The HRB requires lead, co-lead applicants and mentors applying for funding schemes building research capacity by supporting people and skills to follow the new HRB narrative-style CV as part of their application. This section provides the background to this approach, guidance on how to complete the CV and a downloadable CV template.
The HRB narrative-style CV is a richer and more comprehensive CV compared to more traditional academic CVs, which often focus on quantitative metrics (typically peer-reviewed publications).
The CV template is not solely based on a narrative structure and includes some quantitative metrics (eg most relevant research funding and research outputs), complemented by narrative-based sections that support a qualitative assessment.
In the HRB narrative-style CV, in addition to some basic details including ORCID, a personal declaration, and a short description of any breaks from research (if they wish), researchers are asked to address their key contributions under four section headings:
- Contributions to generation of knowledge
- Contributions to training and development of others
- Contributions to the wider research community
- Contributions to broader society
Please download the HRB narrative-style CV template here for guidance in future applications.
Additional information on the HRB narrative-style-CV can be found below:
The HRB has also evaluated the experience of those using the narrative-style CV by surveying research applicants, mentors, where applicable, and reviewers in different career schemes. These surveys help us to understand:
- The acceptance and usability of the CV among users.
- Effectiveness of the guidance provided to users.
- How this approach is affecting the way research is assessed, and funding is awarded.
The summary outcome and related actions are below:
- Round 1 Surveys 2021-2022: Users’ experience and resulting changes to the template
- Round 2 Surveys 2023-2024: Users’ experience of updated template and guidance