General practice is a discipline of complexity, continuity and care for whole populations. As patient needs become more complex and health inequalities widen, workforce pressures intensify, and health systems evolve, high-quality research in general practice has never been more important.
Research enables the development, evaluation and refinement of models of care and new therapeutic interventions that are safe, effective and equitable, grounded in the realities of everyday clinical practice. General practice provides a unique opportunity to empower frontline clinicians as research leaders, bringing research closer to the point of care. This ensures research studies are truly responsive to patient needs within our communities.
The 2026-2029 Research Roadmap
This roadmap outlines a shared direction for working with our members and partners to strengthen research in and for general practice. It sets out four interdependent objectives that together form a coherent research ecosystem for general practice:
Across all objectives, the roadmap emphasises workforce sustainability, equity, inclusion, and real-world impact. Research is positioned as a core professional business for general practice, integral to quality care, professional fulfilment and the future of the NHS.
By 2029, the RCGP aims to support:
- GPs across all stages of careers to feel part of a stronger research community that enables them to deliver, engage with and embed learnings from research.
- a profession that has greater confidence in using and generating evidence
- clear evidence that research conducted in and for general practice is improving patient care, informing policy and reducing health inequalities
- a more visible clinical academic workforce
- sustainable and equitable research delivery across the UK.
This roadmap is both a statement of intent and a commitment to partnership. The College will work closely with its members, patients and communities, the academic general practice community, policymakers, system partners and the research ecosystem more widely, to ensure that general practice is recognised as a learning, scholarly and intellectually vibrant discipline, generating knowledge that matters and making a difference where it counts most.
Acknowledgements
The Royal College of General Practitioners would like to sincerely thank our colleagues, external stakeholders, and the primary care academic community who contributed to the development of this Research Roadmap. Their collective expertise, insight and commitment have been invaluable in shaping a shared vision for strengthening research and academic general practice across the UK.
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