Year-in-review address
2024 was a transformative and remarkable year for Kids Research. As the research arm for The Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network, we have continued our mission to inform clinical practice, improve health outcomes and help children and young people live their best and healthiest lives.
A significant achievement as a Network was achieving accreditation to the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards following a short notice accreditation assessment. This was the first time clinical trials were included in the accreditation process. This accomplishment speaks volumes about the hard work of our staff working in clinical trials and our research governance team.
We have prioritised the growth of our clinical trial capabilities, reinforcing our commitment to lead translational bench to bedside research that informs clinical care and practice. Each year we operate hundreds of trials managing over 1,600 participants at any given time. We established a collaborative group for our diverse clinical trial units and teams in our hospitals, enhancing clinical research cooperation across the Network and sharing efficient working models and processes.
By implementing effective operational models in our Clinical Research Centres, we have positioned ourselves as an attractive site for clinical trials in Australia and internationally. Additionally, our Westmead facility has been refurbished and is now larger and more centrally located, ensuring easy access for patients and families participating in clinical research.
The Kids Advanced Therapeutics program continues to support research, clinical application and the education of staff and the public around innovative novel therapies.
In partnership with the University of Sydney’s technical service team, we have enhanced our laboratories to meet exemplary standards that bolster our research capacity. These improvements, including lab refurbishments and new technologies, have streamlined workflows and maximised collaboration. Such progress has only been possible through the exceptional cooperation of our staff.
We are dedicated to supporting our Kids Research community at every stage of their careers. The establishment of our Research Development Unit has played a crucial role in providing staff and researchers with professional development opportunities and research grant support. In partnership with the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation, we launched the inaugural Kids Research Clinician Researcher Fellowships scheme to help accelerate our translational research capabilities and support clinician-researcher career pathways.
Our Research Ethics and Governance teams have had an impressive year, reviewing nearly 400 ethics and governance applications. Their outstanding work and efficient internal processes ensure that research studies meet national quality standards.
Our diverse research teams continue to make a significant impact in paediatric health research. In 2024, our researchers attracted over $18.3 million in grant funding, published over 1,000 research papers and supported nearly 300 students and early to mid-career researchers. These achievements are a testament to the dedication of our community to research excellence, quality and collaboration.
As an organisation, we celebrated 15 years of translational research in 2024. This milestone was made possible by the outstanding work of our community, then and now. As we reflect on 2024, we see the impact of our efforts on clinical services throughout our Network, and on the families and patients under our care.
Most importantly, we thank our wonderful Kids Research community and our partners for their tireless efforts in transforming the care we provide for sick children and young people in NSW and beyond.