Welcome to the Medicines for Children Research Network

The NIHR Medicines for Children Research Network (MCRN) was created in 2005 to improve the co-ordination, speed and quality of randomised controlled trials and other well designed studies of medicines for children and adolescents, including those for prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

The Network has extensive knowledge and experience of paediatric research, and supports non-commercial, pharmaceutical/biotech-sponsored and investigator-led partnership studies in NHS sites across all of England. The MCRN supports studies through its infrastructure, which includes

• the MCRN Coordinating Centre in Liverpool
• 6 Local Research Networks (LRNs) supporting most of England, with partnerships with Comprehensive Local Research Networks to support paediatric research across the rest of the country
• 15 Clinical Studies Groups (CSGs)
• a Clinical Trial Unit and links with other Clinical Trials Units (CTUs)
• Neonatal Network

In addition, the MCRN Coordinating Centre administers the NIHR Paediatric (non-medicines) Specialty Group.

The NIHR MCRN is funded by the Department of Health and works in partnership with the NIHR Clinical Research Network (NIHR CRN) to improve the UK’s clinical research environment and maximise the development of safe and effective medicines and formulations for children.

Children & Families High quality research, good recruitment and attrition rates, and improved health outcomes for children, depend on listening to the voices of children and young people, as well as their families and carers, and taking account of their experiences, priorities and perspectives.

Clinical Research How the MCRN can support the development of your protocol, how studies are included in the NIHR CRN Portfolio Database (Study Assessment Committee; SAC) and how MCRN supports recruitment of children to studies.

Industry How the MCRN can support the development and delivery of industry studies.

Research Networks The NIHR MCRN is part of the NIHR CRN, and forms part of the UK Clinical Research Network. The Networks provides world-class health service infrastructure to support and deliver high quality clinical research studies of medicines for children.

The NIHR Medicines for Children Research Network is part of the National Institute for Health Research and the NIHR Clinical Research Network