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Research-active clinical teams are linked with improved patient outcomes, enhanced service innovation and greater workforce development. Despite these benefits, embedding research within routine clinical roles in NHS mental health services remains challenging and requires coordinated leadership, cultural change and sustained organisational investment. This commentary reflects on the development of a clinical academic pathway within a United Kingdom (UK) mental health trust. Initiated through strategic commitment from the assistant director of research and catalysed by the proactive leadership of a clinical psychologist, the pathway evolved to include multiple professional groups and career stages. We describe the organisational enablers, leadership practices and barriers encountered during its development, including the importance of aligning research with service priorities, distributing leadership roles and protecting time for research activities. The reflections offer transferable lessons for NHS (National Health Service) leaders seeking to embed research within clinical practice and build sustainable clinical academic capacity in mental health services.