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ESPR Newsletter | Thursday, 30 July 2026

Last Chance: CEPAS 2026 Early Bird Registration Ends on 31 July!

Dear ESPR Colleague & Friend,

We warmly invite you to CEPAS 2026, where we unite neonatal and paediatric professionals in advancing child health.

When: 28-31 October 2026.
Where: Lyon, France.

Register by 31 July to secure the Early Bird rate. From 1 August, the regular registration fees will apply.

Join paediatric professionals from across Europe and beyond for an inspiring congress featuring:

Cutting-edge scientific sessions.
New networking opportunities.
Hands-on workshops and educational courses.
International collaborations in paediatrics.

For more information on CEPAS 2026, please click here.

We cannot wait to welcome you to Lyon this October!

Warmest regards,

Willem, Ana, Stéphane, Mary Anne, Jenny, Elisabeth, Raphaela & Pascal

Join the Social Event of the ESPR Early Career Investigators Section at CEPAS 2026!

We are excited to invite you to attend the Social Event of the ESPR Early Career Investigators Section at CEPAS 2026 in Lyon, France.

When: Friday, October 30th, 6:30 pm CET.
Where: Lyon Convention Center, Room Roseraie 3

It will be the perfect opportunity to catch up with old friends and make new contacts!

Click here to fill in the RSVP form & reserve your place!

Get ready for CEPAS! Join our webinar 'Chairing Sessions with Confidence – Know How, Best Practice & Tips'

Have you been invited to chair a scientific session at CEPAS or another conference? Wondering how to keep presentations on time, encourage meaningful discussion, and create a professional yet welcoming atmosphere?

Join the ESPR Early Career Investigators (ECI) Section for an interactive webinar on 23 September 2026 at 20h00 CEST, and develop the practical skills and confidence needed to chair scientific sessions successfully.

Whether this will be your first time chairing or you would simply like to refine your moderation skills, this webinar will provide practical guidance, expert advice, and real-life insights from experienced scientific leaders.

Participation is free and open to all. Come prepared to learn, ask questions, and gain practical skills that will help you chair scientific sessions with confidence.

To register for the webinar, please click here.

Travel Green to CEPAS 2026 in Lyon - An initiative by the ESPR Special Interest Group (SIG) Planetary Health

It is high time to plan your trip to Lyon, a city with excellent connections to the European rail network.

Taking the train is a great, sustainable alternative to flying, since traveling by plane contributes significantly to the carbon footprint of a medical conference by about 30-70%.

Check our interactive route map to see if there's a train connection for you and your colleagues to Lyon. Do your part, choose a sustainable way to travel!

Get in touch! The ESPR Special Interest Group (SIG) Planetary Health needs YOU!

We are the Special Interest Group (SIG) Planetary Health, part of the ESPR's Epidemiology Section.

As healthcare professionals and researchers, we must take responsibility for our young patients' futures. Supporting research and education on the influence of climate change on child health, and giving this vital topic a voice, are the SIG planetary health group's key aims. We also support research on the impact of the healthcare sector on global warming and the possibilities to reduce its CO2 footprint.

Do you want to join us in this mission? Then get in touch via office@espr.eu or meet us at CEPAS 2026!

News from Pediatric Research

Call for New Reviewers
Interested in serving as a reviewer for Pediatric Research? Peer review is essential to the continued success of our journal and to ensure timely constructive feedback to the authors. Every year the top reviewers receive a reward for their exemplary contributions to the peer review process!

To find out more, read the Editorial on 'The rewards of peer-reviewing.'

Please email your CV to the Editorial Office at pedres@publishingsolutions.net if you are interested in reviewing for the journal.

New Advocacy Topic Area
The Editors-in-Chief of Pediatric Research are excited to announce a new advocacy topic area led by David M. Keller, MD! Please let us know via the email address indicated above if you are interested in contributing to this topic area! We would love to hear from you!

White Paper: Promoting Child Health Through Research and Innovation

Europe cannot achieve healthy ageing, sustainable economic growth, or global leadership in health innovation without investing in child health. The evidence is clear: The foundations of lifelong health are established in early life, yet child and adolescent health remains significantly underrepresented in EU research funding.

This white paper, developed by four leading European paediatric societies together with the ESPR, calls on EU institutions and policymakers to place child health at the heart of the next generation of European research and innovation programmes. It demonstrates why investing in paediatric research is not only a moral imperative but also a strategic investment in Europe's future competitiveness, resilience, and prosperity.

The paper sets out evidence-based recommendations to strengthen child health research, accelerate innovation, improve access to medicines and medical technologies for children, and embed a life-course approach within EU health policy. It urges decision-makers to ensure that future research funding reflects the importance of the nearly 80 million children and adolescents who represent 100% of Europe's future.

Read the white paper to explore the evidence and the policy actions needed to make child health a central pillar of Europe's research and innovation agenda.

Publication in Pediatric Research by ESPR Experts & Colleagues: Expert Consensus on Bedside Transcatheter Closure of Patent Ductus Arteriosus in Extremely Low Birth Weight Infants

Transcatheter closure is becoming the standard of care for definitive closure of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) in premature infants. To avoid risks associated with the transportation of a fragile neonate, the intervention can be performed as a bedside procedure within the neonatal intensive care unit, even in extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants.

Limited evidence-based guidelines are available for transcatheter PDA closure in premature infants in general and for bedside PDA closure specifically. This framework represents an expert consensus regarding bedside PDA closure in ELBW infants and guidance for procedural implementation. Recommendations for patient eligibility, pre-procedural planning, staff requirements, procedural aspects, imaging and follow-up and a stepwise implementation plan for a bedside PDA closure program are presented.

IMPACT: Extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants with a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) may be considered for transcatheter PDA closure. An expert consensus is provided on bedside transcatheter PDA closure performed within the neonatology intensive care unit, thereby mitigating the risks associated with transportation of these highly vulnerable infants outside of the neonatology intensive care unit. Guidance is provided regarding procedural aspects, including staff requirements, planning, setting, and imaging, and implementation of a bedside transcatheter PDA closure programme.

News from the European School of Neonatology (ESN)

Click on the link below to explore the latest highlights, activities, and updates from the European School of Neonatology (ESN), the ESPR's educational arm in Neonatology.

SAVE THE DATE: 7th jENS Congress 2027

Mark your calendars for our 7th Congress of the joint European Neonatal Societies (jENS), taking place from 21–25 September 2027 in Bilbao, Spain.

Bringing together the European Society for Paediatric Research (ESPR), the Union of European Neonatal & Perinatal Societies (UENPS) and the Global Foundation for the Care of Newborn Infants (GFCNI), jENS provides a unique platform connecting neonatal research, clinical practice, education and the perspectives of newborn infants and their families.

Under the guiding theme 'One Congress. Three Societies. Every Newborn.' jENS 2027 will bring together researchers, clinicians, nurses, allied healthcare professionals, parent representatives and other experts from across Europe and beyond to exchange the latest advances in neonatal medicine, build collaborations and help translate research into better outcomes for newborns and their families.

Save the date and join our international neonatal community in Bilbao!

ESPR Research Grant Programme 2026 - Applications Open

Applications are open for the ESPR Research Grant Programme 2026, supporting promising research that advances paediatric and neonatal care. This year, ESPR offers two funding opportunities of EUR 10,000 each:

‘Neonatal CARE’ Research Grant
Supporting research aimed at improving patient outcomes in prematurity and respiratory development, apnoea of prematurity, and neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (RDS).

‘Future of Paediatric Care’ Research Grant
Supporting research projects across all fields related to paediatrics, helping early career investigators, post-doctoral researchers, nurses and allied healthcare professionals establish and complete their research.

Applicants must be ESPR members and meet the programme’s early-career eligibility criteria. Successful applicants are expected to present their findings at a future ESPR conference and publish the results in Pediatric Research.

Grant recipients will be announced during the ESPR ECI-Prize Session at CEPAS 2026 in Lyon on 31 October 2026.

Don’t miss this opportunity to advance your research. Apply by 31 August 2026!

The Incubator Podcast: New Episode with ESPR Past President & EBNCHR Chairperson Prof Charles Roehr

Check out the Incubator Podcast episode #454 - PEEP, Tidal Volume, and Physiology, How Far Has Resuscitation Science Traveled? with Prof Charles Roehr to trace the evolution of respiratory support at birth, from the era of fixed inflation breaths to today's focus on physiologic stability and gentle cardiopulmonary transition.

Prof Roehr reflects on a quarter century of resuscitation science, the enduring challenge of human factors in the delivery room, and where the field may be heading, from better intrapartum monitoring to increasingly specialized resuscitation teams.

Help Advance Paediatric Research by participating in these surveys!

Survey on using new antibiotics, such as ceftazidime/avibactam and cefiderocol

A European team of neonatal pharmacology researchers invites NICU directors or senior neonatologists to complete a 15-minute survey on the real-world use of ceftazidime/avibactam and cefiderocol for treating multidrug-resistant Gram-negative infections in neonates.

With neonatal sepsis causing significant global mortality and rising MDR rates in European NICUs, the survey aims to assess clinical efficacy, microbiological outcomes, safety, and adherence to guidelines. Findings will help refine treatment strategies and strengthen antimicrobial stewardship to improve outcomes for this vulnerable population. Responses are confidential and anonymised.

Participate in the survey here.

Survey on Inhaled Nitric Oxide at <7 days for Pulmonary Hypertension or Hypoxia in Preterm Infants

Mirza et al. recently completed a clinical trial evaluating inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) in preterm infants with early pulmonary hypertension. During the study, increasing recognition of pulmonary hypertension led to more clinically unstable infants receiving iNO outside the trial protocol, leaving predominantly mildly affected infants eligible for enrollment. This introduced selection bias and limited the study’s ability to answer the original research question. The investigators also observed a broader trend towards earlier iNO use in preterm infants with hypoxic respiratory failure, often before echocardiographic confirmation of pulmonary hypertension and in circumstances where alternative causes of hypoxaemia may be present.

As iNO becomes increasingly integrated into routine neonatal care, the feasibility of conventional randomized controlled trials is diminishing. To address this evidence gap, Mirza et al. are developing a multicentre pragmatic study or registry to better define current indications, patterns of use, and outcomes associated with iNO therapy in preterm infants. As a first step, they are conducting an international survey of neonatal practice, the findings of which will inform the design of future studies and help establish evidence-based indications for iNO use in this vulnerable population.

Please help us understand the use of iNO in VLBWI and complete the form (one answer per neonatal unit please). Participate in the survey here.

Follow the ESPR on Social Media

Did you know that promoting your research via social media increases the number of citations?

The ESPR would be delighted to feature your findings on Bluesky and LinkedIn. Simply send an email to office@espr.eu and we will prepare a post on your behalf.

We would also like to invite you to follow us and join the conversation. Find us on Bluesky and on LinkedIn.

#DevelopingAndApplyingResearch

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