The Royal Veterinary College has identified a number of ways that canine health and welfare research in the UK could be improved, by making grant applications more efficient, fostering stronger collaboration between funders and research institutions and by prioritising research that has direct welfare benefits for dogs.

The RVC’s UK Canine Research Funding Analysis Project was structured in three phases to assess the state of canine health and welfare research funding in the UK.

Phase one identified that animal-directed funders provided nearly 90% of all canine-specific research funding, with wide-scope funders contributing larger grants but primarily focused on One Health research.

Phase two then revealed research gaps, such as the underfunding of studies on responsible breeding, canine behavioural issues and the impact of human lifestyle on canine welfare.

The third and final phase explored the challenges in research design, processes and sector infrastructure.

The third phase was led by the RVC’s Dr Alison Skipper, Postdoctoral Researcher into Canine Research Funding; Dr Rowena Packer, Lecturer in Companion Animal Behaviour and Welfare Science; and Dr Dan O’Neill, Associate Professor of Companion Animal Epidemiology.

The findings revealed a number of common challenges researchers face in securing funding and delivering effective research.

The research team then provided a set of recommendations to help improve canine research in the UK.

These challenges and proposed solutions include:

1. Grant applications for canine health and welfare research are often burdensome and inconsistent, requiring researchers to rewrite and reformat proposals for different funders. The report recommends introducing a standardised, two-stage application process to reduce administrative barriers.
2. Lack of feedback on rejected grant applications prevents researchers from improving proposals, limiting their chances of securing future funding. The report suggests offering brief, structured feedback to unsuccessful applicants to enhance transparency and proposal quality.
3. Greater collaboration between funders and research institutions is needed to support large-scale, high-impact projects, particularly for complex canine health issues such as obesity, arthritis and breed-related diseases.
4. Early career researchers said they struggle to secure funding, as few grants provide postdoctoral salaries or structured career development opportunities. The report calls for dedicated funding and mentorship initiatives to support new researchers in the sector.
5. There is no centralised database tracking past canine health research funding, making it difficult for researchers and funders to identify gaps and opportunities. The report highlights the need for a publicly accessible platform to improve visibility and coordination across funders.
6. Stakeholders, including funders, researchers and practitioners, need a structured way to set research priorities to ensure funding addresses the most urgent canine welfare concerns. The report suggests adopting a model similar to the James Lind Alliance, which successfully prioritises human medical research.
7. Future research should prioritise projects that directly benefit canine welfare, with funders assessing proposals based on clear impact metrics such as ‘Benefit for the Dog’ and ‘Pathway to Impact’.

Dr Alison Skipper, Researcher in Canine Health Research at the RVC and lead author of the paper, said: “This extensive project highlights the need for significant improvements in how we fund and conduct research on canine health and welfare.

"While UK funders have made valuable contributions, our findings show that inefficiencies in funding processes, a lack of collaboration and limited support for early-career researchers are preventing research from having its full impact.

"By streamlining applications, increasing transparency and fostering strategic partnerships, we can ensure that future research is both effective and directly beneficial to dogs.”

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