title: Research capacity building in general practice. The new Australian scene.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Primary care research needs strengthening. The Commonwealth Government Department of Health and Aged Care has recently funded the university departments of general practice and rural health to build research capacity in primary care.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To explore issues surrounding building primary care research capacity, as well as looking at barriers to research capacity building and ways of overcoming them.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  New funding provides many opportunities for increasing research capacity in primary health care areas. Different institutions will select those methods that are best suited to their skills and the requirements of their area.
authors.affiliation: School of Medical Practice and Population Health, Faculty of Health, University of Newcastle, New South Wales. Nayankumar.shah@newcastle.edu.au
authors.forename: N C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pond
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Heaney
mesh_terms: D000046:Academic Medical Centers; D001315:Australia; D005194:Family Practice; D006801:Humans; D012109:Research Support as Topic / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012423:Rural Health