Funding the next generation of surgical researchers is seen as one of the most important investments the College - Britain’s oldest surgical Royal College - makes each year and scores of projects from a cross-section of medical and surgical disciplines have been supported.
The grants range from £250 bursaries to junior medics to major Fellowship Awards involving some of the country’s leading medical researchers and institutions.
Professor Stephen Wigmore, Chair of the RCSEd Research Committee, said supporting research and innovation in surgery is one of the core activities that the College provides to its membership.
He said:
"Supporting high quality surgical research is essential if we are to make progress in our quest to provide better treatment for our patients.
We are committed to delivering results that will, ultimately, improve and save lives.
The College’s Research Report 2016-2018 revealed that grants of £996,164 had been awarded by the Research Committee. It details the diverse range of grants into research in areas such as cancer, orthopaedic surgery and urology, as well as the establishment of successful partnerships with Royal Blind, which is leading to innovations in ophthalmological care.
Professor Wigmore added: “The future of our research programme is exciting. Partnership working is allowing us to undertake more ambitious work that will have a national impact in the longer term.
We are looking to work with major medical research charities to grow surgical research from the periphery and place it at the heart of medical research agendas nationwide.
This innovative approach to working together is in all our interests and will leave a lasting legacy of treatments that will transform lives.
The College has a strategy to embed research as a key part of surgical training, believing it is not an abstract exercise but a core part of making surgeons more curious and engaged with the medical conditions they are trying to treat."
The College plays a vital part in encouraging surgeons in training to see the value of research and in enabling them to develop their clinical research skills by providing the necessary funding.
Professor Wigmore added that the College is deeply indebted to the many partners, trusts and individuals who generously donate to the crucial area of medical research.
The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh – which can trace its roots back to the 1st of July 1505 – is a modern, thriving, global network of medical professionals with memberships approaching 25,000 professionals who live and work in more than 100 countries around the world. 15,000 of these live and work in the UK and 80% of that figure are based in England and Wales.