

 

Research Degree Voodoo

This site looks behind the legerdemain and razzle-dazzle and shows the tricks of the trade.

This site has lots of resources gathered, or developed, as part of Dr Katherine Firths work as an Academic Skills Advisor for the University of Melbourne; and now maintained as a doctoral mentor and external supervisor, for sharing with you. It is regularly updated with lots of great tips on writing.

Research Degree Voodoo Website

The Thesis Whisperer

The Thesis Whisperer is a  blog newspaper dedicated to the topic of doing a thesis and is edited by Associate Professor Inger Mewburn, Director of research training at the Australian National University.

https://thesiswhisperer.com/

Studying in the UK6

EU Erasmus+ Programme – to support education, training, youth and sport in Europe

Erasmus+ is the EU's programme to support education, training, youth and sport in Europe. Its budget of €14.7 billion will provide opportunities for over 4 million Europeans to study, train, gain experience, and volunteer abroad. The programme contributes to the Europe 2020 strategy for growth, jobs, social equity and inclusion, as well as the aims of ET2020, the EU's strategic framework for education and training.

Detailed information on these opportunities, including eligibility criteria, is available in the Erasmus+ Programme Guide. An indicative funding guide for some centralised opportunities is also available.

https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/

 

Guide to applying to British Universities and UK jobs from ‘The Professor is In’

Alice Kelly is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Oxford. Her academic training has been in the UK and the US, and whilst this has been in the field of English., this four-part blog series published to the 'Professor is in' website, provides a great guide for anyone thinking of studying in the UK, and for those interested in the field of Dementia.

Please, Sir, I Want Some More Employment: Applying For UK Jobs, Part I – The Lay of the Land

The UK Job Market Part II: Research By Numbers, or The REF

The UK Job Market, Part III: “I Beg Your Pardon, But May I Have This Job?” (The Winning Cover Letter)

The UK Job Market, Part IV: Interviews, British-Style

Health careers advice from Health Education England

Health Education England's website - Health Careers provides all you need to know about working in the health sector - how it is structured, the sort of people we need, where you might work and the the pay and benefits. This includes advice on how to pursue a career in healthcare whilst also furthering your own research and studies. For more information take a look at the various sections below:

Health Careers - Academic Clinical Fellowships

Health Careers - Clinical academic medicine

Health Careers - Career Planning

 

Study UK – Practical information and insight on UK education for international students.

Coming to study in the UK is your opportunity to gain the skills, outlook and confidence you need to fulfil your potential. Applying to study in the UK is a straightforward process and this website can help guide you through the process, and help you understand more about the UK student life.

https://study-uk.britishcouncil.org/

UCAS Studying in the UK

Discover why the UK welcomes nearly 260,000 students every year – offering world-class teaching, and a great place to live, leaving you ready for the global workplace. This guide from UCAS (primarily for undergraduates)  includes international guides, information on Visas, immigration and language tests and tips for international applications.

https://www.ucas.com/ucas/undergraduate/getting-started/international-and-eu-students/benefits-studying-uk

Visit Britain

Not only does the United Kingdom have some of the world's leading Universities, and Dementia research departments and neuroscience leading academics. It is a also a great place to visit. Before coming to the UK, take a look at this website for information on the different cities that you might  work in or tour.

https://www.visitbritain.com

Writing a Paper1

How to Write Research Papers – advice from Professor Shahn Majid

Professor Shahn Majid is a pure mathematician and theoretical physicist, trained at Cambridge University and Harvard and since 2001 a Professor of Mathematics at the School of Mathematical Sciences, Queen Mary, University of London. His simple guide to writing research papers has been used by thousands of early careers researches in many field.

How to Write Research Papers by Professor Shahn Majid

For those who are not aware of Professor Majid's work, he has a published a number of books, and his Lay Persons Guide to his Research on Quantum Spacetime is well work a read.

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