£270,000 investment ring-fenced to help advance ‘much-needed’ paediatric research  

An exciting new funding partnership will see a dedicated investment of £270,000 ring-fenced specifically to help children with disabilities across the UK.

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) and Newlife the Charity for Disabled Children have joined forces to offer talented post-doctorial researchers the opportunity to compete for a pioneering three-year fellowship award.

The partnership, launched earlier this week at RCPCH’s annual conference, will enable the chosen recipient to have a real impact on the lives and health of children with disabilities.

Newlife, which has been investing in medical research for more than 10 years, will contribute £135,000, with RCPCH providing match funding. The successful researcher will receive a fellowship grant to the value of £250,000 to advance paediatric research in the field of childhood disability, while receiving support to progress their knowledge and develop their own skills and career.

The UK’s largest charity, Newlife provides essential equipment to disabled and terminally ill children. The charity’s investment, to date, on research has concentrated on birth defects, funding over 300 projects to the value of £16 million.

Now, this new research partnership will focus on providing much-needed insight into the secondary conditions children endure as a result of the physical impacts of disability.

Sheila Brown, OBE and CEO of Newlife, said: “We are delighted to work with such a prestigious organisation on this ground-breaking project and hope other charities follow our lead and invest in other opportunities to further advance paediatric research.”

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) is the membership body for paediatricians, representing more than 19,500 child health professionals in the UK and abroad.

It is responsible for the training, examinations and professional standards of paediatricians across the country, using its research and experience to develop recommendations to promote better child health outcomes.

Jo Revill, Chief Executive Officer of RCPCH, added: “Investing in paediatric research is vital if we’re to continue to improve the health and wellbeing of children. Despite children making up around 20% of the UK’s population, only 5% of public and charitable research spend is allocated to children.

“The importance of investing in child health research cannot be underestimated; getting it right for children means we’re far more likely to have healthier future generations.

“This partnership with Newlife is incredibly exciting and focuses on a much needed area of child health research. We look forward to awarding the first Fellowship later this year.”

Applications for the Research Fellowship Award will open in the autumn. For more information contact research@rcpch.ac.uk