Radiographers Incubator

“Therapeutic and diagnostic radiographers have the skills and knowledge to deliver and lead high quality research to improve outcomes, patient experience and the delivery of care.” Helen McNair, Professor of Translational Therapeutic Radiography (image credit: Sam Mellish)

Image credit: Thomas Angus, Imperial College London

Heidi Probst, MBE, Professor of Radiotherapy and Oncology (image credit: Andy Brown, Sheffield)

Welcome to the NIHR-supported Diagnostic and Therapeutic Radiographers Incubator, 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 emailing radresearch@imperial.ac.uk

What is an NIHR Incubator?

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.

Why an Incubator for Diagnostic and Therapeutic Radiography?

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.

Why do clinical research?

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 - please email radresearch@imperial.ac.uk to request a copy.