Volume 21, Issue 2

The ECCO Pioneer Award was created to provide investigators with the support needed to explore new directions in IBD research. By encouraging visionary and interdisciplinary projects, the programme offers the opportunity to address questions that may ultimately change how we understand and approach IBD.

Progress in treating Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is not linear. Landmark advances often start with a simple observation, an unusual idea or a question lacking sufficient preliminary evidence to attract major funding. Supporting this kind of research is one of the quieter but most essential roles a scientific society can play.

The European Crohn's and Colitis Organisation (ECCO) has long recognised that excellent IBD care depends not only on new scientific discoveries or clinical trials, but on the people who deliver the care, across every discipline of the multidisciplinary team: clinicians and surgeons, scientists, nurses, dietitians and allied health professionals.

The 14 Travel Award reports presented in this issue illustrate how relatively short periods of mobility can generate lasting professional, scientific and clinical impact. Designed to enable early-career IBD professionals to visit experienced centres, learn new techniques and gain clinical or scientific experience, the Travel Awards put cross-border exchange at the heart of professional development.

Epidemiology was once again strongly represented at the 21st Congress of ECCO in Stockholm, with 142 abstracts selected for presentation in this category (see graph). This sustained interest confirms the central role that ECCO Members and IBD researchers attribute to epidemiological research in advancing our understanding of IBD aetiology, natural history and outcomes. In this article, we spotlight two contributions that deserve particular attention: the winner of the Y-ECCO Best Abstract Award and the final report of an epidemiology project supported by an ECCO Research Grant.

The ECCO Postgraduate Course in IBD will take place on Wednesday, March 3 and Thursday, March 4, 2027, immediately ahead of the ECCO Congress in Copenhagen. Building on the success of previous editions, in 2027 the course will undergo its most significant evolution yet, reflecting EduCom's ongoing commitment to the educational needs of the IBD Community.