https://www.gosh.nhs.uk/our-research/our-research-infrastructure/nihr-great-ormond-street-hospital-brc/support-researchers/brc-events/nihr-gosh-brc-academic-training-weekend-2027/
NIHR GOSH BRC Academic Training Weekend 2027
6 Feb 2027 10 a.m. to 7 Feb 2027 2 p.m.
Ashridge House, Berkhamsted HP4 1NS
Registration fee: £100
Price: £100 + travel
The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Great Ormond Street Hospital Biomedical Research Centre (GOSH BRC) is excited to host its next National Residential Academic Training Weekend from Saturday 06 February to Sunday 07 February 2027.
The event programme has been developed with the aim of supporting attendees as they move towards becoming independent researchers by taking them through the different steps along the journey. The event will bring together early career researchers across the UK from with a wide range of disciplines, including clinicians, non-clinical researchers, nurses, allied health professionals, pharmacists, dentists, health care scientists, and any other appropriate clinical professional who are working to improve the lives of children and young people through clinical and laboratory-based research programmes.
This is a residential event and will be held at the Ashridge House, a Grade I listed building in Hertfordshire. We have space for at least 50 attendees with accommodation for Saturday night and food provided at a considerably subsidised cost of £125. There are a limited number of fully funded places (including travel) for those who would otherwise find it challenging to access this opportunity. Please indicate in the expression of interest form if you would like to be considered for a fully funded position.
Event details
There will be four sessions in the programme featuring talks and facilitated breakout groups. There will also be plenty of networking opportunities during coffee breaks, lunches and dinner on Saturday evening. Confirmed speakers include:
- Dr Louise Oni, Senior Lecturer in Paediatric Nephrology at the University of Liverpool and Honorary Consultant Paediatric Nephrologist at Alder Hey Children's NHS
- Dr Juliana Onwumere, Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Reader in Clinical Psychology at King’s College London and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust.
- Dr Conor McCann, Principal Investigator Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health
- Dr Gwyneth Davies - UK Research and Innovation Future Leaders Fellow at UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, and Honorary Consultant in Paediatric Respiratory Medicine at Great Ormond Street Hospital
- Professor Annie Topping, Professor of Nursing at University of Birmingham in partnership with University Hospital Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust
- Dr Nick Brown, Uppsala University and Aga Khan University
- Simon Cain, Westbourne Consulting
- Dr Elspeth Mathie, Reader in Health and Social Care Inclusion, University of Hertfordshire
Each session will be focused on a different step along the research journey. Information about some of the topic areas these sessions will cover are given below.
Session 1: Establishing your research group
- Securing funding for your research
- Building a team
- The benefits of a support network (e.g. Mentoring and Wellbeing)
Session 2: Maximising the potential of your research
- How to be an inclusive researcher
- Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE)
- Innovation and commercialisation
Session 3: Navigating the challenges of a research career
- Resilience - How to fail well
- The benefits of a support network
- Balancing commitments
Session 4: Communicating and disseminating your research
- Publishing your research
- Talking to the media
- Pitching successfully to funding panels
Following the sessions there will be workshops where delegates can focus on specific skills. The workshops will be focused on:
- Presentation skills
- Careers talks
- PPIE
- Grant writing
- Collaborative research
To apply
To apply, please complete a short online Expression of Interest (EOI) Form and email confirmation of submission to brc@gosh.nhs.uk by Monday 09 November 2026, 5.00 pm.
If you would like to complete this form in an alternative format, or if there is anything we can do to support you, please contact us at brc@gosh.nhs.uk .
For anyone who is interested in attending but circumstances make it challenging to access, please contact us to discuss.
Selection process
We are very much looking forward to bringing together child health researchers from different specialties and disciplines. All applications are welcome. We have space for around 50 attendees, priority for places will be given to those who are:
- Wider Healthcare Professionals (e.g. nurses, allied health professionals, pharmacists, psychologists, healthcare scientists and any other appropriate clinical professional) currently undertaking a PhD or have completed a PhD and are pursuing a clinical academic career.
- Non-clinical researchers who have completed a PhD and currently occupy a postdoctoral researcher position.
- Clinicians (including dentists) who are in the last year of their PhD or have completed a PhD and are pursuing a clinical academic career.We hope you are interested in attending the event.
The Event Steering Committee will review the EOI forms with the following selection criteria:
- Likelihood the attendee will benefit from the event programme.
- Balanced representation of delegates with regard to profession, career stage and location.
- Attendee’s interest in research and evidence of their plans to carry out research for the benefit of patients.
We will contact all researchers who have expressed an interest in attending the event by the end of November to confirm whether they have a place.Please contact brc@gosh.nhs.uk if you have any questions.