Clinical Research Training Fellow (CRTF)

CRTFs will hold a full-time contract with Imperial College London, located within an academic department.

HR contracts will be issued by the CRTF's Imperial College HR department and by the Joint Research Office (JRO), often coordinated on a departmental level. Where relevant, the funding body may also issue a contract alongside the award letter.

There are often a number of requirements, checks and different forms to fill out - trainees are advised to establish who their departmental/programme administrators are from their supervisors, to assist them with these tasks at both Imperial College London and the awarding funding body.

CATO trainee forums and meetings

During the course of each year, the CATO team organises a number of educational events and other activities which CRTFs are very welcome to attend. These are provided to disseminate information, present trainees with opportunities to ask questions, share information and encourage networking, social interaction and support.

CRTFs undertaking a programme of academic research supported by a funding body may be required to attend courses as part of the compulsory requirement of their funding award. A number of research-, personal- and professional development opportunities are provided Imperial College London, which CRTFs may find helpful. These are provided by the Early Career Researcher Institute (ECRI) (Old Graduate School pages) and the Education Development Unit.

In addition to their PhD supervisor there are other individuals who can help and support clinical research training fellows during their PhD's at Imperial, including the following:

Departmental administrators and managers 

Each of the schools, institutes and departments at Imperial College has administrative divisional/specialty teams who will be able to help CRTFs during their time at Imperial College. To find an up to date list of contacts, visit the Imperial College Faculty of Medicine web pages and search for the administration teams in the Departments section of the Faculty of Medicine.

Other clinical academic trainees and clinical research training fellows

Through the events organised by CATO and other occasions arranged by each specialty/division CRTFs will have an opportunity to meet and network with other trainees and CRTFs following academic programmes at Imperial. CRTFs are encouraged to take full advantage of these opportunities to meet and stay in touch with others who are in similar situations to themselves, to share experiences and offer and benefit from some peer support.