Borne Foundation

The Borne Foundation drives scientific breakthroughs to prevent premature birth and enhance lifelong health for mothers and babies worldwide. Founded by a leading obstetrician, its mission centers on advancing high-quality research into pregnancy mechanisms, preterm labour causes, and preventive interventions, guided by values of scientific excellence, transparency, fairness, privacy, safeguarding, and multidisciplinary collaboration. It employs a distinctive philosophy of independent peer-reviewed funding, strategic gap-filling, and long-term programme support for translational research, believing root-cause discovery through nurturing expert talent and sustained research teams yields transformative solutions in obstetrics and neonatology.

It prioritizes preterm birth research encompassing basic science probing biological triggers of premature labour, clinical studies evaluating interventions to delay delivery, translational projects converting discoveries into actionable therapies, clinical trials testing preventive treatments, and capacity-building via fellowships, studentships, and career development for researchers in maternal-fetal medicine, perinatal health, and neonatal outcomes. Key beneficiaries include expectant mothers at risk of preterm complications, unborn fetuses vulnerable to lifelong disabilities, newborn babies facing prematurity-related health challenges like respiratory distress or neurodevelopmental delays, and clinical practitioners delivering pregnancy care. Supported activities foster collaborative networks across research institutions, pilot schemes for innovative diagnostics, and knowledge translation through publications and data-sharing, aiming to reduce global prematurity impacts—encompassing 15 million annual cases—via evidence-based prevention, early intervention, and holistic maternal-newborn health strategies.

Exclusions encompass core operational costs, general charity support unrelated to preterm research, non-scientific activities, and short-term responsive grants lacking translational potential. Distinctive priorities target underfunded gaps in preterm birth etiology and prevention, favouring expert-led teams in world-class centres with international collaboration, peer-reviewed rigour, and commitment to education alongside research. It uniquely emphasizes founder-driven scientific leadership, multidisciplinary innovation, and sustained investment in future obstetrics-neonatology leaders serving high-risk pregnancies and vulnerable newborns in clinical settings.