The NIHR In-Practice Fellowship (IPF) offers academic training to fully-qualified General Practitioners, General Dental Practitioners and Community Dentists who may have already spent some time in NHS practice and who have had little formal academic training at this point in their careers. Applicants must be able to demonstrate that they have outstanding potential for development as a clinical academic in research or research linked to medical education. Training will be flexible and trainee-centered with structured supervision to ensure the attainment of academic goals. Continued professional development will be expected of successful applicants.

The academic component of the training period may include completion of a Master’s degree and the preparation of an application for a competitive peer-reviewed research training fellowship or educational research training programme leading to the award of a higher degree. Applicants who have completed a Master’s or an MPhil, and who wish to use the Fellowship to support a bridging period to develop a proposal for a PhD fellowship for example, are also eligible to apply providing the additional research training is justified and appropriate. From 2013 onwards, Academic Clinical Fellows who will have completed their clinical training and wish to build on their previous academic training to develop funding opportunities such as NIHR DRF fellowships, whilst establishing themselves in clinical practice, will also be eligible to apply.