Capacity Development

Workstream leads

Main location of work

The Capacity Development workstream builds mental health research capacity across the UK and supports the MH-TRC workstreams: Children and Young People’s Mental Health, Data and Digital, Early Psychosis, Mood Disorders and the two demonstrator sites Mental Health Research for Innovation Centre (M-RIC) based at Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Liverpool, along with the Midlands Translational Centre (MTC), based at the University of Birmingham, to help them deliver their objectives.

Workstream overview

Capacity development is dedicated to expanding and strengthening the mental health research community. Through fostering interdisciplinary collaboration between academia and industry alongside supporting researchers at critical points in their careers, the workstream aims to ensure the mental health research community has the resources and opportunities needed to create impact.

Why the work is important

The current mental health research landscape face significant challenges. A scoping report highlighted limited research training and funding lack of mental health researchers, limited cross-sector collaboration and competing demands between service delivery and research opportunities are just some of the barriers delaying mental health research progress.

This is why capacity development is at the centre of the MH-TRC Mission. As a workstream, it is a dynamic multi-level intervention with the common goal of enabling “more research done well” to contribute a real-world difference to the mental health landscape.

Aim

The aim of this workstream is to build mental health research capacity, enhance research capability across the UK and enable the delivery of objectives aligned to industry requirements and MH-TRC Mission outputs. The main activity focus is to increase the critical mass of the mental health workforce and create bespoke training packages to improve the mental health workforce. The aim of the bespoke training and learning opportunities is to equip researchers with skills, knowledge and support needed to conduct high-quality and impactful research that advances mental health care and meets the evolving demands of the sector.

Planned work packages

• Work package 1: Scoping review of the research capacity interventions across the MH-TRC Mission – supporting the training needs of the workstreams and demonstrator sites to deliver ambitious programmes of industry supported work in each specialist area. See PDF: MHM Capacity Development Scoping Report
• Work package 2: Increasing research active mental health workforce – to increase the number of research active clinicians able to deliver early phase industry supported studies across the UK
• Work package 3: Enhancing capability of the research workforce – to enhance the capability of the mental health workforce and support the activities of other workstreams.

Patient and public involvement, engagement, and participation (PPIEP)

The Capacity Development workstream has PPIEP representation on their Oversight Committee and Research Funding Awards Panel to make sure that PPIEP steer is accounted for in their strategic decisions.

Increasing research capacity

This workstream works closely with other partners, including Royal College of Psychiatrists and the NIHR Incubator for Mental Health Research, to facilitate the dissemination of capacity building initiatives and training and development opportunities.

The Capacity Development workstream offers the GROW Researcher Development Programme, a bespoke career development programme open to and designed for MH-TRC Mission early career researchers. The Programme is free to attend and is delivered by the NIHR Incubator for Mental Health Research team with contributions from MH-TRC Mission researchers.

More details about ongoing Capacity Development workstream initiatives can be requested at: MHM-Capacity@manchester.ac.uk.