The Early Career Researcher Institute (ECRI) is pleased to open applications for the 2026-27 ECRI as Programme Partners (EPP) scheme. This exciting developmental opportunity will give you the opportunity to become an ECR Programme Partner, engage with our Learning and Development provision and shape its design and delivery.
Becoming an ECR Programme Partner
ECRI’s Learning and Development provision is split into twelve distinct areas, each of which has one or two Programme Leader(s). As such, there are eleven ECR Programme Partner opportunities available as follows:
- Developing Leadership
- Personal and Professional Effectiveness
- Planning your career
- Applications in and beyond academia
- Research funding and how to apply
- Managing your research
- Research Communication
- Research Impact and Knowledge Exchange
- Research Integrity, Ethics and Sustainability
- GTAs and Teaching
- Cornerstone
- Research Computing and Data Science
You will find the list of courses under each programme on our website.
The Role
ECR Programme Partners will be required to collaborate with the corresponding ECRI Programme Leader(s). An overview of some of the types of engagement expected, is as follows,
- Assist with co-commissioning the programme
- Assist with co-design of courses
- Where appropriate, contribute towards co-delivery of workshops
- Assist with co-assessing the outcome of the course review
Information about the roles and responsibilities and the ECRI Programme Leads, can be found on the ECRs as Partners webpages.
Who Can Apply
ECRI Programme Partner (EPP) opportunities will become available on an annual basis and usually two EPPs will be recruited to each of the eleven programme areas.
The scheme is open to Doctoral Level students, Postdocs and Fellows only (ECRs are required to have funding until 31st December 2027) .
Doctoral student EPPs will be supported for their contribution via a bursary top-up of £1000, which will be paid in equal monthly instalments over the course of the appointment (i.e.10 payments of £100 each).
All EPPs are expected to have completed the core Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) modules/Educational Development Unit (EDU) Training/equivalent qualifications from prior institutions:
- Introduction to Learning and Teaching (ECRI) or Teaching for learning (EDU)
- Introduction to Assessment and Feedback for Learning (ECRI) or Assessment for Active Learning (EDU)
Further details on eligibility criteria can be found on the ECRs as Partners webpages.
How to apply
ECRs wishing to apply for these opportunities are strongly advised to read the additional information included on the ECR Partners webpage before completing the online application form.
The application deadline is Friday 04 September 2026 (17:00).
Any additional queries, please contact the Manager of ECRI Administration, ecri@imperial.ac.uk.
Please note, after applying, you may be contacted by a member of the ECRI Team for an informal conversation about the role.
Testimonials from Previous Programme Partners
I found this a very rewarding role, I learned about how courses are designed and how educational feedback is assessed in a professional way. Getting to teach at workshops was a highlight and I had a great connection with my mentor, who taught me a lot about the teaching philosophies.
I thoroughly enjoyed being a part of this initiative!
It’s been a great experience, I would definitely recommend it to others. I think it’s had a really positive impact on the programme.
It has been a privilege and a pleasure to work with ECRI and it makes me happy to think I might have contributed to our community through this experience.
I really enjoyed and valued my time as an EPP. I learned a lot about teaching from the teacher’s point of view, such as how impact is assessed and what standards are expected at Imperial. My mentor took my suggestions seriously and gave me the opportunity to add new content to the existing workshops, and help develop new content from a student perspective.