UKCRC/MMC Integrated Academic Training - The 'Walport Scheme'

This scheme, announced in the autumn of 2005, provides a pathway for the training of prospective clinical academics that is compatible with higher specialist training requirements. In order to enable a genuine training in research the pathway for a given individual up to CCT may take up to 10 years.

The scheme falls into three phases:

1. Academic Clinical Fellowships (ACFs) - three years

These are clinical specialty entry-level posts and require NTNs. They are available to candidates with appropriate FY2 and/or SHO experience for the specialty concerned. Trainees are assigned to appropriate clinical and academic mentors, the former will be responsible for establishing the fellow's initial specialty training programme and the latter the development of their research, which will comprise a minimum of 25% of their time.

The key aim of this phase will be to develop a research area suitable for a PhD project. In Leicester we will target fellows towards areas of research strength and require them to produce and submit a systematic review of their area of research for peer reviewed publication within the first two years. This will be a key step towards obtaining a full time research fellowship to support their PhD studies.

2. Research Fellowship (RF) - three years

Continuation in the scheme requires the fellow to win a full time research fellowship in their chosen research area. Clinical academic fellows who are not successful are expected to transfer to a conventional service oriented specialty training programme. The fellow will maintain a minimum level of clinical service activity to maintain their training status and is expected to complete a higher degree, usually a PhD. Funding for this period is external e.g. MRC or Charity.

3. Clinical Lectureship (CL) - up to four years

These are intended to provide 'post-doctoral' equivalent training and induction into other aspects of academic life combined with a defined route to completion of CCT. Lecturers must have a higher degree and will be expected to gain independent research funding. Exit will be to established academic posts (Senior Lecturer/Honorary Consultant), to senior research fellowships or to NHS consultant posts.

Applications submitted jointly by the University of Leicester, UHL NHS Trust and the LNR Deanery have gained ACFs and CLs covering a broad range of clinical specialties. ACFs will be recruited through the MTAS system and CLs later by specific advertisement.

The ACFs are primarily assigned to the clinical specialty concerned while the lectureships will be directly associated with departments in the Medical School. Our "Bedside to Bench" programme is generic and the specialties included in the bid are: Acute medicine, cardiology, cardiac surgery, clinical pharmacology, diabetes, vascular medicine, vascular surgery, and ageing and stroke medicine, respiratory medicine (adult and paediatric), renal medicine, medical oncology, obstetrics and gynaecology, child health, pathology, and microbiology. We also have specific programmes in paediatric emergency medicine and in forensic psychiatry.

Clinical Senior Lectureships

The scheme is clearly aimed at filling established academic posts with well trained 'RAE competitive' clinical academics and there is a contribution from UKCRC/HEFCE here. There is a national competition for 40 new clinical senior lectureships and a commitment to create 200 such posts over 5 years.

External links

• UK Clinical Research Collaboration (UKCRC)
• NIHR Co-ordinating Centre for Research Capacity Development (NCCRCD)
• Medically- and dentally-qualified academic staff: Recommendations for training the researchers and educators of the future - Report of the Academic Careers Sub-Committee of MMC and UKCRC, March 2005 (PDF)
• NIHR Integrated Academic Training

University of Leicester contacts

• Professor Nick London, 0116 252 3252, njm@le.ac.uk
• Lesley Green, 0116 252 5154, lag10@le.ac.uk