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A pioneering research centre aimed at achieving better mental health outcomes for children, young people and families will be established at the University of Oxford thanks to a £27 million gift from The Paul Foundation.

Man and child sitting together on the ground chatting friendly

The Oxford Centre for Emerging Minds Research will serve as a hub to investigate how to promote good mental health and prevent and treat emerging mental health conditions by identifying and harnessing children and young people’s aptitudes and interests and targeting the key mechanisms that underpin mental health in children and young people. The Paul Foundation’s generous gift will fund key areas of research, as well as the training and development of future leaders in the field. It will also enable the permanent endowment of two professorships to lead the centre as it grows.

Mental health problems in children and young people are common and seemingly on the rise - an NHS survey in 2023 found that one in five had a likely mental health condition, an increase from one in nine in 2017. The Oxford Centre for Emerging Minds Research aims to contribute to a reversal of this trend by developing psychological approaches that can be used by families, in schools and across society to promote good mental health, and to prevent and intervene early to address emerging problems.

Researchers from the centre will work closely with children and young people, caregivers, policymakers, and health and education practitioners to ensure these approaches have a positive impact both on policy and practice. They will be based in the Life and Mind Building, the University’s state-of-the-art bioscience facility, due to open this autumn. The Paul Foundation will fund an experimental classroom space within the building to enhance the centre's work.

Read the full story on the University website