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 . 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 . 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 .
  • 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 .
  • 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 .
  • Digital Skills: Library Services offer a 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’.

  • Development Analysis: The University Graduate School offers  for enhancing your skills and assessing your developmental needs in line with the .
  • 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 
  • 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 .

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 .
  • 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  provide researchers with resources, support, opportunities and inspiration to help develop fresh ways to engage the public with research.
  • HEFi Teaching Opportunities and Training: The  offers an introduction to teaching and supported learning course for researchers with a limited teaching portfolio.  They also offer ‘‘, a 60-credit Masters programme to train staff on approaches in teaching and learning.
  • 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 
  • The Influential Researcher: Library Services offer a  to train researchers on increasing their influence by using social media, understanding research metrics and curating an online identity.