These NIHR ARC NWC Innovation Internship opportunities have been developed to address some of the specific needs our member organisations have in relation to incorporating innovation into health and social care settings.

Have you got an idea for activity that could support improvements in health and social care? Have you identified a solution and want to explore how to bring it to life? Do you want to explore the evidence base behind innovations that are applicable to your work systems? Do you need time and access to expertise to develop funding applications to support innovative problem solving in your organisation?

If you answered yes to any of the above, these internships could be for you. These internships are for individuals who have an idea or are working on research, or an invention, or process delivery improvement that has the potential to improve or create new approaches, practices, treatments, technologies, or services to health or social care delivery. They will provide opportunities to work with and learn from experts who can help your innovation journey including: how to de-risk and add value to your ideas and how to navigate through innovation pathways including intellectual property processes.

We are particularly interested in applications relating to social care as we have additional funding for them.

These internships are open to any individuals employed by our member organisations, except those in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Please consult the list of ARC NWC Members to see if you are eligible.

An internship involves release from the workplace for a day a week, for up to a year to carry out a project. Prior formal innovation training experience is not a pre-requisite to application as individuals at all levels will be considered. However, all applicants will require:
• a strong interest in innovation,
• commitment to the programme (including an end of internship presentation),
• full managerial support, and
• the ability to attend the supervisory meetings and training sessions.

Internships can focus on any topic but must adhere to the following key principles:
• align with an ARC NWC Theme,
• address a regional or national priority,
• aim to improve health and social care delivery or gather evidence about how the innovation leads to better outcomes for patients and staff,
• involve co-production with patients/service users, and
• consider health inequalities (applicants should refer to the FOR-EQUITY webpage when considering the health inequality aspects of their applications).

There are three types of internship being offered:

1. Innovation Research / Evaluation Project
Designed to support individuals to undertake a small-scale project addressing an element of innovation through research and evaluation. There will not be scope within these internships for development of an innovation.

2. Knowledge Mobilisation Fellowship or Grant Application Development
Preparation of a robust application to a relevant funding call at the end of the internship. Knowledge mobilisation fellowships are funded through schemes such as the NIHR Career Development Schemes. We are aware there are multiple funding streams within this arena so please contact us to discuss whether these internships can be used to support an application to an identified funding stream.

3. SIFT-IT (Summary of Information for Technology, Innovation, and Transformation
Supports the development of relevant, accessible summaries of existing evidence and an implementation plan to bring the innovation into organisational practice. These internship provide an opportunity to complete a masters level module to support implementation of evidenced innovation into practice.

The next deadlines for these internships are Monday 16th September 2024 at 5pm (SIFT-IT and Knowledge Mobilisation Fellowship or Grant Application Development) and Monday 13th January 2025 (Innovation Research / Evaluation Project) at 5pm.

For all types of internships, salary back-fill (a payment of £6000) will be provided to the intern’s employing organisation to assist with time release. During their internship, interns will receive supervisory and access to other expert advice and support (such as Health Innovation North West Coast). Interns will be expected to attend a series of training days to support development of knowledge and skills related to both innovation and research. Interns will also have the benefit of working alongside other interns and experts throughout the programme in a multidisciplinary environment.

It is recommended that anyone interested in these opportunities contacts the capacity-building team via arcnwc@uclan.ac.uk for more information or an application form. Please specify which kind of internship you are interested in. The team are happy to discuss whether and how your ideas could be supported under these internship schemes before the application stage. Where projects are not deemed eligible for these specific schemes, we will where possible identify and signpost you to other potential opportunities.

Applications will be reviewed by a panel for suitability. Assessment will be based on relevance and usefulness to the member organisation. All applications must meet all the ARC criteria. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to interview in which they will be expected to give a 5-minute presentation around their plan for the internship.

As these internships are brand new we currently have no case studies to highlight what could be achieved within them but like our other established internship schemes there is scope and flexibility to support a range of individuals and areas so please do get in touch to discuss the options.