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Specialists Accreditation Board

Clinician Scientist training

Find information on how Clinician Scientist Residency (CSR) offers structured research training and mentorship for doctors aiming to become Clinician-Scientists (CS).

Last updated 8 April 2026

Overview

Clinician Scientist residency are available in a number of residency programmes. The purpose of the Clinician Scientist Residency (CSR) is to provide trainees who are interested in research with opportunities to embark on their careers as clinician-scientists (CS). The CS programmes provides mentorship, structured research training, and opportunities to participate in research projects. Trainees on the CS track will be provided with an additional year allocated to research, with the aim of achieving an additional research training qualification if they do not have this prior to joining the residency.

Clinician Scientist Residency programme

The SAB Research Committee (SRC) oversees research training in our Sponsoring Institutions to ensure professional development of all residents who on the research track. As a Clinician Scientist resident you will have an extra year of research training before exiting from the CS residency programme. The additional year ensures that you are equipped with the necessary research skills to pursue research as a career upon exit from residency.

All CS residents will undergo structured research training to get at least a Master of Clinical Investigation (MCI) or an equivalent training qualification as approved by the SRC. CS residents with prior research training (e.g. those who have already achieved a PhD or other qualifications) can be exempted from the MCI programme subjected to the approval by the SRC.

To find out about residency programmes which provide the CS track, please find out from the Sponsoring Institutions websites.

How to apply?

From 2015 onwards, the CS residency intake starts from the R4 year. Applications are expected to be mainly from R3 residents who intend to switch from normal residency to the Clinician Scientist track. Exceptions can be made for already research oriented doctors (e.g. PhD holders and those with a strong research background and research portfolios) who wish to start CS residency earlier.

For R3 Internal Medicine residents, the application for Clinician Scientist residency is submitted together with the application for senior residency in the IM-related specialties. The application is not restricted to the current Sponsoring Institution.