Innovative Magnificent 7 scheme continues to excel
Grants worth more than £5 million have been secured as part of an innovative programme aimed at developing the next generation of researchers.
Four years ago our Trust set up the Clinical Trial Scholars scheme, kindly funded by our Birmingham Women's and Children's Hospital Charity, to enable staff to develop high-quality clinical research. The initial seven scholars, 'the Magnificent 7', who were all based at our Children’s Hospital, have been tasked with generating more reliable evidence on the causes and best treatment of a wide range of paediatric diseases.
Research continues to play a huge role at our hospitals, allowing us to increase our understanding of illnesses, develop better treatments and test new drugs and equipment to ultimately improve and save lives.
Professor Jeremy Kirk, Director of Research and Innovation, said: “I’m delighted that such a relatively small investment has paid such dividends. The first cohort of scholars ‘The Magnificent 7’ must be congratulated for making the scheme such a success, with significantly increased numbers of grants and publications. As a result the scheme is now in its fourth year, and our Trust now has over 20 scholars, the largest number of any Trust in the region.”
The Magnificent 7 scheme was new and innovative when it was launched in 2018 as it provided dedicated time and funding for scholars to devote to supporting research alongside clinical duties.
The scheme has continued to expand and, as a result, has now been adopted by trusts across the country as a successful model for promoting clinical research within healthcare.