Bardhan Research and Education Trust of Rotherham

The Trust supports fundamental and translational research, investigator-led studies, clinical trials, novel diagnostics, gene studies and nutrition responses in gastroenterology. It also funds training and education at several levels, including PhDs, MDs, postdoctoral fellowships and earlier degrees such as BMedSci and MSc, often enabling outstanding students at UK universities to progress in this field. Grants go to individual researchers and students as well as to academic institutions. While the Trust is rooted in South Yorkshire, its reach extends across England and Wales, reflecting the international connections born from its original local studies.

BRET works with academic institutions and with individual researchers and students who show determination and innovation. There are no income, size, age or religious restrictions, and applicants can be based anywhere within the Trust's geographic reach, primarily South Yorkshire but extending to England and Wales. Researchers of any age and stage are welcome, with a particular emphasis on nurturing talent. Because funding is by invitation only, contact typically comes through the Trust's own networks and trustees rather than through open application.

The Trust does not cover core organisational costs, general running expenses or direct support for people and community projects. Its focus is on advancing research and education in medicine, so it steers clear of the day-to-day operational and welfare costs that fall outside that remit.

BRET operates by invitation, with trustees drawing on their own networks to identify potential grantees; unsolicited approaches are not accepted. The Trust favours close mentorship alongside grant support, and its willingness to back blue-skies, high-risk projects reflects a deliberate, calculated approach to funding rather than a tick-box one.