Research Training Award

Health and Care Research Wales is pleased to announce that a new call for the Research Training Award is now open.

The round will close to applications on Thursday 13 February at 16:00. Late applications will not be considered.

Apply now using the Faculty Awards Management System

This scheme provides an opportunity for applicants to gain in-depth research methods knowledge, confidence and skills through the completion of a taught master’s level Research (Methods) degree or equivalent master’s level research training course in applied health and/or social care research commencing during the 2025/26 academic year.

The opportunity is open to staff based in NHS Wales, local authorities (adult or children's social care services), or in independent health and social care provision such as primary care, community pharmacy, adult or children’s residential care, or domiciliary care. It is aimed at those in the early stages of their research career (not necessarily early clinical or practice career stage) to support them to develop applied research methods skills that will in turn enable them to take the first steps on their research journey in health and social care.

The funding covers tuition fees and partial salary costs for applicants to undertake taught health or social care Research Methods or Clinical Trials Master’s level programmes. Applicants are required to make a strong case for the likely impact of the award on their research development and career trajectory.

Successful applicants for this award automatically become members of the Health and Care Research Wales Faculty. Being a member of the Faculty means having access to a range of learning, development and networking opportunities that are intended to stimulate and develop the research community in Wales. All Faculty Personal Award holders are expected to engage with the work of the Faculty. Applicants should detail how they will participate in Faculty opportunities, as well as how they will be supported by their host organisation throughout the duration of their award and on completion of their award.

Remit

The Research Training Award aims to support the pre-doctoral research skills development of prospective health and social care researchers in Wales by offering funding (tuition fees and partial salary support). This is aimed at any staff member of eligible employing organisations wishing to progress a career in health and social care research. The award will enable the applicant to undertake taught health or social care Research Methods or Clinical Trials master’s level training. Both full time and part time study options are available. Selected courses should provide all the skills needed to progress to clinical or practice based academic doctoral training. Any social care research methods courses must be Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) accredited.

Applicants must:

meet all eligibility criteria set out below
clearly demonstrate in their application how the chosen research
training opportunity will facilitate their research career progression and development towards research leadership

Funding is only available for tuition fees and partial salary support. No funding is provided for travel and subsistence.

What we will fund

The award will cover:

tuition fees for the course
salary costs of up to 0.2 WTE (1 day a week) for courses undertaken on a full-time basis, or 0.1 WTE (1/2 day a week) for applicants wishing to undertake the course on a part time basis

The award will NOT cover:

travel and subsistence costs incurred by any activities associated with this award
any other costs associated with your chosen course
courses where the applicant has already registered and started to undertake course work, unless these are clearly evidenced as being taught master’s level research methods training courses. In these instances, applicants are advised to contact the Faculty administration team to discuss their application and associated request for funding for the remainder of the course work or dissertation.

Expectations of Research Methods Training Qualifications

Funded courses should include at least 80 credits dedicated to taught health and/or social care research methods at master’s level. Research placements integral to the programme of work, alongside 60 credit dissertations, are also encouraged. Curricula should equip the applicant with all the skills needed to progress towards a health and social care research career pathway. The selected master’s level programme should ensure provision of robust formal training in research design, quantitative and qualitative methods (including implementation science), data management and analyses and regulatory and ethical frameworks for health and/or social care research. On completion of the relevant master’s level training programme, the applicant should be in possession of advanced research methods skills relevant to their field of study and be able to demonstrate their relevance and application to research in practice.

A list of courses that meet the expectations for the award are provided in the guidance. Please note that this is not an exhaustive list; there may be other programmes that applicants wish to apply for. Applicants should provide a justification for their choice of course in their application.

Eligibility criteria

The following criteria must be satisfied:

applicants must be in employment in NHS Wales, Local Authorities (adult or children's social care services) or in independent health and social care provision such as primary care, community pharmacy, adult or children’s residential care, or domiciliary care based in Wales
applicants must be able to commence their chosen course by October 2025 at the latest, applicants are advised to contact the relevant course leaders to establish start dates for the relevant modules
applicants must remain in employment with an eligible organisation for the duration of their award
applicants must have the support of their head of department or equivalent in their employing organisation, with any backfill arrangements agreed in principle prior to applying
applicants must meet the eligibility requirements of their chosen course (e.g. applicants must hold a second-class bachelor's degree, or have equivalent experience)

How to apply

This call closes to applications on Thursday 13 February at 16:00.

The application form should be completed using the Health and Care Research Wales Faculty Awards Management System. Please note that authorised signatories will be required to confirm participation during the application process, therefore, sufficient time should be factored in for them to respond before the submission deadline.

Assessment criteria

The panel will assess each application against the following criteria

the research interests of the applicant which demonstrate their potential as a future clinical or practice academic researcher
the applicant’s justification for the selected course and how the selected course will enable them to progress their research intentions
the applicant’s plan for a clinical or practice academic research career beyond the term of this award.
the support of the applicant’s head of department (or equivalent)

The panel will make funding recommendations to Health and Care Research Wales (Welsh Government). Health and Care Research Wales (Welsh Government) will make the final funding decisions, considering the strength of panel recommendations and available resources. These decisions are final and are not open to appeal.

Health and Care Research Wales Faculty expects to inform all applicants of the outcome in May 2025.

Further information can be found in the guidance notes for the call.