Training Event and Seminar Series

Who should attend?

Our training events are open to:

• Researchers, students, fellows, technical and operations staff, and healthcare professionals.
• Contributors across The University of Manchester and NHS Partner Organisations, and NIHR Infrastructure.
• Regional and national collaborators, including the Northern BRC Network.

Participation is encouraged across all levels, whether as a presenter or attendee, to support shared learning and collaboration.

Goals of the training series

• Showcase NIHR BRC: Manchester Research: Highlight the breadth of experimental medicine research and stimulate cross-disciplinary discussions.
• Develop Core Insights: Explore key themes such as innovation, digital advancements, patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE), and Team Science.
• Promote the BRC Mission: Raise awareness of our goals and progress across partners and the wider community.
• Foster Engagement: Create a diverse learning community and share development opportunities with staff, students, patients, and public stakeholders.

Upcoming Events in 2026

Digital Seminar Series

Autumn 2026
MS Teams

The series will begin with three seminars:

How Does Machine Learning Learn?
Wednesday 23 September 2026, 12.00pm to 1.00pm
Dr Jon Parkinson will provide an introduction to machine learning to anyone interested in understanding how modern AI systems work, and how these approaches can be used in healthcare data research. No prior knowledge of programming or data science is required. By the end of this session, attendees will:

• Understand what artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are.
• Learn how machine learning models learn from data.
• Understand why successful AI systems must be able to generalise to new situations.
• Explore common challenges in machine learning, including underfitting and overfitting, and how they can be addressed.

Register your place.

Towards Improving the Impact Evaluation and Implementation of Prediction Models in Healthcare
Tuesday 20 October 2026, 12.00pm to 1.00pm
Dr Glen Martin and Dr David Jenkins explore how prediction models can be evaluated and implemented effectively in healthcare, and how their impact can be assessed.
Register your place.

Wearables and Remote Monitoring
Wednesday 18 November 2026, 1.00pm to 2.00pm
Professor Sabine van der Veer and Professor William Dixon explore the use of wearable technologies and remote monitoring in healthcare research and how data collected through these technologies can support research and healthcare
Register your place.

Further seminars are planned for December 2026 and early 2027, with details to follow.

Research as a Career for Doctors: Opportunities, Challenges, and Impact

Tuesday 17 November 2026, 9.30am to 3.30pm
The Grand Hall, Whitworth Art Gallery, Oxford Road, Manchester, M15 6ER

Hosted by the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre: Manchester, in partnership with the Association of Physicians of Great Britain and Ireland.

This event will explore developing a clinical academic career and becoming more involved in research alongside clinical practice. The programme will include career insights, funding and fellowship advice, interactive workshops and opportunities to network with clinicians, researchers and academic leaders.

For: Consultants, GPs, specialty doctors and resident doctors, students.

Register for the event