News

Developing the clinical leaders of tomorrow – new partnership with NIHR

Importance of clinical researchers

Many early career researchers find it hard to build a career in the field of dementia research, including clinical researchers who face barriers to entering and staying in research. There are few opportunities to transition into leadership roles and a lack of coherent support. This has often been fragmented in clinical settings.

Clinical researchers can bring their first-hand experience of supporting and caring for people affected by dementia and the challenges they face every day into their research programmes to drive us towards a better future in a way that is deeply informed by the patient experience. These individuals are deeply motivated to rewrite the story for patients that will be sitting in their clinics in the years to come.  

They are vital for driving forward research that can change the lives of people affected by dementia and ensure treatments and care are effective for everyone.  

Clinical Future Leaders Fellowship programme

We’re delighted to be partnering with the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) to enable dementia researchers to join the first cohort of their Clinical Future Leaders Fellowship.

This builds on our partnership supporting the DEM-COMM fellowships, which NIHR co-funds with Alzheimer’s Society, helping to build the future generation of dementia researchers – ensuring the research community is sustainable and maintains its impressive momentum.

In response to recommendations from the Clinical Researchers in the UK report, commissioned by the Office for Strategic Coordination of Health Research, NIHR are working closely with the Medical Research Council (MRC), Cancer Research UK (CRUK) and the British Heart Foundation (BHF) to grow clinical research capacity and improve career paths through the Clinical Future Leaders Fellowship (FLF) programme.

The 7-year fellowship provides protected research time and leadership development opportunities to create future clinical research leaders. Importantly, the Fellowships are offered in partnership with contracting organisations who must commit to significant support including tapered salary funding and an open-ended position to be taken up during or on completion of the fellowship offering a more secure career pathway to these individuals. 

Professor John-Paul Taylor, Professor of Translational Dementia Research at Newcastle University and Clinical Lead for the specialist Lewy body dementia clinic at Northumbria Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust said:

'As a clinician, I see the challenges people with dementia are facing everyday – and something needs to change. It’s the reason I entered dementia research, and the reason I still work in the field. Ultimately, we must all play a part in changing the future for people living with dementia.

'Working on the intersection of healthcare and research, clinical researchers are integral for not only identifying but advancing innovations in research that will translate into change for patients.

This commitment from NIHR and Alzheimer’s Society to support the future clinical dementia research leaders of tomorrow is desperately needed to enable dedicated clinical researchers the time and position to excel in their chosen career.