Early research exposure at medical school and foundation training

Share this page

Link copied

There are many opportunities to engage in research during medical school and foundation training which can give you valuable insight into academic medicine, build essential skills and help you decide if this path suits you.

It’s important to remember that you don’t need to follow a set path or do everything outlined on this page to become a clinical academic. One of the advantages of a clinical academic career is its flexibility. The key is to explore what interests you and gain experience at a pace and in ways that work best for you.

Exploring academic medicine at medical school

If you’re curious about how research and teaching fit alongside clinical practice, there are lots of ways to get involved. You don’t need to do them all, just choose the opportunities that appeal to you.

Summer studentships/Vacation studentships

For many students, the first exposure to research, and often the most accessible entry point into academia is through summer studentships (also called vacation studentships), which offer funded, structured opportunities to work within a research group to contribute towards a project.

Studentships can provide a structured and supported environment where you can:

build foundational research skills such as data handling, literature searching, critical appraisal and understanding research ethics
experience the day-to-day reality of academic medicine
work closely with supervisors and research teams, creating early mentorship relationships
begin to explore your interests, whether that’s basic science, medical education, health policy or anything in between
develop your portfolio – posters, audits, abstracts or even publications which can be helpful for future academic applications

Identify areas you’re curious about.
Email potential supervisors early (November – January is ideal). Keep it short: who you are, your interests, your availability. Arrange a meeting if possible.
Ask if they have a project suitable for a summer student, many do, but don’t always advertise it. Similarly, some supervisors will build a project around a prospective summer student.
Look and apply for funding schemes. These can be internal schemes offered by your institution, or external schemes funded by separate bodies including charities, or specialty societies. Supervisors will often guide you on what is the best fit.
Clarify what is expected of you and your supervisor in the project. It’s also good to clarify the important tangible outputs at the start e.g. “Would a poster or abstract be realistic by August?” It sets expectations early.

These websites tend to be updated early in the application cycle, usually January – March. Keep an eye on the ones which may be right for you.

Can I only apply to one studentship?

No. You can only accept one offer but you can apply to multiple studentships if you want to. These studentships are competitive (particularly external), so applying to several may increase your chances of getting the best funding support possible. You are often required to disclose your applying to multiple studentships on your application, but this usually isn’t linked in any way to making a decision on who is awarded the funding.

Can I complete a studentship outside of my medical school or institution?

Yes!

Intercalation

Many UK medical schools offer an optional intercalated Bachelor’s or Master’s year focused on research or medical sciences and for some courses, it is a compulsory part of training. Intercalation is one of the most common ways for students to explore academic medicine. It provides dedicated time to develop research and analytical skills, work closely with academics and see how research informs clinical practice.

This extra year can be a valuable opportunity to find out whether research might be part of your future career, or to explore a related subject that could later lead to a PhD. While intercalation is not essential for becoming a clinical academic, it can give you a strong foundation in study design, research methods, statistics and academic writing, skills that will support you in any medical career.

Intercalation is usually applied for during your medical degree and typically takes place after completing three or four years of study. Courses are offered at different universities across the UK, so you may choose to spend your intercalated year at a different institution from where you are studying medicine.

After finishing the intercalated year, you return to complete the remaining years of your medical degree. On graduation, you will receive both your medical qualification and an additional degree, most commonly a Bachelor of Science (BSc) or Master of Science (MSc).

Intercalation offers the chance to pursue topics from a broad range of fields, including:

biomedical research such as microbiology or genomics
medical humanities such as history or philosophy
crossover subjects with veterinary sciences such as zoology or veterinary epidemiology

You can access a list of intercalation courses at intercalate.co.uk, which is run by Hull York Medical School.

Explore the datatabase

Intercalating offers valuable academic opportunities, but it does come with financial implications. You’ll need to cover tuition fees for the extra year as well as an additional year of living costs.

Student Finance

Most UK medical students remain eligible for their standard undergraduate tuition fee loan from Student Finance (or SAAS in Scotland) during the intercalated year. Maintenance support normally continues in the same way as for other undergraduate years, which means the tuition fee for the extra year is usually covered through your regular funding route.

NHS Bursary

Depending on where you study and what year you are in, the NHS Bursary may cover some or all of the additional tuition fees once you become eligible. This support varies, so you’ll need to check how it applies to your specific course structure.

Local funding options

Many medical schools offer intercalation bursaries, scholarships or hardship funds to help with the extra costs. These vary widely between institutions and application deadlines can be early. External bursaries are also available to support specific student groups (i.e. the Wolfson Foundation Awards) and are worth considering for your intercalated degree.

What to do next

Funding rules differ across the UK, so it’s essential to:

check your Student Finance entitlement
confirm NHS Bursary eligibility and timing
ask your medical school about any local financial support available

Your medical school’s finance or student support team will have the most accurate guidance for your situation.

“ I was most looking forward to learning how to do programming for artificial intelligence and I ended up doing two projects using AI. It was something I didn’t know anything about before and I wanted to get that basic understanding, which I did manage to get.”

Alastair Patefield, intercalated in MRes Clinical Sciences at the University of Liverpool

Look out for opportunities to take part in short-term projects, electives or audits. Even small contributions can give you valuable insight into how research fits within clinical practice.
Some students present posters or talks at conferences or even publish papers with supervisors. This can help you better understand the academic process.
Join academic or research societies at your university to meet peers and mentors.
Teaching is a key part of most academic careers. Medical school is a great time to start developing these skills, whether by tutoring junior students, leading small-group sessions or supporting peer-learning activities.

University Academic Medicine Societies

Most medical schools have an academic medicine society (or research society) that helps students get involved in research, regardless of experience level. They’re one of the easiest ways to learn about academic opportunities and meet people already engaged in projects. These societies:

host talks and workshops on research skills, audits, statistics and academic career pathways
share upcoming studentships, bursaries, supervisor requests and project openings
run mentoring schemes pairing students with more experienced peers
provide low-pressure ways to build your CV—journal clubs, poster competitions, small-group teaching

Make the most of your academic medicine society by showing up early in the year, one event is usually enough to see what’s on offer. Stay connected through their mailing list or social channels, where most opportunities are posted first. Talk to committee members too, they know which supervisors are supportive and what projects suit beginners. You can use the society’s workshops and journal clubs to build the basics before taking on a project.

INSPIRE undergraduate research

INSPIRE is a scheme coordinated by the Academy of Medical Sciences and supported by the Wellcome Trust that allows medical, dental and veterinary undergraduates to engage with research. INSPIRE offers funding to medical, dental and veterinary schools across the country to enable them to deliver locally designed activities aimed at informing and exciting students about the benefits and potential of a career in research.

The Academy of Medical Sciences is currently reviewing this programme but more detail can be found on their website.

Learn more about INSPIRE

How can I get involved in research as a doctor?

A recent BMJ feature explores how doctors at any career stage can get involved in research, from small, early opportunities...

Specialised Foundation Programme

If you already have an interest in research when you graduate, you may choose to apply to the Specialised Foundation Programme, previously known as the Academic Foundation Programme. The SFP is a research-focused alternative to the standard Foundation Programme (FY1 and FY2). It allows you to gain experience in academic, teaching and leadership work alongside your clinical training, often through a supervised research project.

Each foundation school offers different academic themes, such as education, quality improvement, global health or data science. Doctors on the SFP usually have greater flexibility and responsibility for managing their own time and academic commitments.

You don’t need to complete the Specialised Foundation Programme to pursue a career in academia and taking part does not commit you to an academic pathway. Likewise, you do not need to have completed an intercalated degree to apply to the SFP. There are multiple routes into clinical academia and doctors may explore them at different stages of their careers depending on their interests and goals.

The Specialised Foundation Programme is open to those applying from all four nations of the UK. The subsequent elements of the clinical academic training pathways will vary depending on whether you are based in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.

The Specialised Foundation Programme in Northern Ireland is managed locally by the Northern Ireland Medical and Dental Training Agency (NIMDTA) in collaboration with institutions like Queen’s University Belfast and Ulster University. They offer a limited number of SFP placements which serve as academic “taster” posts during the Foundation Programme.

More information is available on the Queen’s University Belfast website and through NIMDTA.

More information

Each of the four-nations manages selection to the Specialised Foundation Programme in a different way. Programmes vary in what they prioritise, so it’s essential to check the UKFPO website for the most up-to-date application guidance before applying.

SFP posts typically offer protected academic time during FY2, focused on research, teaching, leadership or medical education. Most applications to the SFP are allocated via main allocation (using Preference Informed Allocation, PIA). However, where PIA is not used, a local selection process will apply. See the UKFPO website for details.

Visit the UK Foundation Programme Office website

The Rough Guide to the Specialised (formery Academic) Foundation Programme is intended for medical students and foundation doctors considering an academic career. Academic supervisors may also find this resource useful.

Read the guide

Access the SFP

Access the SFP, led by academics at the University of Bristol, is a comprehensive guide to the application process to the SFP.

Application tips

Tailor your application and strengthen your portfolio:

Think about publishing some work – even a case report or audit in a student journal helps. Your work doesn’t have to change the world from day one!
Consider presenting at regional or national conferences.
Academic excellence, essay competitions or research prizes can strengthen an application.
Intercalated degrees are not essential but can be advantageous.
Prepare for the White Space Questions by focusing on:
- why you want an academic career
- evidence of academic potential
- teamwork and leadership experiences
- research or teaching involvement
If you are invited to interview, consider your research experience and its impact, as well as why you want to pursue academia. Resources to help you prepare for an interview are widespread online. This Youtube series by Dr Ollie Burton is an example resource that can help you prepare.

F3 Research Fellow Years

After FY2, some doctors choose to take a locally funded ‘F3’ year, which can be focussed on research in part or in full, alongside clinical commitments. It’s not essential but it’s becoming an increasingly common way to gain hands-on research experience before entering training.

During an F3 year, you can focus on research projects, teaching or medical education and focus on building your academic portfolio, including working towards publications, presentations and growing your academic network. Opportunities vary by trust and medical school, so check locally for positions and funding.

This information has been produced with support from Dr Robbie Bain, SFP Doctor in Northern Deanery and UKMED researcher.

Explore further

National clinical research career pathway

For the first time, funders across the UK have mapped out where clinical researchers can access funding at different stages...

Find out more

Pre-doctoral medical academic training

Pre-doctoral training is the stage before completing a PhD or MD. It is when you begin to build the skills,...