Research is a core driver for improving child health. A recent Academy of Medical Sciences report clearly illustrates that investing in child health research confers population-level benefits for national health and prosperity.1 But beyond pushing boundaries, research literacy is essential to daily clinical practice through informing evidence-based decision-making and facilitating adaptation of guidelines to evolving medical knowledge. It must be a core component of every paediatrician’s skill set and is described in Good Clinical Practice courses as a ‘frontline service’. As far back as 2012, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) Turning The Tide report highlighted the urgent need for increased provision and reignited enthusiasm for research within paediatric training. Alarmingly, reports have since shown the senior academic paediatric workforce to be shrinking, with only 5.4% of respondents to the 2022 RCPCH UK census reporting research involvement.2 For child health to flourish, it is essential that the next generation of paediatricians is research literate. Beyond this, we must empower a substantial proportion of trainees to actively participate in and lead research to become skilled academic clinicians of the future. Below, we discuss the state of research within training: the mandates, provisions and shortfalls.

Research has rightly been a staple of the training curriculum. RCPCH’s 2023 Progress+ details an increased number of research-oriented key capabilities, mirroring the values outlined by the General Medical Council’s (GMC) Generic Professional Capabilities Framework and further referenced in the Gold Guide.

Despite this, most guidance for trainees seeking research opportunities signposts to provisions outside of the …