Bowel Research Uk

Charity Number: 1186061

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: Data not publicly available (£9 million invested over past 10 years)
  • Success Rate: Varies by round and quality of proposals
  • Decision Time: Approximately 6-7 months from submission to decision
  • Grant Range: £50,000 - £150,000
  • Geographic Focus: UK-wide (lead applicant must be based at UK institution)

Contact Details

Website: www.bowelresearchuk.org

Email: lindsay.easton@bowelresearchuk.org (CEO); research@bowelresearchuk.org (grant enquiries)

Phone: 020 3540 8694

Address: Charity Number 1186061

For grant application queries: research@bowelresearchuk.org

Overview

Bowel Research UK was founded in 2020 following a merger between Bowel & Cancer Research and Bowel Disease Research Foundation (BDRF), bringing together over 50 years of combined experience. The charity has invested £9 million in research over the past decade and currently funds approximately 30 research projects and PhDs across the UK. As a national medical research charity, Bowel Research UK is dedicated to funding new treatments and potential cures for bowel cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, and other bowel disorders. The organization focuses on early-stage, promising research that typically falls outside the orbit of conventional funding sources, with particular emphasis on supporting early career researchers who will bring fresh ideas to ongoing challenges. In 2024, the charity won a gold award at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show for their Microbiome Garden, which launched their first dedicated microbiome research funding round.

Lindsay Easton was appointed CEO in May 2024, bringing over 25 years of charity sector experience, including six years as CEO of Brain Research UK.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

PhD Awards: Up to £120,000 per award

  • Applications accepted: May-July
  • Decisions made: December
  • Supports the next generation of bowel disease experts
  • Standard duration typically covers full PhD funding

Small Grants: Up to £60,000 per grant

  • Applications accepted: November-January
  • Decisions made: June
  • Typical grants around £50,000, sufficient for proof of concept
  • Standard grant duration: 1-18 months

The “Hard to Fund” Fund (HTFF): Variable amounts

  • Ringfenced at 10-25% of annual fundraising
  • Rolling basis as part of standard grant rounds
  • Dedicated to research struggling for backing from conventional funding mechanisms
  • Individual donors or companies can fund specific HTFF projects

PORT Small Grants: Variable amounts

  • Partnership with Pseudo-Obstruction Research Trust
  • Funds research into chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction (CIPO), dysmotility, gastroparesis, and resultant intestinal failure
  • Not subject to ACPGBI funding stipulations

Microbiome Research: Variable amounts (2024 round allocated £330,000 to four projects)

  • First dedicated microbiome round held in 2024
  • Focus on gut microbiome's impact on health and disease

Priority Areas

Core Research Focus:

  • Bowel cancer (42,000 new UK diagnoses annually)
  • Inflammatory bowel disease (300,000 people living with IBD in UK)
  • Other bowel disorders

The “Hard to Fund” Fund specifically targets:

  1. Rare conditions or common but under-researched “unglamorous” diseases
  2. Alternative research methodologies (qualitative studies, small sample hypothesis-generating investigations)
  3. Quality of life research (long-term impacts from surgery or treatments)
  4. Emerging technologies or innovative ideas
  5. Cross-disciplinary studies (colorectal surgeons, nurses, medical researchers working with patients)
  6. Underrepresented populations (hard-to-reach ethnic and cultural groups, people with disabilities, LGBTQ+ communities, rare disease populations)

Strategic emphasis on:

  • Early-stage, promising projects
  • Proof-of-concept studies
  • Research with potential for clinical translation
  • Projects developing the next generation of experts
  • Neglected areas of research

What They Don't Fund

While specific exclusions are not explicitly listed, eligibility requirements indicate:

  • Lead applicant must be based at a UK institution
  • All proposals must clearly demonstrate alignment with the charity's vision to fund life-changing research into bowel cancer and other bowel diseases
  • Applications must fall within the field of coloproctology (diseases of small and large intestine and anus)
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Governance and Leadership

Chief Executive

Lindsay Easton - CEO (appointed May 2024)

  • Over 25 years of charity sector experience
  • Previously CEO of Brain Research UK for six years
  • Former senior fundraising and marketing roles at Action for Children, Amnesty International Australia, British Heart Foundation, Young Lives vs Cancer, and Diabetes UK

Key quote from Lindsay Easton: “Almost 43,000 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer every year in the UK and over a million suffer from bowel diseases. Despite this, there are so many neglected areas of research – from understanding the gut microbiome, to improving life for people with a stoma, and using knowledge about inherited bowel conditions to develop new treatments.”

On research strategy: “Our research funding focuses on early career researchers – those starting their research careers who will bring new ideas to ongoing challenges.”

Chair and Trustees

Asha Senapati - Chair

  • Consultant Colorectal Surgeon
  • Extensive experience treating patients with bowel cancer and other bowel diseases

Other Trustees include:

  • Ms Elaine Burns - Consultant Colorectal Surgeon at St Marks Hospital, clinical interest in surgical management of colorectal cancer
  • Professor Charles Knowles - Barling Chair of Surgery at Queen Mary University of London and Consultant colorectal surgeon at Barts Health NHS Trust
  • Professor Morton - Barling Chair of Surgery at University of Birmingham

Governance Structure

  • Grants Committee conducts preliminary assessments
  • Scientific Advisory Committee comprising practicing bowel surgeons and senior health professionals
  • Trustee Board provides final approval on funding recommendations
  • Peer review processes have been passed by the Association of Medical Research Charities' peer review audit

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

Application Method: Online via CC Grant Tracker system (recently shifted to one-stage Word document application form)

  • Register at the grants management system
  • Access application forms for open grant rounds
  • Applications submitted through existing grants system

Pre-Application Requirements:

  • Lead applicant must be based at UK institution
  • Applications welcome from clinical and non-clinical researchers
  • Must complete Equity, Diversity and Inclusion monitoring form (voluntary and confidential)
  • Animal research must adhere to “3 Rs” principles; projects using animals under special protection undergo additional peer review

ACPGBI Requirement: At least 50% of funding must go to applications where at least one investigator is a member of the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland (ACPGBI). The ACPGBI accepts members from various disciplines with professional interest in coloproctology.

Exception: PORT Small Grants are not subject to ACPGBI funding stipulations.

Decision Timeline

PhD Awards:

  • Applications open: May
  • Application deadline: July
  • Decisions announced: December
  • Timeline: Approximately 5-7 months

Small Grants:

  • Applications open: November
  • Application deadline: January
  • Decisions announced: June
  • Timeline: Approximately 5-7 months

Process stages:

  1. Initial Grants Committee preliminary assessment
  2. Shortlisted applications sent to at least two external peer reviewers (UK or international)
  3. Two Grants Committee members present each application to full committee
  4. Applications ranked by average score
  5. Recommendations proceed to Trustees for final approval
  6. Unsuccessful applicants notified within 4 weeks of Grants Committee meeting with anonymized feedback

Success Rates

Success rates vary over time depending on:

  • Quality of proposals received
  • Levels of funding available
  • Demand from the research community

All funding decisions are made on the basis of scientific quality. Specific numerical success rates are not publicly disclosed, though the charity maintains a dedicated page tracking application success rates since April 2022.

Reapplication Policy

No specific reapplication policy is publicly stated. Unsuccessful applicants receive anonymized feedback from the Grants Committee within 4 weeks, which could inform resubmissions. Contact research@bowelresearchuk.org for guidance on reapplication.

Application Success Factors

What Makes a Strong Application

Alignment with Mission:

“All proposals must clearly demonstrate how they align with our vision to fund life-changing research into bowel cancer and other bowel diseases.”

Evaluation Criteria:

Awards are determined "entirely on scientific merit in relation to Bowel Research UK's strategy." Assessment focuses on:

  • Quality of the application
  • Quality of the proposed research
  • Applicants' field experience

Strategic Fit:

The charity “actively supports promising but early stage projects that typically do not come within the orbit of other funding sources.” Applications should emphasize:

  • Early-stage or proof-of-concept nature
  • Novel approaches or neglected research areas
  • Potential for clinical translation
  • Development of early career researchers

Recent Funded Projects (2024 Microbiome Round)

  1. University of Liverpool - Understanding how gut microbiome affects bowel cancer patients' treatment response and recovery (Mr Ahsan Javed)
  1. Imperial College London and St Mark's Hospital - Investigating faecal microbiota transplants delivered as capsules for IBD symptom management (Dr James Alexander)
  1. University of Birmingham - Analysing FMT contents and effectiveness changes during medicinal processing (Dr Richard Horniblow)
  1. University of Edinburgh - Investigating bacterial feeding on dead cells and contribution to gut wall damage (Dr CJ Anderson)

Key Terminology and Language

  • “Life-changing research”
  • “Early-stage research”
  • “Proof of concept”
  • “Neglected areas of research”
  • “Hard to fund”
  • “Next generation of bowel disease experts”
  • “Clinical translation”
  • “Bowel cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, and other bowel disorders”

Advice from the Funder

On research focus (Lindsay Easton): “There are so many neglected areas of research – from understanding the gut microbiome, to improving life for people with a stoma, and using knowledge about inherited bowel conditions to develop new treatments.”

On IBD research (Lindsay Easton): "Research like this, and other projects we're funding, shed light on how we can tailor care for different groups and how the disease develops."

On the Hard to Fund Fund: Projects undergo “the same exacting scrutiny as other research grants” - quality standards remain high even for unconventional or neglected research areas.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  1. Target early-stage research: Bowel Research UK explicitly focuses on promising early-stage projects that struggle to get funding elsewhere. Position your research as proof-of-concept or hypothesis-generating work.
  1. ACPGBI membership matters: At least 50% of funding goes to applications with ACPGBI members, so having an ACPGBI member as investigator significantly improves chances (except for PORT grants).
  1. Consider the Hard to Fund Fund: If your research involves rare conditions, unconventional methodologies, underrepresented populations, or quality-of-life studies, explicitly highlight this alignment with HTFF criteria.
  1. Emphasize neglected research areas: The charity values research into “unglamorous” or under-researched conditions. Don't shy away from highlighting how your work fills a funding gap.
  1. Early career researchers welcome: The organization specifically targets early career researchers bringing fresh ideas. Highlight how the grant supports career development alongside scientific innovation.
  1. One-stage process means thoroughness counts: With no preliminary Expression of Interest stage, your single application must be comprehensive and compelling from the start.
  1. Expect robust peer review: Applications undergo external peer review by at least two UK or international experts. Ensure scientific rigor and clarity for specialist reviewers.

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References