In recent years there has been a major drive to translate research findings into clinically useful products and procedures. The establishment of the journal Science Translational Medicine (launched 2009) and NIH’s National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS; established December, 2011) bear witness to this. Despite such encouragement, translating musculoskeletal research findings into the clinic has been slow and difficult. More generally, it is now widely acknowledged that translation is much more difficult than was originally thought. Bearing this in kind, the theme of the 2014 GRC in Musculoskeletal Biology and Bioengineering is "Identifying and Overcoming Barriers to Translation". The aim is to bring together individuals from academia, industry, government, non-profits and the clinical arena to address the issue of research translation as it applies to the musculoskeletal system. This exchange of information should facilitate and accelerate the translational activities of the orthopaedic community and beyond.