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NIHR Oxford BRC three-day writing retreat (6, 7 and 8 May 2026)

Wednesday 6 May at 8:00 am – Friday 8 May at 4:00 pm

person writing

This three-day writing retreat is open to all healthcare professions (nurses, midwives, allied health professionals, clinical psychologists, pharmacists, healthcare scientists and medical practitioners) at any career stage, working at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust or the University of Oxford. Priority will however be given to underrepresented professions as defined by NIHR. If you have attended this retreat previously, you are welcome to apply however, priority will be given to those who have not attended before.

This retreat offers time and space to focus on writing without interruption. It will also help you to become more aware of your writing processes and use this to help you write more productively.

Dates: Wednesday 6, Thursday 7 and Friday 8 May 2026

Venue: Wolfson College, Linton Road, Oxford OX2 6UD.

Attendees are required to attend all three days.

Core hours will be 10:00 to 16:00. However, on days 1 and 2 you are welcome to arrive any time from 8am to begin writing and remain on site until 6pm. On day 3, the space will be available from 8am to 4pm.

Writing projects that could be worked on during the retreat include:

  • Doctoral thesis chapter(s)
  • Master’s dissertation chapter(s)
  • Paper for a peer-reviewed journal from a completed piece of research, service evaluation, quality improvement, audit, or literature review
  • Development of a research proposal for future application
  • Analysing data that will form part of a report or publication

We will provide a mentor to guide you with your writing. A librarian will be available to provide advice and support related to referencing and literature searching. To get the most out of the event it is important that you come ready to write from the very start of day one. Therefore, you will need to send your mentor an outline of what you plan to write, up to 3 SMART goals and the outcomes you aim to achieve by the end of the writing retreat.

You need to have your line manager’s support and permission to attend.

Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

There is no parking at Wolfson College. The closest park and ride to Wolfson College, Oxford, is Oxford Parkway (OX2 8HA). From there, or from the city centre, the number 2 or 2A bus (operated by Oxford Bus Company) travels to the Linton Road stop, which is a 5-minute walk from the college.

Apply here through Microsoft forms

The deadline for application is Sunday 29 March 2026. Please put a hold in your diary until you are informed of your application outcome, which will be on Tuesday 7 April.

The writing retreat is sponsored by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC).

If you have any questions, please contact Dr Clair Merriman at clair.merriman@ouh.nhs.uk.

Applications will be assessed on whether:

  • you fall within the underrepresented professions as defined by the NIHR.
  • the line manager has given approval to attend
  • the writing project goal is appropriate for the three-day retreat
  • the stated objectives are achievable in the three days
  • the applicant can commit to all three days
  • you have previously attended Writing Retreat

NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre