Research funding: where does all the money go?
Pharmacy Research Showcase highlights
Some £5 billion per year are spent on UK healthcare research; only a small proportion of that goes into pharmacy research despite the fact that pharmacy is the third largest professional group in the workforce. For example, just 3% of the doctoral fellowship scheme applications to the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) come from pharmacy. That was the message from Debi Bhattacharya, who leads the NIHR Incubator for Pharmacy Professionals. The Incubator’s role is to grow research capacity across the profession.
The reasons to engage in research are strong. Clinical researchers say they do it first for patients, through better quality care. Research also helps professionals develop and collaborate and it helps employers retain and attract good staff. In addition, it brings new income.
Incubator funding
The NIHR gave the Incubator three years of funding. In year one it identified the barriers and enablers to research engagement, nine of which were prioritised. In year two it co-designed solutions with pharmacy professionals, and it is now implementing them.
The four solutions are:
- Establishment of a national research network,
- Development of practical guidance – now due within the next couple of months,
- A unified voice from professional and regulatory bodies. This is to provide structural and contractual arrangements that facilitate research engagement
- Persuading senior leaders and management to support and enable pharmacy professionals to engage with research.
She stressed that NIHR funds every career stage, from a first taste of research to professorships. It is important to understand the NIHR funding can cover the costs of back-filling positions so that researchers are freed to do the research work. This is an opportunity to grow the workforce, she said.
In addition to NIHR funding, many other sources are available including Pharmacy Research UK (PRUK) that has dedicated funding for pharmacy research, and charities such as the British Heart Foundation and the Health Foundation.
One step each
Professor Bhattacharya ended with a call to action for everyone. Senior leaders should have one conversation with a peer about embedding research in pharmacy roles. Research-active staff should create one mentoring opportunity. Newcomers should take one step and check the NIHR and Pharmacy Research UK websites within the month.
The future leaders of research, are already in our teams. The funding is there to be had. What we need to do is make sure that pharmacy gets its share, she concluded.
Pharmacy Research Showcase
The Pharmacy Research Showcase was a one-day event organised by the NIHR-Supported Incubator for Pharmacy Professionals which brought together policy-makers and researchers to share experiences and insights. It was held on 22nd October 2026 at the Royal College of Pharmacy headquarters in London.
Image: Professor Debi Bhattacharya
