What is the Institute for Child Health Ireland?
ICHI is a national paediatric institute bringing together child health research, education, clinical simulation and innovation across the island of Ireland.
Why does it matter?
ICHI delivers its mission through four core functions: Clinical Research, Interprofessional Clinical Education, Clinical Simulation and Innovation. These underpin five strategic areas: Precision & Discovery, Cancer, Critical Moments, Future Care, and Neurodiversity, Mental Health & Inclusion.
By integrating clinical care, research, education, simulation and innovation, ICHI aims to improve child health outcomes, develop a highly skilled paediatric workforce and accelerate the translation of research into practice.
Evidence shows that health and development in the earliest years influence lifelong health, education, productivity and wellbeing. Prevention, early intervention and effective treatment in childhood can reduce future healthcare use and improve participation in education and employment. As an integrator, ICHI increases the return on Ireland’s existing investment in child health by connecting activity across the system and reducing duplication.
ICHI at a glance
ICHI has 112 active clinical trials and studies, led by 37 investigators across 15 paediatric specialties. Of these, 29 are open to recruitment, 22 are in follow-up, 39 are in set-up and 22 are complete, with
more than 1,000 children recruited to date. Cancer is the largest area, with 42 trials, reflecting strength in precision oncology. Around three quarters of the portfolio comprises regulated trials and roughly two thirds are industry-sponsored, demonstrating Ireland’s position as a credible international site for paediatric research. The clinical trials team has around 43 whole-time equivalents.
More than 2,000 undergraduate students are supported each year, alongside postgraduate trainees across medicine, nursing and health and social care professions. ICHI is integrating 180 training programmes nationally to support the move to the new National Children’s Hospital Ireland.
Simulation programmes are preparing teams for the new hospital, with an estimated 880 staff participating in team training during 2026 and a 2027 target to complete simulation trial runs across 43 areas. ICHI’s reach extends across all six health regions and Northern Ireland, as well as international networks including the European Reference Networks and the European Children’s Hospital Organisation.
Example of simulation training
Governance and accountability
ICHI has developed from decades of partnership. The Research and Innovation Office was established in 2019, the National Children’s Research Centre was integrated into CHI in 2024, and the academic partnership was formalised through the Paediatric Academic Health Sciences Centre (PAHSC) Memorandum of Agreement. In 2025, the CHI and PAHSC Boards tasked the Centre with establishing an all-island Institute for Child Health Ireland and developing its future home, the Children’s Research and Innovation Centre (CRIC), on the shared St James’s campus.
ICHI is founded on the PAHSC Memorandum of Agreement between CHI, UCD, TCD, RCSI and DCU, with a Memorandum of Understanding extending the partnership to UCC, University of Galway, UL, Queen’s University Belfast and Ulster University. Strategic oversight is provided by the CHI and PAHSC Boards, which includes university, CHI and independent international representation. ICHI sits within CHI, reporting through CHI’s governance structures and those of its university partners..
Clinical research operates within the national regulatory framework, including HPRA oversight, while health data use through CRADLE and registries is governed by data protection and research ethics requirements. Operationally, ICHI is a CHI academic directorate led by a Chief Academic Officer, with three departments covering Research Partnerships and Impact, Education and Academic Development, and Simulation. An Executive Director oversees governance, advocacy and financial stewardship, with all posts held within CHI.
Alignment with national frameworks and priorities
ICHI’s work is aligned with national policy and supports the HSE’s research and education ambitions. It provides the paediatric clinical-academic engine for the HSE Strategic Framework for Health and Social Care Research, while ICHI Sim aligns with the HSE National Simulation Office Strategic Plan 2025–2028 and national requirements for interprofessional education.
ICHI also directly supports the transition to the new National Children’s Hospital Ireland by preparing the workforce and testing clinical systems before the move.
Funding
ICHI receives core HSE funding for governance, leadership and operational functions. This investment is used to attract additional income through research grants, industry, philanthropy and education activity.
Trinity College Dublin has provided a site on the shared St James’s campus for CRIC, the Institute’s future home.
CHI are working with the Children’s Health Foundation, CHI’s charity partner, who have already committed over 3 million euro to the design and scoping of the CRIC build. The Foundation’s board of directors will make a decision on how the charity might further support the project once full costings and scope of the plan is available. Supporting the funding of ICHI’s long-term growth will align with the Foundation’s core principles around the delivery of excellence in paediatric research.
Key partners
ICHI brings together ten university partners across the island through the PAHSC Memorandum of Agreement and Memorandum of Understanding, spanning Dublin, the regions and Northern Ireland. Research partners include the INFANT centre in Cork, the Rinn research network, including Rinn Artificial Intelligence and Rinn Advanced Therapies, and the Translational Research Centre, which hosts biobanking.
International partnerships include the European Reference Networks, the European Children’s Hospital Organisation and global child health networks, while industry partners support the largely industry-sponsored clinical trials portfolio.