SAPC/RCGP awards for Outstanding Early Career Researchers
SAPC/RCGP awards for Outstanding Early Career Researchers
Academic General Practitioner and Primary Care Scientist
RCGP Scientific Foundation Board (SFB) and the Society for Academic Primary Care (SAPC) collaborate to deliver Outstanding Early Career Researcher awards.
These awards recognise researchers who have made significant contributions to academic primary care. Previously known as the Yvonne Carter Award, named after Professor Yvonne Carter CBE, whose research a huge impact on academic general practice.
- Read about the 2026 winners, Dr Veline L'Esperance and Dr Francesca Dakin
- Read about the 2025 winners, Dr Jienchi Dorwood and Dr Kelly Birtwell
- Read more about the 2024 winners, Dr Stephen Bradley and Dr Ben Bowers
- Read about the 2023 winners, Dr Benjamin Brown and Dr Sarah Bailey
- Read about the 2022 winners, Dr David Blane and Dr Oliver van Hecke
About the awards
There are two Outstanding Early Career Researcher categories:
- Academic General Practitioner
- Primary Care Scientist
Each of the two winners are awarded £500 in prize money. As part of the award application, we ask applicants to submit a report detailing how they would use the money, its outcomes and support related PR activity. The award can be used for national and international travel to meet with other researchers and used for conference attendance.
In addition, they are invited to present their work at the RCGP’s 'Research Excellence’ session during the annual conference, as well as at the SAPC's Annual Scientific Meeting, both of which take place in the year the award is given.
Application process
Please apply to the award via the Scientific Foundation Board grant and awards platform.
Please fill in your details, answer the questions on why you are an outstanding early career researcher and provide details for your head of department.
We will only accept two applications from each department/centre/group. One application for category 1 is academic general practitioner, and one for category 2 is primary care scientist. Therefore, please liaise with your Head of Department before submission.
Eligibility
The award is open to early career researchers in primary care.
Applicants should have no more than 4 years (pro rata) academic experience, excluding any career breaks, either in General Practice/Primary Care (GP/PC) post PhD or no more than 4 years, excluding any career breaks, since starting a substantive contract in a dept of GP/PC (ie holding a post as a research fellow, lecturer, teacher, 0.4 or more WTE).
They should hold a formal or honorary appointment with a primary care department, centre or group in a UK/Ireland University, have published original research in peer-reviewed journals – at least one as a lead author – and be actively engaged in high-quality research which is genuinely grounded in primary care.
Judging
Applications will be judged by a panel consisting of primary care academics from the RCGP and SAPC. The awards will be restricted to applicants whose background the award panel considers to be genuinely grounded in primary care. The panel will assess applications for evidence of the candidate’s current and potential contributions to advancing primary care through research, including personal research leadership, wider promotion of academic primary care, publications, and other markers of distinction, as well as the clarity of the proposal for the use of the award funds. Particular emphasis will be given to research which demonstrates an understanding of, and contribution to, the primary care vision.
For further information, please contact the RCGP's research team at the Scientific Foundation Board by emailing SFB@rcgp.org.uk.