Fostering the development of the next generation of PR leaders has been one of the CIPR’s main objectives in recent years. The Institute partners with the PR Academy, one of the industries top training organisations, and bestows qualifications of its own on those who train or retrain as PR professionals.

The CIPR has announced this week that it will, through a partnership with PRIME Research, award graduates with fellowships for undertaking applied public relations research. The £4,000 CIPR PRIME Fellowship will allow the winning graduate to participate in a six-week work placement at PRIME’s Oxford offices over the summer.

CIPR director of policy and communications Phil Morgan says, “Once again we are delighted to be partnering with PRIME to extend this fantastic opportunity to our student members and students with an interest in public relations. The experience gained at PRIME will be a great start for graduates as they begin their careers and look towards their professional development.”

PRIME’s project director, Eric Ziller adds that the Fellowship programme seeks to generate interest in applied PR research and assist graduates with the transition into a career in PR. The programme results in a research paper to be published by the CIPR at the conclusion of the Fellowship.