Empowered nurse researchers play a vital role in our lives by generating new knowledge, evaluating practices, and helping us to understand the impact of care

The International Council of Nurses (ICN) has announced the theme for International Nurses Day 2026 as ‘Our Nurses. Our Future. Empowered Nurses Save Lives’. This recognises that nurses' work saves and improves lives, and that the greatest impact is achieved when they are adequately empowered.

The theme focuses on making structural reforms that maximise the potential of the nursing workforce to enhance health outcomes and reshape health systems in response to global health challenges.

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Since implementing structural changes without robust evidence may lead to less effective outcomes, nurse researchers play an essential role in achieving this vision. Nurse researchers generate new knowledge, evaluate interventions and practices, and help us to understand consumer needs and the impact of care. However, as clinical nurses achieve more when empowered, so do nurse researchers.

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A supportive research culture is a healthy research culture

Empowering nurse researchers requires a commitment to building supportive research cultures that foster their growth. In a supportive research culture, researchers have sufficient time to share knowledge, skills and experiences, and to build capacity and confidence through mentorship and professional development.

‘In alignment with the ICN’s theme, all nurse researchers should critically reflect on how they, as individuals, can contribute to building a supportive research culture’

While employers and professional organisations have a role in cultivating this culture, individual nurses also need to take professional responsibility for building collaborations and networks. Such engagement can foster innovation, celebrate research success and promote mentorship and capacity building.

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In alignment with the ICN’s theme, all nurse researchers should critically reflect on how they, as individuals, can contribute to building a supportive research culture. What small step can you take that will collectively make a difference in empowering our profession?

Supporting nurse researchers to be active creators of new knowledge, both in nursing and multidisciplinary research teams, is a powerful force, saving and improving lives and building evidence-based health systems to meet the ever-changing global health challenges.