Rapid Evidence Conversion Summaries (RaCES) internships support the development of academic writing skills and understanding of systematic reviews. RaCES interns produce a clinically relevant, accessible summary of an existing systematic review and an implementation plan to introduce the evidence into practice. As part of the internship, interns are supported to complete a postgraduate masters module “Improving the delivery of services through implementation science” at the University of Lancashire (delivered online May – July annually)and are supported with disseminating their research outputs within their organisation and more widely, for example publishing their summary in an academic journal. More information and an overview of the stages involved in a RaCES project can be accessed here.

All applicants require:
• a strong interest in research,
• a commitment to the programme (including an end of internship poster presentation),
• full managerial support from their organisation, and
• the ability to attend supervisory meetings and training sessions.

Internships can focus on any topic but must include the following:
• align with an ARC NWC research theme,
• address a regional or national priority,
• involve co-production with patients/service users, and
• consider health inequalities (applicants should refer to the FOR-EQUITY webpage when considering the health inequality aspects of their applications).

Calls for applications for research project internships are annual.

The next application deadline will be 11th September 2026.

The Master’s module ‘Improving delivery of Services through implementation science’ runs in the third semester each year at the University of Lancashire. It is delivered online. This year the module starts on Wednesday 29th April 2026 and runs every Wednesday 09.00-12.00 for 10 weeks until 1st July 2026. The assignment (a poster presentation) is due on Tuesday 14th July with assessment the following day on Wednesday 15th July.

Please get in touch with the ARC NWC Capacity Building team at [email protected] for more information about internships, to request a copy of the application form and to book onto one of our internship online drop-in sessions.

Examples of RaCES internships
• Abigail Levison – Socioeconomic position and end-of-life care
• Hebatalla Abdelaal – Non-invasive respiratory support (NIRS) for COVID-19 patients
• Helen Gooch – Strengthening exercise for people with multiple sclerosis

Examples of RACES include

https://ebn.bmj.com/content/29/1/13

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23311886.2025.2492402