Pharmacy Research UK is the principal research charity supporting pharmacists and pharmacy to improve healthcare for the benefit of patients and the public. They support research into the science of preparation and dispensing of medicines as this can dramatically affect patient outcomes.  They were founded in 2012, born of a merger between the Pharmacy Practice Research Trust (PPRT) and the Pharmaceutical Trust for Educational and Charitable Objects (PTECO) to bring about improved efficiency and use of funds to current and future beneficiaries, with the ultimate aim of providing the best possible assistance to those who benefit from theirwork.

Their broad ambition is to improve the health of the public through supporting and promoting excellence in pharmacy research and, while a new organisation, they have  a legacy of supporting and promoting pharmacy research since the late 1990s, which provides a strong foundation for this ambition.

Their Vision and Purpose

Their vision of improving the health of the public through excellence in pharmacy research is a long-term challenge. The following purpose statements outline how they  address this challenge:

To promote research into the practice of pharmacy (particularly in the UK) and to publish the useful results of such research

• Supporting the production of timely evidence that informs policy and practice relating to pharmacy’s contribution to the health of the public, medicines and their use.
• Publishing and disseminating results to ensure knowledge results in benefits for patients, the public and pharmacy professionals.

To promote the health of the public by educating pharmacists (particularly in the UK) in order to enhance the standard of healthcare available to the public

• Building pharmacy practice research capacity and capability through training bursaries, postgraduate research funding, fellowships and grants.
• Developing a new generation of academic and clinical experts who can lead the debate and inform thinking, particularly within the pharmacy sector.

To advance and promote knowledge and skill in relation to the practice of pharmacy (particularly in the UK) for the public good

• Providing a forum in which the research implications can be considered in the widest possible policy context.
• Engaging stakeholders, stimulating debate and spreading knowledge about medicines and their use to the wider healthcare community and the public.

Their Work:

Their existing portfolio of research is focused on the use of medicines and their place in society; theirprojects encompass social, economic and clinical research as well as projects supporting the development of aspiring researchers.