CIMTR Researcher Hub

Advancing research. Strengthening practice. Improving lives.

The CIMTR Researcher Hub at ARU's Cambridge Institute for Music Therapy Research (CIMTR) offers specialist research supervision, consultancy, and professional development in arts therapies and applied clinical research.

Whether you're a clinician, postgraduate researcher, service provider, or organisation, the Hub provides expert support to help you design, deliver, and publish high-quality research that makes a real-world difference.

What we offer

Jump to: Public webinars and CPD | 1-2-1 research supervision | Group supervision and writing clinics | Organisational consultancy and research mentoring

Our renowned public webinar series provides accessible continuing professional development (CPD) in Arts therapy research and clinical innovation.

Each session:

• Focuses on clinical research or a key CIMTR research theme.
• Includes guided reading and practical insights.
• Connects practice to emerging evidence.
• Spotlights up-to-date research from around the world.

While these webinars are free and open to all, you can download a CPD certificate of attendance for coming along to any of them.

You can find out about upcoming webinars on our events page or by signing up for our bi-monthly newsletter.

If you're working on a research project on one of our specialist themes (Health in childhood and youth; Empowered ageing; Mental health; Neurorehabilitation and stroke; Neuroscience), our senior researchers can provide tailored support to help you move confidently through any stage..

All services are centrally coordinated through CIMTR at ARU, ensuring strong governance, academic quality, and ethical oversight. Delivery is primarily online, with optional in-person engagement where appropriate.

We can support you with:

• Research design and protocol development
• NHS and university ethics applications
• Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods approaches
• Applied clinical and service-based research
• Thesis development
• Manuscript and grant writing

This offer is ideal for Masters and PhD students, early career researchers, and practicing arts therapists seeking formal research supervision.

Find out more about our researchers and their areas of expertise.

We can facilitate collaborative small-group sessions (4–8 participants) designed to build skills, confidence, and accountability.

Sessions may include:

• Research methods workshops
• Journal clubs
• Project milestone reviews
• Structured writing clinics

These groups provide a supportive professional research community while strengthening methodological expertise and publication readiness.

We help organisations demonstrate impact, strengthen evidence, and build sustainable research cultures.

We partner with:

• NHS services
• Third sector organisations
• Arts therapy providers
• Community health services
• Universities without specialist arts therapy research capacity

We can support your organisation with:

• Service evaluation and applied research design
• Contracted project supervision
• Staff mentoring and publication development
• Research strategy development

Why work with the CIMTR Researcher Hub?

Individuals

Through the CIMTR Researcher Hub, you'll receive expert supervision from internationally-recognised researchers while strengthening your research skills and methodological confidence.

Our support increases your readiness for publication and grant applications, enhances your career progression and academic credibility, and enables you to contribute to high-quality evidence that improves outcomes for patients and communities.

Organisations

Working with the CIMTR Researcher Hub enables you to build sustainable internal research capacity and demonstrate service impact through robust evaluation. Our mentoring strengthens staff confidence and retention, enhances commissioning and funding prospects, and connects teams to national and international research networks.

Wider impact

By strengthening research capacity in arts therapies, the CIMTR Researcher Hub helps:

• Improve the quality and credibility of arts therapy research.
• Translate clinical innovation into measurable impact.
• Support evidence-based practice in healthcare and community settings.
• Build a national and international network of research-active arts therapists.
• Generate sustainable income that is reinvested into research development and innovation.

Ultimately, this work contributes to better services, stronger evidence, and improved outcomes for the people and communities arts therapies serve.