European Society for Paediatric Research

The European Society for Paediatric Research (ESPR) is a professional association of neonatal and paediatric researchers comprising different sub-specialties. Together with its sister organisations, the American Pediatric Society (APS) and the Society for Pediatric Research (SPR), it publishes the peer-reviewed scientific journal Pediatric Research. The ESPR was founded in 1958.

ESPR logo

Mission & Vision

The Society is a not-for-profit organisation committed to enhancing child health through research, training, and cooperation in Paediatrics and its specialised fields. We empower a diverse community of clinicians, researchers, nurses, allied health professionals, children, and parents, to develop research and apply it to practical care and policy – from bench to bedside and beyond. We tackle regional, national, and global health challenges with a focus on inclusivity, diversity, and sustainability to maintain Paediatrics as a unified, scientifically orientated discipline. Our aspiration is a future where every child thrives to become a healthy adult.

The Society's 3 Pillars

The society's three pillars.

1. The ten sections representing science.
2. The European School of Neonatology (ESN) acting as the umbrella for all neonatal educational activities.
3. The European Board of Neonatal and Child Health Research (EBNCHR) focusing on research policy.

The ESPR sections are:

• Brain, Development, and Imaging
• Circulation, Haematology and Oxygen transport
• Early Career Investigators
• Epidemiology
• Infection, Inflammation, Immunology, and Immunisation.
• Neonatal Resuscitation
• Nursing and other Healthcare Professionals
• Nutrition, Metabolism and Gastroenterology
• Paediatric and Neonatal Pharmacology
• Pulmonology

The ESPR sections are open to all members of the society as well as prospective members.

ESN logo

The European School of Neonatology (ESN)

As the educational arm of the ESPR, the ESN is committed to improving professional neonatal training in Europe and beyond. To achieve this goal, the ESN is developing a Master of Advanced Studies (MAS) in Neonatology and related educational offers and spin off projects. The ESN seeks to facilitate the harmonisation of neonatal education across the globe based on the European Training Requirements (ETR) in Neonatology. Considering the principles of evidence-based medicine, it joins theory and practice to equip medical professionals with the right competencies to practice Neonatology at all levels of care. The ESN has the ambition to improve neonatal healthcare worldwide through education and contribute to the reduction of infant mortality and complication-free survival.

Medical specialty training to become a neonatologist and specialty nursing training to become an intensive care nurse for children and newborns are regulated at the national level in Europe, with strong differences in terms of professional, time and administrative requirements across member states. In some countries there are no regulations. Therefore, the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS), the highest European medical association, commissioned the ESPR – as the representative organisation of medical and nursing interests in Neonatology in Europe – to draw up a detailed catalogue of subjects, including specific competences for specialty training as a neonatologist. This revised catalogue was prepared by the ESPR and adopted by the UEMS in 2021. It is called the European Training Requirements (ETR) in Neonatology. The ESN was set up to be the ESPR’s educational arm, supported by international specialists in didactics and educational management, and drawing on the medical knowledge of the society’s experts. The ESN puts the ETR Neonatology into practice.

The ESN offers four fully integrated educational programmes:

• A clinically integrated Master of Advanced Studies (MAS) in Neonatology: It structures and aligns medical and nursing specialist training in Neonatology on a competence basis and links it to the clinical work of the participants through tasks trainees complete in practice under the supervision of their local supervisors. The MAS is based on the Entrustable Professional Activity (EPA) framework.
• Special Courses and Training that complement the MAS: These courses take place online and in person (e.g. pre-conference courses on respiratory support) and comprise a wide range of theory, skills, and competencies relevant for medical professionals in Neonatology.
• An academically focused Master of Science (MSc) in Neonatology: Offered since 2015 in collaboration with the University of Southampton, the Neonatal Online Training and Education Programme (NOTE) focusses on the theoretical aspects of neonatal medicine. Taught by a world-class faculty from the ESPR, NOTE is a remote learning, academically accredited postgraduate neonatal education platform that counts graduates from >20 countries from around the globe.
• The free 16-part lecture series ‘Perspectives on Effective Neonatology’: Composed of pre-recorded presentations followed by live discussions, this format gives a glimpse of the topics taught in the two master’s programmes.

The Annual Conferences: jENS & CEPAS

The ESPR hosts two biennial international meetings:

• The joint European Neonatal Societies Congress (jENS): The ESPR's neonatal conference organised together with the Union of European Neonatal and Perinatal Societies (UENPS) and the European Foundation for the Care of Newborn Infants (EFCNI).
• The Congress of European Paediatric Academic Societies (CEPAS): The ESPR's new paediatric conference and the successor of EAPS, organised jointly with the European Academy of Paediatrics (EAP).

External links

• Official website