The Academy's one-to-one Mentoring programme provides post-doctoral and independent biomedical and health researchers with career development support by pairing them with an Academy Fellow.
In July 2023, we published an independent evaluation of our mentoring programme. The evaluation found that the programme is delivering tangible benefits for mentees, including by contributing to career development, grant funding, and promotions. The programme is also improving retention, by increasing the likelihood of early career researchers continuing on a research pathway.
If you are interested in getting involved in our Mentoring programme, follow the relevant tabs below to learn more about eligibility, the resources available and the support we offer to both mentees and mentors. Additionally, you can read what the mentees and mentors themselves have to say about the programme through case studies.
We promote an enabling, non-directive approach to help mentees make critical decisions through the developmental model of mentoring. Mentors provide a framework for making career choices and act as a signpost to information and resources.
The paperwork associated with the scheme is purposely kept to a minimum, however, the team contacts mentees from time to time to confirm that the relationship is active and working, and to provide support, where necessary.
We recommend that all early-career researchers consider finding a mentor to support their development; this may be done informally through meeting people at networking opportunities that you keep in touch with, or formally through mentoring programmes.
Our programme has funding to support people at some of the critical points in their career with mentoring from our Fellowship.
Who can take part:
The mentees taking part in this mentoring programme are biomedical and health researchers at the important stage in their research career of ‘transitioning to independence’. This means they have been successful getting a personal grant or a research position that allows them to lead their research.
Our mentoring programme started to support the awardees of a new grant, the Clinician Scientist Fellowship, in 2002. Since then, it has expanded to other types of fellowship and grant funding. We want to support researchers by providing them a mentor at the difficult career stage of setting up their own research programme.
Biomedical and health researchers holding the following grants and fellowships are encouraged to take part in the mentoring programme:
Our Cross-Sector Experience Awards applicants. All applicants get an invite to take part in the Mentoring programme regardless of the outcome of their application.
Clinician Scientist Fellows - our programme was started to support CSF and you can read more about the history of the programme.
British Heart Foundation (BHF)Career Development Research Fellowship for Nurses & Healthcare Professionals, Career Re-entry Fellowship, Consultant Research Awardee, Immediate Postdoctoral Basic Science Research Fellowship, Intermediate Clinical and Basic Science Research Fellowship, or Senior Clinical and Basic Science Research Fellowship.
Diabetes UKfunded Harry Keen, RD Lawrence, and Type 1 Diabetes Senior Fellows
Medical Research Council funded Career Development Award holders, Skills Development fellows, New Investigator Research Grant and Programme Leader Track positions, and Senior Clinical and Non-Clinical fellowships.
The Academy’s Mentoring programme is currently only open to these groups, thanks to the funding we receive from multiple partner organisations. Many universities already have internal mentoring programmes, and we strongly encourage you to make the most of your existing professional networks to find career support.
Interested in joining the programme?:
To start the process if you are a biomedical and health researcher transitioning to independence, please login or create a new account and follow the steps to register as a mentee. If you have any questions about the programme please contact us at [email protected].
If you would like to find out more about the programme and developmental mentoring, our free Mentoring Masterclasses provide information, training and support for eligible mentees and mentors.
Other opportunities:
To find out more information on setting up mentoring for your own cohorts, visit the start your scheme webpage.
All researchers are welcome to attend many of the Academy’s Career Development events, which feature inspiring talks from Fellows of the Academy and other more senior researchers, networking opportunities and the chance to enhance the ‘soft skills’ that support your research activity.
All Academy Fellows are eligible to be mentors. NIHR Senior Investigators and Research Professors have also mentored through our programme.
We provide eligible post-doctoral and independent researchers with career development support by pairing them with a senior researcher. Our Fellowship has a healthy mix of clinically trained and non-clinical researchers, who cover a broad range of research disciplines from basic science to highly translational research.
Many potential mentees ask why senior researchers want to take on the role of a mentor. Some of the various reasons that our Fellows give for taking part in the programme are that they:
Gain insight into the needs of early career researchers.
Develop a strong and enjoyable connections with someone new.
Have a chance to reflect on their career and give something back to the biomedical and health research community.
Experience personal satisfaction in seeing the successes of early career researchers.
Prospective mentees are asked to identify a senior researcher they would like the office to approach using the Academy's website. We provide a password for them to login, allowing them to view hundreds of ‘mentor profiles’. These profiles briefly outline the areas of expertise each mentor can offer through mentorship and are a great aid for mentees to identify senior researchers they would like to be matched with.
Interested in joining the programme?
To start the process if you meet one of the eligibility criteria listed on the previous tab, please login or create a new account and follow the steps to register as a mentee. If you have any questions about the programme please contact us at [email protected].
If you would like to find out more about the programme and developmental mentoring, our free Mentoring Masterclasses provide information, training and support for eligible mentees and mentors.
The Academy's Mentoring programme offers a tailored approach to mentor/mentee pairing. The process is led by the mentee, but the Academy's staff are available to help at every stage.
Getting Started: Login or create a new account and follow the steps in the looking for mentoring tab to register as a mentee.
Eligibility Check: Part of your initial conversation with us will be checking that you meet the eligibility criteria. If you're not sure if you qualify, please contact us at [email protected] and we will be happy to talk about your particular circumstances.
Choosing a Mentor: After confirming eligibility for the programme, you can look through our Fellows Directory.
You will receive an email with details to access extra information about our mentors. We ask you to select three possible mentors for nomination - listed in order of preference. Choosing nominations from an extensive pool of candidates can be overwhelming. We recommend creating a shortlist and discussing it with peers of colleagues. The Academy can also support you with drawing up a shortlist if required.
Once you have chosen who you would like to be your mentor, you will need to provide reasons for nomination and some wider information about yourself. We request that you try to make your selection within three to four weeks.
Approaching the mentor: Once you have completed a nomination form, we will approach the mentor on your behalf to ask them formally to be your mentor and explain a bit about the programme. You can also opt for a more informal introduction if you would like to meet them first before deciding if they are a good match for you.
Matching: We will get in touch with you as soon as we hear back from the mentor but, unfortunately, sometimes they may decline to be a mentor. This is usually because they are unable to dedicate the proper amount of time to another mentee. If this happens we will be happy to go back to your shortlist and help you identify another person to nominate.
Post Matching: After you have been successfully matched with a mentor you will be given information about making the most of your first meeting. As a mentee, you will be responsible for setting up the mentoring meetings. This is a light-touch programme, so you will only be contacted by the Office infrequently to collect feedback. However, we do encourage you to get in touch if you have any questions or concerns at any stage in your mentoring relationship.
Developing Your Skills: Mentors, mentees and potential mentees are encouraged to attend the Academy's free Mentoring Masterclasses, which are held throughout the year. These workshops offer practical tips for making the most of your mentoring relationship and are run by an experienced facilitator.
Interested in joining the programme?
To start the process if you meet one of the eligibility criteria listed on the first tab, please login or create a new account and follow the steps to register as a mentee. If you have any questions about the programme please contact us at [email protected].
If you would like to find out more about the programme and developmental mentoring, our free Mentoring Masterclasses provide information, training and support for eligible mentees and mentors.
The Academy has developed a number of resources to support both mentees and mentors, whilst also providing information about setting up your own mentoring scheme.
The reading materials available from the right-hand side of this page are designed to stimulate reflection and are a useful starting point for anyone interested in learning about mentoring. They are available to download as a zip file or, alternatively, each document can be accessed individually below:
Our free Mentoring Masterclasses are a chance to hone your mentoring technique discuss the challenges of being an effective mentor or mentee. The workshops are open to all current and potential Academy mentees and mentors.
These dedicated mentoring videos include vital information about the programme and how to prepare effectively to get the most out of your mentoring relationship. We recommend that all prospective mentees and mentors watch these vidoes before joining the programme.
How to work with your mentor
Mentoring matters for a career in medical sciences
For those who aren't able to attend our Mentoring Masterclasses, the Academy has held a series of webinars to help increase the accessibility to our resources.
If you are interested in starting your own mentoring scheme at your institution, we are happy to help you. Find more information about starting a scheme on the mentoring catalysis web page.
Interested in joining the programme?
To start the process if you meet one of the eligibility criteria listed on the first tab, please login or create a new account and follow the steps to register as a mentee. If you have any questions about the programme please contact us at [email protected].
If you would like to find out more about the programme and developmental mentoring, our free Mentoring Masterclasses provide information, training and support for eligible mentees and mentors.
The Academy's Mentoring and Career Development Programme has been running for almost 20 years.
The Mentoring programme is overseen by the Academy's Mentoring Advisory Group, comprised of Fellows, emerging research leaders and early career researchers with experience and interest or expertise in this area. Group members are appointed for two years, with the option to extend for a further year to ensure continuity.
Support from the Medical Research Council allows us to extend our programme to non-clinical post-doctoral researchers. The Wellcome Trust, British Heart Foundation, Versus Arthritis and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy are supporting mentoring and training to our applicants and award holders through theSpringboard and Starter Grants for Clinical Lecturersschemes.
The Mentoring programme was initiated by substantial core funding from the Department of Health and Social Care, and until the end of this year, we partnered with the National Institute for Health Research to provide mentoring for some of their Academy members.
We have also had support from Health and Care Research Wales, NHS Education for Scotland and Queen's University Belfast to provide support for clinical academics across the UK. GlaxoSmithKline supports mentoring for academic clinicians in its own university research units.
Mentoring Resources