The Royal Pharmaceutical Society has won a contract with the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) to deliver a suite of e-learning modules to improve pharmacy professionals’ knowledge and skills in clinical research as well as supporting them to become more 'research active'.

The NIHR, which is funded by the Department of Health and Social Services, was set up in 2006 with a brief to create a health research system. It works in partnership with the NHS, universities and others in funding health and social care research.

The e-learning the RPS is to develop will be aimed at pharmacists and pharmacy technicians who have not followed an academic career path or those who have had little or no experience of research delivery.

Nine modules will cover how to transform ideas into a research project, find and evaluate evidence and choose the appropriate research methods, along with applying for research funding, governance issues and publication.

The new e-learning modules are due to be launched in Summer 2022 and will form part of RPS’s long-term education strategy.

Gail Fleming, director of education and professional development at RPS, said: “Building pharmacists’ knowledge and skills in research can help provide the evidence-base to improve the practice of pharmacy and the health of the public. These modules will play an important role in supporting the development of clinical academic career pathways and addressing the current situation where pharmacy professionals are under-represented in the uptake of NIHR-funded clinical research training.”

The e-learning will be hosted on the NIHR Learn platform - all pharmacy professionals can sign up for an account.