The Irish Pain Research Network (IPRN) is a special interest group (SIG) of the Irish Pain Society. This exciting initiative aims to bring together all active pain researchers on the island of Ireland (North and South) for the purposes of sharing research results and ideas and facilitating cross-institutional collaboration in the area of pain research. The IPRN was launched formally by Professor Rolf Detlef-Treede, President of the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP), at the 15th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Irish Pain Society on Saturday 26th September 2015.

The idea to establish the IPRN arose from the fact that while a number of academic institutions and hospitals in Ireland currently have a cluster or centre of pain researchers, there is currently no forum that brings all of these groupings together specifically for the purpose of discussing pain research and advancing collaborative pain research within Ireland. It was felt that the establishment of an all-inclusive research network would facilitate closer dialogue and collaboration between all active pain researchers based either in academic institutions, hospitals, other healthcare practices, or industry.

The first meeting and inaugural research symposium of the IPRN was held during the 2015 IPS Scientific Meeting. Researchers from the various pain research groups across the country presented short 5 minute presentations, followed by a round table discussion of collaborative opportunities and the future of IPRN.