A report from the inaugural meeting of the British Neurosurgical Trainee Research Collaborative held in the Royal College of Surgeons of England, 19 October 2012.

Clinical research, which is essential for improving patient outcomes, is increasingly carried out in the context of networks established between multiple institutions. Research is also considered an important component of training curricula. The recent successful completion of a randomised trial (ROSSINI), which was led by general surgical trainees of the West Midlands Research Collaborative, has established the feasibility of trainee collaborative research networks. A research network for neurosurgical trainees in the UK and Ireland was, therefore, established following the meeting of the British Neurosurgical Trainee Association (BNTA) in Aberdeen on 19 April 2012. This BNTA initiative quickly gained the full support from the Society of British Neurological Surgeons and the UK Neurosurgical Research Network. The inaugural meeting of the British Neurosurgical Trainee Research Collaborative took place at the Royal College of Surgeons of England, London, on 19 October 2012. The purpose of this report is both to record progress to date and to promote this concept.