NIHR Oxford BRC 3-day writing retreat for NMAHPPS (30 Sep, 2 Oct, 3 Oct 2025)

This three-day writing retreat is open to all nurses, midwives, allied health professionals, psychologists, pharmacists and healthcare scientists at any career stage, working at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust or the University of Oxford.

It 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.

The retreat will take place from Tuesday 30 September to Thursday 2 October 2025 at the Saïd Business School, Egrove Park, Oxford, OX1 5NY.

Attendees are expected to attend all 3 days.

The core days will run from 10am-4pm, however you can arrive anytime from 8.30am to start writing and stay until 5.30pm.

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. The workshop will be structured to include regular review and feedback slots. 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.

Attendees are expected to commit to submitting the output from the workshop within three to six months of the writing retreat.

If you have attended this retreat previously, you are welcome to apply. However priority will be given to those who have not attended before.

Lunch and refreshments will be provided. There is plenty of parking at Egrove Park and bus number 35 stops outside. Egrove Park is easily cyclable from Oxford.

The deadline for applications is 12pm on Friday 8 August 2025.  There are 20 places available.

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 the line manager has given approval to attend
• Whether the writing project goal is appropriate for the three-day retreat
• Whether the stated objectives are achievable in the three days
• Whether the applicant can commit to all three days