The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) is inviting GP and GP Registrar researchers to apply for an RACGP Foundation Grant.
The RACGP Foundation Grants and Awards program enables general practice research, providing an evidence base to inform and improve practice and patient outcomes.
The RACGP will distribute up to $450,000 to recipients to support their valuable research. Applications are now open and close 3 May 2021.
RACGP President Dr Karen Price, who is a previous successful RACGP Foundation Grant recipient, encouraged researchers to apply.
"We know that GP research is essential to improving primary healthcare and helping all people in Australia receive high quality care," she said.
"For over 60 years, these grants have made a huge difference nurturing GP research and many research projects have been published in peer review journals.
"I encourage all interested GP and GP Registrar researchers to apply for a grant, expand their learning and potentially help influence the future of Australian general practice.
"By thinking outside the box, we can discover new ideas and solutions – some of which may have seemed far-fetched or impractical not that long ago.
"You will join a long list of exceptional people who have used an RACGP Foundation Grant to assist their research efforts that will help patients across the country."
RACGP CEO Dr Matthew Miles said that the successful recipients could benefit for years to come.
"This could be just the beginning of your journey, considering that there has been a high success rate of recipients of the RACGP Foundations grants going on to receive further research funding," he said.
"I hope these grants send a message to GPs, GP registrars and medical students that research is a respected and viable career pathway."
Previous successful recipients include:
· Dr Sean Black-Tiong, who used national data to investigate consultations relating to motor vehicle accidents and utilised the findings to explore barriers to care in the management of victims of motor vehicle accidents
· Dr Geoffrey Spurling, who investigated Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients' experiences of living with chronic kidney disease
· Dr Michael Wright, who studied primary care spending and how it can be compared to other countries
· Associate Professor Gillian Gould, who examined smoking relapse prevention in smoking cessation care for Aboriginal women.
RACGP Foundation Grant partners include Therapeutic Guidelines Limited (TGL), Motor Accident Insurance Commission, the HCF Research Foundation, Diabetes Australia and the Medibank Better Health Foundation.
