The MRC Addiction Research Clinical Training programme: MARC

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Addiction to alcohol, tobacco and drugs have a considerable economic and social impact on society in the UK and internationally. In addition concerns are growing about gambling, now classified as a behavioural addiction. Despite awareness of the magnitude of associated harms, the amount of evidence to address them can be limited compared to other physical and mental health disorders. Academic psychiatry has been at the forefront of the development of addiction research in the last 30 years and the UK has made key contributions to the international evidence base as well as contributing to NHS service development and national policy on addictions. Currently however in the UK there are only 7 professors in addictions with a background in clinical psychiatry or clinical psychology and all will have retired or be near retirement within the next decade. The majority of psychiatrists and psychologists do not get any experience working in an addiction service during their training or if they do, it is towards the end. Therefore opportunities of a career in clinical academic addiction are rarely presented with the result that there are very few existing potential candidates to become the future UK clinical research leaders in addiction. Consequently, there is a need to kick start clinical addiction research in order both to sustain capacity in this vital area of clinical neuroscience. To meet such a need, the MRC Addiction Research Clinical Training (MARC) programme has been developed by bringing together the clinical addiction research expertise in three leading Universities, Imperial College London (IC), King's College London (KCL) and University of Bristol (UoB)). These three internationally renowned mental health and addiction researchers and their Universities can provide expertise in a broad range of techniques including neurosciences, genetics, epidemiology and clinical research as well excellent post-graduate education and training. MARC's initiatives will attract and mentor outstanding clinical trainees to addiction early in their career, support outstanding individuals to undertake research training for a PhD and support individuals with a PhD to establish their career with independent funding in order to build and sustain capacity in this vital area of clinical neuroscience, addiction. Research from the MARC programme will undoubtedly improve understanding of the nature of addiction, its impacts on public health, and methods to reduce the harm through development of more effective prevention, treatment and public policy approaches in addiction.