Promoting research among GP trainees and young GPs all over Europe has been one major focus of the Vasco da Gama Movement (VdGM) since its foundation in 2005. According to the overall structure of VdGM, the Research Theme Group (RTG) consists of European GP trainees and GPs with a maximal working experience of five years. Its work focuses on discussing and establishing local and European research frameworks for the future generation of academic General Practitioners.
Starting at the 14th WONCA Europe Conference in Istanbul 2008, the RTG offers a workshop series for future researchers in General Practice. This workshop series has been created in collaboration with the European General Practice Research Network (EGPRN) beginning with ‘Collaborative Research’ (Istanbul 2008) and followed by ‘Worth a trial—coming up with the right research questions’ (Basel 2009). The series will be continued with topics like ‘Research methodology,’ ‘Funding’ and ‘Publishing Research in General Practice.’ The aim of this series is a low-threshold introduction for GP trainees and young GPs who are interested in academic General Practice. The shortcut research workshops aim to act as appetizers for attending more comprehensive research courses as offered by EGPRN or other organizations.
During the last five years, the RTG experienced that many European regions widely lack supportive structures for young researchers in General Practice. This insight inspires the group to built up and maintain international research networks. All GP trainees and young GPs are invited to join the group on www.vdgm.eu. The group will support learning from each other about what could be done to start or disseminate research in General Practice.
In 2011, VdGM will firstly announce a ‘Young Researcher Award.’ The RTG proposes guidelines for the review process to ensure that the award will contribute to the overall aim of promoting research among the future generation of academic General Practitioners.