Specialised Foundation Programme (SFP)
Queen’s University School of Medicine, Dentistry & Biomedical Sciences, in conjunction with NIMDTA, offer twelve Specialised Foundation Programme (SFP) placements, designed as a 4-month ‘taster’ placement for foundation trainees considering an academic career in research and/or teaching. The University of Ulster will offer three Specialised Foundation Programme (SFP) placements.
(Part of the UKFPO Foundation recruitment)
Registration Opens on Oriel application system for applicants: UKFP 2025 Application Timeline
National Application window for SFP Programmes:
Opens: 25 September 2024 Closes: 9 October 2024 (12:00 midday BST)
The Clinical Academic Training Programme (CATP) was developed by the School of Medicine, Dentistry & Biomedical Sciences, in partnership with the Northern Ireland Medical & Dental Training Agency (NIMDTA) and the Belfast Health & Social Care Trust, as a pathway to provide academic clinical training opportunities. This programme was created as part of Modernising Medical Careers/National Co-ordinating Centre for Research Capacity Programme of Integrated Academic Training to address the need to attract and train clinical academics. There is an increasing need to equip medical graduates with the skills required to undertake basic and clinical discovery research and to translate the benefits of such research to improvements in treatment for patients.
Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) has an international reputation in academic medicine and the strategic vision of the School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences is to develop and promote a world-class, research-led medical community. Following graduation from medical school the first step on the Clinical Academic Training pathway is the Specialised Foundation Programme (SFP) (Previously known as Academic Foundation Programme), which is recruited to by the Northern Ireland Foundation School (NIFS) based at NIMDTA. Further information on the recruitment process is available on the NIMDTA webpages.
Recognising the need for the development of a cohort of appropriately qualified medical graduates, we are offering a research intensive, student oriented Specialised Foundation Programme (SFP) Year 2 Programme, with the option of completing a Certificate in Academic Medicine, that will provide high quality candidates with the research skills required to further develop their careers. These skills are of benefit regardless of the chosen career.
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Why choose the Specialised Foundation Programme (SFP)?
The SFP placement offers dedicated research and education time as a four month block and will enable the holder to gain insights into clinical academic medicine at an early stage through regular interactions with academic clinical supervisors, scientific staff and postgraduate research students.
This placement is designed to develop knowledge, skills and aptitudes for academic medicine and to foster interest in a long-term clinical academic career. As doctors joining the Specialised Training Programme you will be taking the first steps along the path of integrating research ideas into your clinical practice.
- What makes an SFP Different?
A popular feature of the SFP is the opportunity to carry out a research project under the supervision of a senior academic. In the Northern Ireland programme 15 SFP posts are offered and they incorporate a four month attachment to an academic unit where the clinician will gain experience of working on a research project (which may include a medical education project) and begin to develop the practical and analytical skills necessary to carry out research. The Specialised Foundation Programme (SFP) placement will also enable the holder to gain insights into clinical academic medicine at an early stage through regular interactions with academic clinical supervisors, scientific staff and postgraduate research students.
The combined research elements of the programme will be delivered within one of the School of Medicine, Dentistry & Biomedical Sciences research or education centres: The Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research (PGJCCR), the Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine (WWIEM), the Centre for Public Health (CPH) Centre for Medical Education (CME) and the Centre for Biomedical Sciences (CMBS). Thus, the trainee will be immersed in a scientific community that promotes enquiry and innovation, in a research culture that emphasises rigour and encourages excellence. This placement is designed to develop knowledge, skills and aptitudes for academic medicine and to foster interest in a long-term clinical academic career. The SFP trainee will be expected to structure their time in a highly effective manner and complete substantial portions of the programme independently. These programmes offer the chance to learn skills which will translate into a successful medical career across a variety of disciplines.
