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RCPCH-NIHR PIER Award

The RCPCH-NIHR PIER (Paediatric Involvement and Engagement in Research) Award recognises significant contributions to excellent patient engagement for NIHR Clinical Research Network Portfolio studies.

Nominations for the 2025 PIER Award closed on 9 December 2024 and the winner will be announced in March 2025. The next round of applications will open in September 2025.

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The award is designed to recognise the multidisciplinary research teams who make outstanding contributions to involving paediatric patients and families in the development and delivery of research.

It is open to research active paediatricians and paediatric focused research teams of up to four people. The individual or team should highlight their contribution to excellent paediatric patient/family engagement in the design and delivery of NIHR Clinical Research Network Portfolio studies.

The winner(s) will receive a trophy and free day attendance to RCPCH Conference and Exhibition (including reasonable expenses) where they will be presented with the award by the RCPCH President.

Previous winners

2024: PADDINGToN (PArent Co-Designed Drug INformation for parents and Guardians Taking Neonates home), team members including Dr Louise Bracken, Andrea Gill, Dr Fiona O’Brien and Janet Clark

2023: Department of Paediatric Gastroenterology team at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, team members including Associate Professor and Honorary Consultant Matthias Zilbauer, Research Nurse Claire Glemas and Robert Heuschkel - see our news story

2022: The Martin House Research Centre (MHRC), team members including Professor Lorna Fraser, Dr Julia Hackett, Dr Andrew Papworth and the Family Advisory Board (FAB).

2021: PERFORM project, team members including Dr Emma Lim, Professor Marieke Emonts, Dr Jo Ball, Dr Jethro Herberg and Young Person's Advisory Group North East (YPAG-ne)

2020: The Cleft Collective Cohort Studies, including Dr Yvonne Wren, Professor Jonathan Sandy, Ana Hobbs, Anna Martindale, Kenny Ardouin and Kerry Humphries

Applications

The award is currently closed and not taking submissions. We will open applications for the 2026 award in September 2025. If you would like any further information please contact research@rcpch.ac.uk. (Information about the application process and the application form is available below for reference.)

Applicants are required to complete an application form (see downloads) to outline their contribution to NIHR Clinical Research Network Portfolio studies, particular weight is attached to how patients and families have been engaged and informed of new opportunities to participate in clinical research, co-production in the development and delivery of studies, innovative methods of study delivery, consideration of equality, diversity and inclusion and research impact. 

Applicants are also required to outline what activities they plan to carry out in the future to improve research delivery.

Please send the completed form and your CV to the research team: research@rcpch.ac.uk.