Find out more about the NIHR / HEE Integrated Clinical Academic Programme

The Health Education England (HEE) and National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Integrated Clinical Academic (ICA) Programme provides personal research training awards for healthcare professionals (excluding doctors and dentists) who wish to develop careers that combine clinical research and research leadership with continued clinical practice and clinical development. Applicants must belong to one of the eligible professions.

The new ICA Programme is replacing the previous Clinical Academic Training (CAT) and Healthcare Science Research Fellowships programmes.

Five levels of award are available, each requiring the support of clinical and academic host organisations, which together form a career pathway for aspiring and developing non-medical clinical academics:

Doctoral and Post-Doctoral award holders are also eligible for ICA Programme-funded mentorship support through the ICA Mentorship and Outreach Programme.

NIHR Training Co-ordinator Centre (TCC) has  been working with Health Education England (HEE) to create a short informative animation about research opportunities available as part of the Clinical Academic Career pathway, including the new ICA programme.

The video aims to promote and explain how NIHR TCC is building the capacity and capability of the current and future workforce to embrace and actively engage with research. It is aimed at all healthcare professionals that may be considering a clinical academic career.