The University of Nottingham's Division of Primary Care has been invited to join a national partnership in recognition of its excellent research.
The Division is to be part of the National School of Primary Care Research — a partnership linking the subject's seven leading academic centres in the UK — after its excellent result in the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) 2008.
Nottingham joins six other universities in the National School: University College London and the universities of Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester, Oxford and Southampton. Like Nottingham, all have had at least 50 per cent of their research rated 'internationally excellent' (3*) or 'world-leading' (4*).
Primary care relates to the health services that play a central role in the local community — GPs, pharmacists, dentists and midwives — which are normally the first services members of the public turn to when seeking healthcare.
Research groups within the Division of Primary Care, part of The University of Nottingham's School of Community Health Sciences, span a range of important primary care health topics including clinical epidemiology, injury epidemiology and prevention, safe and effective use of medicines, ethnicity, disadvantage and health, applied genetics, and smoking cessation.
Professor Bob Webb, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research at The University of Nottingham, congratulated everyone involved in achieving this award. "I am sure it will provide a very good platform for the continuing development of international quality research not only in the Medical Faculty, but also of benefit internationally" he said.
Professor Denise Kendrick, Professor of Primary Care Research and Joint Head of the Division of Primary Care with Professor Tony Avery, said: "We think this is an excellent opportunity to continue to develop our primary care research, to strengthen existing collaborations and develop new ones, and to contribute to the development of the discipline nationally.
"Membership of the National School will also place us in a good position to take full advantage of other funding opportunities including those for research capacity development in primary care."
The National School of Primary Care Research formed in October 2006 and is funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). It currently has a £3 million annual budget for supporting primary care research studies.
The main aims of the National School for Primary Care Research are to increase the evidence base for primary care practice through high quality research to inform the development of clinical practice, and strategic leadership to support the development of research. It recently set up a Primary Care Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) Forum in Manchester to try to involve the public at an early stage in all our research.
This invitation to join the National School of Primary Care Research means the work of Nottingham's researchers will contribute to the NIHR's aspiration to establish the NHS as an internationally recognized centre of research excellence influencing healthcare policy and strategy.
Notes to editors: The University of Nottingham is ranked in the UK's Top 10 and the World's Top 100 universities by the Shanghai Jiao Tong (SJTU) and Times Higher (THE) World University Rankings.
More than 90 per cent of research at The University of Nottingham is of international quality, according to RAE 2008, with almost 60 per cent of all research defined as 'world-leading' or 'internationally excellent'. Research Fortnight analysis of RAE 2008 ranks the University 7th in the UK by research power. In 27 subject areas, the University features in the UK Top Ten, with 14 of those in the Top Five.
The University provides innovative and top quality teaching, undertakes world-changing research, and attracts talented staff and students from 150 nations. Described by The Times as Britain's "only truly global university", it has invested continuously in award-winning campuses in the United Kingdom, China and Malaysia. Twice since 2003 its research and teaching academics have won Nobel Prizes. The University has won the Queen's Award for Enterprise in both 2006 (International Trade) and 2007 (Innovation — School of Pharmacy), and was named 'Entrepreneurial University of the Year' at the Times Higher Education Awards 2008.
Nottingham was designated as a Science City in 2005 in recognition of its rich scientific heritage, industrial base and role as a leading research centre. Nottingham has since embarked on a wide range of business, property, knowledge transfer and educational initiatives (www.science-city.co.uk) in order to build on its growing reputation as an international centre of scientific excellence. The University of Nottingham is a partner in Nottingham: the Science City.