Michael’s diverticulitis story
Michael shares his story as part of our 2026 Diverticular Disease Awareness campaign, keen to share hope and to emphasise why patient-led research is so vital for chronic digestive conditions.
5th October 2026
Trainee research awards and early career grant rounds now open to applications
Posted: 20th March 2026
Updated: 9th April 2026
As the national charity for the digestive system, Guts UK is dedicated to funding vital research into digestive health and importantly, supporting researchers during the early stages of their career.
Applications are now open for the Guts UK/BSG Trainee Research Awards and the Guts UK Early Career Researcher Development Grants. If you work in the fields of gastroenterology, including pancreatology and hepatology, this is your opportunity to make a real impact to people affected by digestive conditions in the UK.
Guts UK is the only UK charity funding research into conditions affecting all parts of the digestive system, however, we strongly encourage applications that are aligned with our current research priorities and those which have the potential to address the top 10 priority questions identified in our Priority Setting Partnerships (PSPs).
As part of our new research strategy, we are focusing on neglected and underfunded digestive conditions where we feel we can make the biggest difference, including upper gastrointestinal disease, diverticular disease, pancreatitis, irritable bowel syndrome, and other disorders of the gut-brain interaction. We’ll also continue to prioritise research into less survivable digestive cancers such as stomach and pancreatic cancer, as well as a range of gut and liver conditions in children.
Guts UK/BSG Trainee Research Awards
Guts UK and the British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG) have joined forces to fund research awards for UK-based gastroenterology and allied Speciality Trainees who would like to conduct research or audit/quality improvement (Q1) in any any of gastroenterology or nutrition in relation to gastroenterology.
Applications are accepted for individual and for network projects. Grants are available up to £5,000 each for individuals and £10,000 for networks, with no minimum value.
Guts UK Early Career Researcher Development Grants
This scheme provides funding for early career researchers to do proof-of-concept research in any area of gastroenterology, including pancreatology and hepatology.
Six grants are available for up to £20,000 each.
What do our research awards and grants mean to recepients?
Dr Alice Lapthorn is a Senior Research Fellow who received an Early Career Research Grant from Guts UK. She told us how the grant positively impacted the early stages of her career post-PhD.
"There’s a lack of funding specifically for early career researchers who are fresh out their PhD. In academia, to get promoted, you need some research income, published papers, etc. Most places won't let you apply for funding if you aren't three years post-doc, so it's hard at this career stage to get funding, or those kind of accolades on your CV that would get promoted. Having this grant has strengthened my CV, so when I was writing my promotion application, I had something to put in the research income section as a primary investigator. Now that I am going for big research council grants and fellowships, I can show them that I have been a primary investigator, handled the budget, completed the project on time, and was reliable, which is what they're looking for."
Dr Thomas Conley, a 2024 BSG Individual Trainee Award recepiant told us:
“This grant provided crucial early‑career support, allowing me to lead an independent translational study from conception through to national presentation. It helped me develop confidence, credibility, and momentum as an early career clinical researcher.”
Further information
Applications for the Guts UK/BSG Trainee Research Awards and Guts UK Early Career Researcher Development Grants are open until Monday 29 June 2026 at 12noon.
For more information about our grants and awards, including how to apply, click here. For further information, please contact us at [email protected].
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