The School of Healthcare Practice’s Research Mentorship Scheme is supported by the Institute of Health Research and has been created to help academic staff develop research activity including their plans for REF2020/1.

The scheme, which is one of the largest across the University, enables each academic staff member situated within the School of Healthcare Practice to have access to an experienced, research active mentor. Mentors take a special interest in helping their mentees develop and maintain their research profile and activities. They can support mentees in a number of ways, including developing a research strategy, helping to transform ideas into research projects that could attract external research funding, time planning and management for achieving agreed targets, and advising how to boost integration of research into their teaching.

The scheme can help staff at any level to benefit. For example, a mentor may help a mid-career academic to to refocus, change direction or improve their research status.

At least one meeting per academic year takes place as well as informal contact between meetings. This provides mentees sustainable access to their named mentor so that the mentor and mentee can meet and interact independently in a supportive and friendly manner.

Mentees set themselves annual research targets that, with their mentor’s encouragement and support, they attempt to achieve each year (e.g. publishing one or two journal articles, applying for an externally funded research grant). If the mentor feels that planned objectives are relevant to the School and/or Institute for Health Research, and are achievable in the time planned, they are agreed and ongoing support is provided. To help achieve targets, if possible and viewed appropriate, research development may be supported by through available funding streams (e.g. using the School’s staff development funds).

Documents

• Further information -  REF 20/21 Writing Plan Completion Guidelines - DOCX 44.0 KB
• An Individual Research Plan - DOCX 15.4 KB - would need to be drafted before discussion with a mentor.