What is a research collaborative?

A research collaborative simply put, is a community of individuals, who work together to undertake a research or audit project in order to improve an aspect of patient care, advance knowledge or even improve education. A research collaborative can be made up of a range of people, including doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, academics and patients.

The National Research Collaborative (NRC) is the home for all of these, where these communities can communicate, learn from one another and identify ideas to improve what they do. Every year, there is a national meeting, the NRCM, for everyone to get together, discuss the latest projects and celebrate our achievements.

Which specialties are represented?

Some of the first collaboratives were comprised of surgeons, but as time went on, many different specialties have their own collaborative networks. Within the National Research Collaborative, there are Anaesthetists, Surgeons, Medical specialties and more. If your specialty is not represented, there's always space for more!

For the larger specialties, research collaboratives are typically organised on a regional basis. For smaller specialties, these research collaboratives are often cover the whole nation.

Why collaborate?

Collaborative research allows you to acheive much more by working as a team, than it would alone. Work with people across multiple countries or different specialties, to develop new and exciting improvements in health, education and training.

How do I get involved?

To get involved, simply contact the collaborative you are most intereted in. Don't see something relevant to you? Ask the NRC for advice on where to go or to form a new research collaborative.