Research Capacity Building

We support members of the health and social care workforce and academic staff across North West Coast to develop research skills and advance in research careers. We do this by providing a range of training opportunities and bespoke support. We hold regular on-line information sessions where people can come and talk to our expert staff who will help them identify the right opportunity for them. No prior research experience is necessary.

Research Capacity Building Opportunities

The ARC NWC Research Capacity Building Programme is delivered by experienced researchers from the Research Evaluation and Collaboration for Translation Team (REACT), Applied Health Research Hub, at the University of Lancashire in Preston. The Research Capacity Building Programme Manager is Dr Kathryn Berzins, the Internship Programme Lead is Dr Scott Lamont and PhD lead is Colette Miller.

Internship programme

ARC NWC internships provide opportunities for employees of our partner organisations interested in developing research skills or progressing their research career. No previous experience is necessary. Internships types include:

Research or innovation project: Undertake a small scale research project with academic supervision.

NIHR fellowship application: Support to apply for pre-doctoral, doctoral, or advanced fellowships.

Rapid conversion of evidence summaries: Produce a summary of existing evidence to inform service delivery (not available until September 2027)

Knowledge mobilisation: Support to deliver a project translating research into practice.

All internships include:

Day release for one day a week for up to 12 months supported by £6,300 salary backfill, as well as research project costs of up to £2,000.

Access to introductory research methods training or a range of Master’s degree modules.

Expert academic supervision from one of our North West Coast partner universities.

Further opportunities

PHD studentships: ARC NWC offers funded full time PhD studentships linked to our research themes across our five universities. Students receive fees, a stipend and academic supervision. (Led by Colette Miller).

Fellowships: ARC NWC Fellowships support staff in partner organisations to develop bids for external research funding. An award of £14,000 pays for staff time and research costs.

Mentorship: ARC NWC mentorship scheme matches researchers with more experienced colleagues to support their development.

Leadership development: Researchers are supported to develop research leadership and management skills to collaborate with and influence others.

All our programmes align with ARC NWC research themes that reflect the needs of our local population.

Please get in touch with us at arcnwc@lancashire.ac.uk for enquiries.