Abstract
The Research Council for Complementary Medicine promotes and evaluates rigorous research in complementary medicine so as to encourage safe, effective practice and improved patient care. This paper describes the setting for the RCCM’s work and its four main projects: an information service for health professionals and researchers based around CISCOM, the RCCM’s in-house bibliographic database; educational work to develop research skills and a research ethos amongst complementary medicine practitioners; a medical education service to introduce complementary therapies to medical students and doctors; and an educational project based around evaluation and audit.The Research Council for Complementary Medicine was the first in the field of complementary medicine to be devoted exclusively to research. We believe that research plays a vital role in the appropriate use and future development of complementary medicine.