Image credit: Thomas Angus, Imperial College London
Welcome to the NIHR-supported Incubator for Diagnostic and Therapeutic Radiographers, a groundbreaking initiative tailored exclusively for radiographers eager to delve into the realm of research and innovation within medical imaging and oncology. Designed by and for radiography research professionals, our web pages offer a unique opportunity to explore, learn and contribute to research. We hope this will lead to the advancement of diagnostic imaging and radiotherapy techniques and improved care and outcomes for patients. Whether you're a seasoned radiographer seeking to expand your horizons or a newcomer with a passion for discovery, our incubator provides the resources, support, and collaborative environment needed to enhance your career. Join us as we embark on a journey to reshape the future of radiography through research, collaboration, and the relentless pursuit of excellence.
Please get in touch and join our mailing list by filling in your details here.
In light of General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) introduced in May 2018 we have developed our Incubator Privacy Notice which describes how we collect and use personal information for users of Incubator services.
Further Information
- What is an NIHR Incubator?
- Why an Incubator for Diagnostic and Therapeutic Radiography?
- Why do clinical research?
The NIHR Incubators address areas where there is a need to build research capacity on a national level. NIHR provides some funding to enable key stakeholders to identify the barriers that exist and to suggest and implement, where possible, solutions to building research capacity in a sustainable and meaningful way.
This initiative aims to encourage early career interest in target disciplines to build identifiable communities through networking and provision of bespoke training and development support. Incubators are virtual, managed across multiple sites and organised by discipline. They provide targeted high level career development support, led by experts in the field and supported by the NIHR. Incubators are bespoke to meet the needs of each area and are developing at different paces.
This Incubator is supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research. The views expressed on this website/webpage are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.
An untapped clinical profession academically, our Incubator aims to support diagnostic and therapeutic radiographers, ultrasonographers and nuclear medicine technologists to develop, drive, lead and support high quality research in order to improve health outcomes, patient experience and service delivery. Radiographers are ideally placed to address the challenges of ever-increasing NHS demands and new scientific advances, which have the potential to revolutionise care. Our Incubator will grow an inclusive, national network including student and NHS radiographers, academic clinical imaging and medical oncology centres, undergraduate and postgraduate providers, professional bodies, industry and NHS service leads.
The work will include identifying barriers to research involvement and, recognising the specific needs of different radiography roles, develop a work plan to grow the number of research active radiographers. Over the three year duration the Incubator will create a radiographer-specific programme of:
- research development opportunities
- toolkits and events
- mentoring
- career guidance
- increase the number of successful applicants for funded research awards
There is a clear need to address the barriers that prevent radiographers from engaging and leading research as well as provide a comprehensive programme of support. The award of NIHR Incubator funding provides an exciting opportunity for us to support and build research capacity in radiography on a national level.
Some of the best research ideas come from clinical practice. As a clinician, you can pursue research questions that are grounded in the day-to-day issues you face in your clinical career. Clinical research emerges from practice, and the findings and outcomes from the research help inform clinical practice and improve outcomes for patients.
What’s in it for you?
Becoming more involved in research and pursuing a career as a clinical academic will not only improve care for your patients and support the work of your organisation, it will also benefit you as a clinician – making you a more rounded health care professional in your day-to-day work.
Here are just some of the skills you might pick up on the way:
- organisational skills such as attention to detail and accuracy
- manage time effectively and prioritise tasks
- awareness of cultural diversity and ethical issues
- ability to obtain, receive, critique and incorporate advice
- ability to define the clinical relevance of data
- develop confidence, presentation skills and your ability to raise concerns more broadly
You can find out more about the skills you might develop along the way, and different methods of acquiring these skills in our Clinical Research Training Framework.
Useful links
Contact us
The CATO Team and Radiographers Incubator work on a Hybrid model, combining days in the office with days working from home – the best way to reach us is by email.
cato@imperial.ac.uk
radresearch@imperial.ac.uk
+44 (0)20 3313 7397
