Tuesday 10 November 2026 | Watershed, Bristol | Face-to-face event | RCEM accredited for 5-CPD points
Join us for an inspiring day dedicated to advancing research in emergency medicine at the annual research engagement day.
This event is designed for researchers at all levels, whether you’re just starting out, looking to refine your skills, or eager to connect with peers in the field, this event will develop your knowledge and confidence in research.
Discover opportunities to present your own research at a national meeting or apply for one of the awards. Find out how to get involved in research as an individual or department. This is your chance to explore fresh ideas, connect with experts and leave inspired to make an impact in the field.
Please note registration for this event will close on Tuesday 3 November, but may close earlier if capacity is reached.
Who should attend?
- Any clinical professional interested in emergency care research
- All EM and ACCS trainees
- All trainee and qualified ACPs
- Foundation doctors
- Medical students
- Research interested nurses and AHPs, including research delivery teams
SLOs covered: 10
GMC domains covered: 1, 2
Fees: £110 for all attendees.
Emergency Care Incubator Symposium 2026
The NIHR-supported Emergency Care Incubator invites healthcare professionals working in urgent and emergency care to join us for our 5th interactive symposium. Designed to support both aspiring and developing researchers, the symposium offers tailored small-group workshops led by experienced multi professional clinical researchers. This is an opportunity to build research skills, connect with peers, and explore new ideas in a supportive and collaborative environment.
This event is being held at Watershed on Monday 9 November. Please click here for further information and to book your place.
Abstract submissions
We have a number of opportunities for you to get involved in the event and present your own work.
The deadline for all submissions is Monday 31 August, and all submitters will be notified if they are successful or not from Wednesday 16 September.
If you are a main author whose work is accepted for an award or abstract, you will be eligible for a 20% discount.
Blue Sky Research Development Awards
What are the RCEM Research Development Awards?
Please click here to download the application form.
The RCEM Research Development Awards are small grants designed to support early-stage research in emergency care. They help those new to research in emergency care to develop ideas, generate preliminary data, and build collaborations needed to apply for larger research funding.
Awards can be used for activities such as pilot studies, patient and public involvement (PPIE), early data analysis, and developing research partnerships. The aim is to support applicants to submit a full research grant application within 12 months of completing the award.
Applicants can request up to £2,000, depending on the needs of their project.
Why apply?
Applying helps you turn an early idea into a fundable research proposal, with access to support and feedback to strengthen your approach. It also builds your track record and outputs, improving your chances of securing larger grants.
How to apply
Applications should be submitted by email to: researchadmin@rcem.ac.uk
You must submit:
A completed application form
A CV using the required standard template
The application deadline for the 2026 round is 23:59 BST, Monday 31 August
Shortlisted applicants will be invited to present at the RCEM Research Engagement Day on 10 November 2026 (Bristol).
Criteria and restrictions
Eligibility
Open to all RCEM members and fellows
The Lead Applicant must be an RCEM member or fellow and take a leading role in the proposed project
What can be funded
Pilot or feasibility studies
Data collection or analysis
Patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE)
Early-stage research development activities
Costs that directly support the development of a future grant application
What cannot be funded
Standard equipment or facilities (e.g. computers, routine software, internet access)
General administrative costs (e.g. postage)
Dissemination costs such as conference attendance or publication fees
RCEM & NIHR Research Delivery Network New Principal Investigator/Associate Principal Investigator of the Year Awards 2026
How to apply
Please click here to download the application form.
Applications should be submitted by email to: researchadmin@rcem.ac.uk
Winners of each category must be available to deliver a short presentation in person at the RCEM Research Engagement Day, to be held at the Watershed in Bristol on Tuesday 10 November 2026. Winners will be eligible for a 20% reduction in attendance fee, and will receive a £500 prize to be spent in support of professional activities related to research. Successful applicants will be notified by email from 16 September 2026.
Please note:
- Do not send any additional information as the panel will only review information contained within the form
- Incomplete applications cannot be considered by the panel
Award eligibility and marking criteria
New Principal Investigator of the Year
To be eligible to apply for this award, individuals from any professional background will have undertaken the site PI role for an NIHR portfolio-adopted study (or studies) for the first time, with the role having started within the 3 years prior to this application’s closing date. The study/ies will have been recruiting in emergency or pre-hospital care settings.
The panel will be looking for evidence to support ALL of the following criteria:
- Contribution to the study set-up and delivery process
- Leveraging of available resource to enable effective study delivery
- Effective cross-specialty and/or cross-discipline working
Associate PI of the Year (Doctors)
To be eligible to apply for this award, individuals from a medical background (i.e. doctors) must have undertaken the Associate PI role for an NIHR portfolio-adopted study, with the role either ongoing at the time of submission or having successfully completed within the 3 years prior to this application’s closing date. The study will have been recruiting in emergency or pre-hospital care settings.
The panel will be looking for evidence to support ALL of the following criteria:
- Contribution to the study set-up and delivery process
- Leveraging of available resource to enable effective study delivery
- Effective cross-specialty and/or cross-discipline working
- Learning from the aPI process
Associate PI of the Year (All other professions)
To be eligible to apply for this award, individuals from any professional background other than doctors must have undertaken the Associate PI role for an NIHR portfolio-adopted study, with the role either ongoing at the time of submission or having successfully completed within the 3 years prior to this application’s closing date. The study will have been recruiting in emergency or pre-hospital care settings.
The panel will be looking for evidence to support ALL of the following criteria:
- Contribution to the study set-up and delivery process
- Leveraging of available resource to enable effective study delivery
- Effective cross-specialty and/or cross-discipline working
- Learning from the aPI process
Research abstract submissions
Abstracts form a key part of research. The top submissions to this event will be published in the EMJ online and the best will be invited for an oral presentation at the Research Engagement Day (RED) on 10 November 2026, with prizes available for the winning submissions.
The oral presentations will take place at the RCEM RED event at the Watershed Centre in Bristol on 10 November 2026. Successful applicants will be required to register to attend the event.
Please find below some useful information to support your abstract submission.
Why submit?
Abstracts are an integral part of the RED symposium and allow you to disseminate and showcase your work to a national audience. Presenting your work can help to inform education and clinical practice, as well as providing personal development opportunities such as improving your presentation skills and enhancing your CV.
Top scoring submissions will be invited to present their work as a short lightning oral presentation. Only one oral presentation per author/project will be permitted. Those selected for oral presentations will also receive a discounted rate to register for the event (one per abstract). Other successful applicants will be invited to present their posters at the event.
The top abstracts will be published in the EMJ online journal.
How to submit
The deadline for a submission is 31 August 2026. We will not be able to accept late submissions for any reason.
Please complete all sections of the form. All correspondence about the submission will be sent to the main author. Co-authors will only be contacted post event with their certificate if the submission is successful.
The author who submitted the abstract will be notified of whether their submission has been successful or not from 16 September 2026.
Topics
Abstracts can be submitted on a range of emergency related research.
The abstract title is not included within the 300 word limit. You may also submit one table OR one figure to support your submission. You will be able to upload this as part of the submission form.
If you submit more than one additional upload (e.g. one table AND one figure) only the first one will be considered, any subsequent uploads will not be reviewed.
If you submit an additional upload which is neither a table nor a figure, this will not be considered.
Submission criteria
On submission of the abstract, the main author must ensure that they have the approval and a copyright assignment from any other authors and contributors involved in the work.
QIPs and Case Reports are not eligible for submission and will not be considered.
By submitting an abstract the main author is responsible for ensuring that the above criteria are met.
Marking criteria
All submissions will be marked anonymously by two reviewers. Each reviewer will score each of the following criteria out of 10:
- Aims
- Methodology
- Conclusion supported by results presented
- Quality of writing
Once marking is complete, the average score of the two reviewers will be taken and submissions will be ranked from the highest to lowest scoring. The type of presentation offered is dependent on where the submission falls in the overall ranking.
The top RED poster presentations will be eligible for a prize.
Next steps
You have until 31 August 2026 to submit your abstract via this link: https://www.rcem-events.uk/rcem/frontend/reg/homepage.csp?eventID=466&userType=submitter&pageID=177261
Once you have submitted it you will receive an email confirmation direct from our submission system. If you do not receive this within 15 minutes of submission, please check your junk/spam mail and mark the sender as safe as all future correspondence about your submission will come from this address. If you are unsure about whether your abstract has been successfully submitted, please email events@rcem.ac.uk.
You are able to make amendments to your abstract until the submission deadline stated above. You will receive a personal amendment link as part of your submission confirmation allowing you to do this.
Abstracts will be reviewed during the following 3 weeks. The author who submitted the work will be notified whether their submission has been successful or not from 16 September. This email will include information about how to present your work.
If you have any questions about this event, please get in touch with us by emailing events@rcem.ac.uk or calling 020 3931 0700.
Please read our terms and conditions in their entirety before making your booking