For medical trainees, the NIHR Integrated Academic Training (IAT) programme enables individuals to undertake academic and clinical training concurrently at partners Guy’s and St Thomas’, King’s College Hospital and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. The programme aims to provide trainees with an outstanding academic training experience by embedding them within a setting of research excellence, underpinned by significant research infrastructure and a supportive training environment.

For 2024, King’s has been awarded the highest allocation in London, with 24 new posts. The King’s IAT programme has been running for 17 years and has trained over 350 clinical academics. More than 90% of previous trainees remain active in research. King’s trainees and alumni of the scheme have authored more than 9,000 peer-reviewed articles since 2010, and are principal investigator or co-investigator on research grants totalling more than £160M.

Last year, King’s Clinical Academic Training Office (KCATO) was established to provide a centralised pan-professional liaison and clinical academic training hub and act as a single point of contact for advice, best practice and information on academic careers, recruitment, training and development for all health professionals across all stages of research training. The IAT programme is now managed within KCATO, providing access to training, career development and community building.

Dr Rina Dutta, Co-lead of the IAT programme and Deputy Director of KCATO, said: “I’m incredibly proud of the support of NIHR in committing to a further 46 clinical academic training posts for doctors at King’s Health Partners in 2024/2025. The IAT programme is a valuable conduit to long-term clinician engagement in research and enables us at King’s to foster a vibrant world-leading community invested in clinical academic training.”

Professor Ajay Shah, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine said: “This outcome re-affirms the absolutely outstanding training environment and track record that we have at King’s for IATs based upon world-class research across diverse disciplines, closely integrated with our major clinical NHS partner Trusts and addressing the major healthcare challenges of the 21^st century. This training is the lifeblood of our enduring success.”