Internal Courses at the University

The training and support offered by the Fellowship and Grants Academy is complemented by provisions at the University more widely. 

Courses offered at the University which are particularly relevant to early career researchers are listed here, organised according to the Vitae Researcher Development Framework. The Researcher Development Framework (RDF) describes the knowledge, behaviour and attributes of successful researchers and has been developed for doctoral students, members of research staff, people thinking of pursuing an academic career or thinking about applying the skills they’ve developed during a PhD for another career.

Researcher Skills

These training resources and events correlate to Domain A of the Researcher Development Framework – ‘Knowledge and Intellectual Abilities’.

  • POD courses: POD (People and Organisational Development) offer a whole range of training courses which are free to members of the University and delivered on campus, at Park House Annex. Courses include ‘Grant writing’, ‘Journal article writing’ and ‘Developing as an academic team leader’.  For full details of the researcher skills courses offered by POD, and to book a place, visit their webpage.
  • Master’s Modules: Researchers in the School of Medical and Dental Sciences can access master’s modules to enhance their skills in a variety of areas. Modules include ‘Global Health’, ‘Advanced Bioinformatics’ and ‘Leadership in Advanced Clinical Practice’.  You can find a full list of courses available on the intranet.
  • Research Methods training (fee applies): The Birmingham Clinical Trials Unit organises and runs a course in research methods for clinical trials, which is designed to help researchers apply the most effective practical methods to answer key problems in clinical and other health care research.  Further information about the course can be found on the Birmingham Clinical Trials Unit webpage.
  • Digital Skills: Library Services offer a wide range of training courses. These include courses on statistical software, databases and interactive lectures. You can also access one-to-one support though the Digital Skills team.

Personal Development

These training resources and events correlate to Domain B of the Researcher Development Framework – ‘Personal Effectiveness’.

  • POD courses: POD offer a number of courses to help improve your personal effectiveness. These include ‘Assertiveness for Maximum Impact’, ‘Developing Resilience’ and ‘Time Management Skills’. For full details of the courses offered by POD, and to book a place, visit their webpage.
  • Coaching Academy: POD also offers the opportunity to receive coaching to help you address a work-related issue or a particular skill through their Coaching Academy. For more details, visit the coaching and mentoring webpage.

Research Delivery

These training resources and events correlate to Domain C of the Researcher Development Framework – ‘Research Governance and Organisation’.

  • Data Management: Library Services offer a range of training and events on Research Data Management.   Further details of the support offered can be found on their webpage.
  • Clinical Research Training: The Clinical Research Compliance Team run a variety of training events at the University including ‘An introduction to clinical trials’, ‘Clinical research in the laboratory’ and ‘Delegation of Duties’. For more information about the courses on offer and to book, email the Clinical Research Compliance Team mailbox at crct@contacts.ac.uk.

Engagement and Impact (including teaching)

These training resources and events correlate to Domain D of the Researcher Development Framework – ‘Engagement, Influence and Impact.’

  • Public Engagement : The Public Engagement with Research (PER) Team provide researchers with resources, support, opportunities and inspiration to help develop fresh ways to engage the public with research.
  • Media training: Creative Media offers tailored media training to help you gain experience in TV interview techniques, creating succinct soundbites and much more. Find out more about their training provisions on their webpage.
  • The Influential Researcher: Library Services offer a Canvas course to train researchers on increasing their influence by using social media, understanding research metrics and curating an online identity.