Fellowships & Grants Reports

Fostering and supporting collaborative research in IBD across Europe is one of the priorities for ECCO. Accordingly, ECCO has developed a large number of initiatives over the years, including classic research grants, travel grants and fellowships as well as dedicated grants for dietitians and nurses—partners in the IBD multidisciplinary team who usually have limited opportunities to access research grants.

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.

The D-ECCO Travel Award offers IBD Dietitians an opportunity to visit other IBD Centres, to learn about diet and nutrition in IBD. Verena Mëllo was awarded at ECCO’25 and travelled to the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.

Congratulations to the winners of the ECCO Fellowships and Grants awarded at ECCO’25 in snowy Berlin this year. ECCO is investing up to EUR 1.8 million in scientific research. Learn more here about the new projects that will be supported by ECCO in 2025. At ECCO’25, Berlin, the winners of the ECCO Fellowships and Grants programme received their certificates, presented by Fernando Magro together with Britta Siegmund.

The N-ECCO Travel Award offers IBD Nurses an opportunity to visit other IBD Centres, to observe and learn from IBD nursing services. Sophie Craddock was awarded at ECCO’24 and travelled to the Meyer Children’s Hospital, in Florence Italy.

The D-ECCO Travel Award offers IBD Dietitians an opportunity to visit other IBD Centres, to learn about diet and nutrition in IBD. Guia Becherucci was awarded at ECCO’24 and travelled to the University Hospitals Leuven, Belgium.

At ECCO’24, Stockholm, the winners of the ECCO Fellowships and Grants programme received their certificates, presented by SciCom Chair Marc Ferrante together with President Britta Siegmund. This year, a record number of grants were awarded, including the new Global Grant designed for low and lower-middle income countries as well as the IIS Registry Grant given for the first time.