The General Paediatric Incubator

The General Paediatric Incubator is one of a series of incubators established by the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) to build research capacity in priority areas. It is led by Dr Katrina Cathie and Dr Lee Hudson and aims to address key issues and increase capacity for research in general and community paediatrics.

About the Incubator

The General Paediatric Incubator, led by Dr Katrina Cathie and Dr Lee Hudson, is a NIHR-supported Incubator. We aim to address key issues and increase capacity for research in general and community paediatrics, focussing on health from newborn to late adolescence. We have brought together a range of key stakeholders across multidisciplinary teams (MDT), who share an ambition to improve and increase research in general and community child health. Our stakeholders include Children and Young People (CYP) and parent and carer groups, expertise across the age range, and key networks including General and Adolescent Paediatric Research Collaborative in the United Kingdom and Ireland (GAPRUKI) and British Association for Community Child Health (BACCH). The General Paediatrics Incubator sets a national blueprint for transforming paediatric research. Through collaboration, inclusivity, and structural reform, it aims to embed research into everyday clinical practice—creating a connected, empowered, and equitable community dedicated to improving child health outcomes across the UK. Overall, we aim to increase capacity and delivery of general and community child health research.

NIHR Incubator Programme

The NIHR Incubators address areas where there is a need to build research capacity on a national level. NIHR provides some funding to enable key stakeholders to identify the barriers that exist and to suggest and implement, where possible, solutions to building research capacity in a sustainable and meaningful way. This initiative aims to encourage early career interest in target disciplines to build identifiable communities through networking and provision of bespoke training and development support. Incubators are virtual, managed across multiple sites and organised by discipline. They provide targeted high level career development support, led by experts in the field and supported by the NIHR. Incubators are bespoke to meet the needs of each area and are developing at different paces.

This Incubator is supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research. The views expressed on this website/webpage are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.

Our Work: Incubator Aims

We have brought together a range of key, knowledgeable stakeholders across MDT groups. This includes representative professional groups, CYP and carer groups, and expertise across age groups.

We have engaged those with existing incubators to learn from their experience. Our incubator will pull together a large range of stakeholders who already have the knowledge, networks and shared ambition to improve research in general and community paediatrics, but lack combined resource.

Led by our panel, guided by our steering group and driven by our stakeholders we will then sequentially:
1. Map baseline specific areas of need/barriers across the MDT
2. Compile group proposed solutions and a prioritization exercise (including CYP)
3. Action findings by building both research training and routes to maximise capacity based upon 1 and 2

At the centre there will be attention to equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in the makeup of our steering and stakeholder panel, but also within our proposed aims and strategy.

Key Challenges

Our incubator proposal addresses key issues for research in General Paediatrics (including community paediatrics) across the MDT.

Challenges for research in this area are especially affected by:

Changing epidemiology and influences in child health and a paucity of regular research to address care
Inadequate research skill sets in professionals delivering care (but who are willing and enthusiastic)
Lack of joined up MDT research co-working
Paucity of Children and Young People (CYP) and carer involvement in directing and co-designing research
Capacity and barriers to research delivery beginning early in professional careers

Incubator Work Packages

WP1: Network Development

Increase and strengthen research networks within general paediatrics

Increase membership of GAPRUKI and BACCH research groups
Broaden and diversify membership increasing engagement of under-represented groups
Develop an allied membership strategy with other key organisations (represented within our wide Stakeholder group) to ensure collaborative working

WP2: Gap Analysis

Investigate the current landscape with regards to general paediatric research capacity to identify gaps, areas of need and solutions

Map current capacity by surveying healthcare professionals working in general and community child health in the UK and Ireland including those in training
Engage with CYP and carers for what is missing in research
Identify barriers and facilitators for research including factors relating to EDI
Work together for solutions (through WP 3-5)

WP3: Prioritisation exercise

Conduct a new research prioritisation exercise in general and community child health

Build upon and broaden a GAPRUKI prioritisation exercise completed in 2019 (pre-pandemic) to include a wider range of professionals and increase PPIE involvement in the exercise
Assess new post-pandemic priorities
Work with the HTA to submit PICOs in priority areas for future commissioned calls

WP4: Capacity Building

Strengthen research capacity within general paediatrics through training opportunities across all professional groups

Focus on specific areas of need where there is lower involvement in research
Provide support for the wider MDT and trainees
Establish a mentorship programme
Strengthen collaboration and share good practice between paediatric research networks in the UK and Ireland and abroad