Clinical research is fundamental to the advancement of IBD medicine. Research integration aims to narrow the gap between standard clinical care and research, in order to improve overall outcomes. Research integration applies to several aspects of patient care: from improving patient recruitment into research trials through to improved dissemination of information and delivery of evidence-based practice via good quality care. It emphasises collaboration between research teams and aligns research strategies. Research integration has become an important focus of many health systems in recent years and has been brought into the spotlight due to reducing recruitment rates to clinical trials and the increasing importance of applied research in clinical services. Whilst it is known that research-active centres demonstrate better clinical outcomes, there is still some way to go to improve integration in many IBD centres.