Our research

Rare or complex conditions can be devastating for children and their families. They are often life-limiting and require specialised treatments and cures. Carrying out research is often the best way to fight these diseases. In fact, for many children, research is their only hope.

As the UK’s largest dedicated funder of child health research, we stop at nothing to help deliver the medical breakthroughs and research-led care seriously ill children need.

From pioneering next-generation technologies to curing the 'incurable’ we’ve been behind medical advancements at GOSH, in the UK and around the world.

We know that children aren’t just small adults – they need customised treatments and have the right to the best healthcare.

Child health research offers new solutions and treatments for children and their families. It also helps to improve their everyday experience, giving children and young people childhoods that are fuller, funner and longer – and not constantly restricted and defined by their disease.

While almost a quarter of the population in England is under 20 years old, only 5% of the money spent on health research in the UK is focused on children and young people. This is a huge mismatch and shows the urgent need to do more.

We have ambitious plans when it comes to research, but we can’t achieve them without our partners. Together, GOSH and the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health form the biggest concentration of paediatric research expertise outside of North America.

Beyond our local campus, we fund research nationally and work closely with other UK hospitals and academic institutions.

These partnerships mean we can tackle some of the biggest challenges faced by children with rare or complex diseases and make a global impact on child health.

In 2023, we launched our five-year research strategy which built on our previous investment by committing over £70 million towards research into rare or complex childhood diseases and improving the everyday experience for children and their families.

Cancer remains the leading cause of death among children aged one to 14 in the UK. We believe that through targeted and dedicated research, we can transform the lives of children and young people with cancer. That’s why we have specifically ringfenced at least £15 million of our research funding to children’s cancer research in our new cancer research strategy.

We believe that every child deserves a breakthrough. Whether it’s a new treatment for an incurable disease, a faster way to diagnose a condition, or a way to minimise the side effects of treatment, we will continue to fund research that helps more children thrive into adulthood.

But we can’t do it without you.

Are you a researcher looking for funding opportunities?

We offer funding schemes for researchers at GOSH and UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, as well as our National Call for researchers across the UK. Find out more about our research funding schemes.