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Research and innovation new

Research and innovation

Information and resources on using and developing research to enhance practice

High quality nursing research and support to innovate and use evidence in practice, enables nurses and those who work with them to develop new knowledge and nursing practice, and to ultimately transform patient care.

We are determined to maximize the opportunity for research and innovation to positively impact on the care experienced by patients and their families, and ensure our members gain fully from the support we offer to their decision making as professionals.

We are significantly increasing our members' access to the right standards, knowledge and information to support high quality care and drive improvements in practice.

Knowledge and Innovation Plan

Knowledge and Innovation Action Plan

Find out more about how the RCN is taking this work forward in 2023.
Research funding

Research funding opportunities

Find sources of funding so you can start your research project.
Lady doing research

Postgraduate research training

Information on postgraduate research training opportunities.
Nursing professoriate

The nursing professoriate in the UK

Information on professor post-holders at higher education institutions in the UK.
Lady giving a lecture

Timeline of professorial inaugural lectures

A growing list of lectures from the nursing and midwifery professoriate.
Research Bulletins

Research and innovation bulletins

Past issues of the Research and Innovation Bulletin from 2016 to 2021.

The sections below demonstrate how the RCN will realise its goal of transforming care through using, building, assuring and sharing knowledge. 

We promote the use of knowledge to inform policy and to inform decisions and nursing actions. We provide tools and help people develop the skills and confidence to ask questions, make evidence-informed decisions, innovate and adapt in response to changing needs.

Useful links

We contribute to and maintain a knowledge base for nursing, ensuring that our input to national and international multi-professional health research agendas is explicit. This contribution includes identifying and helping to fill gaps in standards, guidance and knowledge resources of relevance to nursing, and continuing to build the authoritative collection on nursing in the UK.

Useful links

Our outputs are evidence-informed, impartial and clear about the source, quality and strength of evidence presented. Our cataloguing of the RCN collection assures its intellectual integrity.

Useful links

We connect members to the knowledge they need so they can use it to improve quality of care. Format and content is relevant for people with different levels of expertise, roles, settings and influence. The content and expertise of the RCN library and archive and the staff supporting its use, inspire the nursing community and the public to gain an insight into the past, present and future of nursing.

Useful links

Innovation in nursing

Innovation in nursing

Supporting and celebrating examples of nursing innovation.
Nurse with patient

The value of nursing

Case studies demonstrating the value of nursing.
Pulling book off shelf

Get published

Find tips on getting your research paper accepted for publication.