Gerald Kerkut Charitable Trust

The Gerald Kerkut Charitable Trust, founded in 1997 by Professor Gerald Kerkut, a distinguished physiologist and educator, primarily advances education and research in physiological sciences at the University of Southampton. Its enduring mission, enshrined in its governing document, focuses on sustaining excellence by supporting the next generation of physiologists through student bursaries, research projects, academic prizes, travel grants, symposia, and publication costs. While trustees retain flexibility for other charitable purposes, funding overwhelmingly targets undergraduate and postgraduate physiology students, faculty-led research in biomedical, nutritional, developmental, and translational areas (e.g., vitamin D metabolism, cardiovascular development), and related academic activities, fostering research capacity and scientific dissemination within Southampton's ecosystem.

Eligibility is highly restrictive: grants go exclusively to University of Southampton affiliates, including students, academic staff, technical personnel, and departments in the School of Biological Sciences or allied biomedical fields. External organizations or unaffiliated entities are ineligible; there are no income thresholds, but support favors individuals and small teams over large-scale operations. Applications are not unsolicited—requests must come via internal university channels, with trustees reviewing on merit without formal forms or competitive rounds.

Typical grants range from £500 to £5,000 for student projects or travel, up to £30,000 for larger research or departmental awards, with annual distributions of £50,000–£80,000 across multiple recipients. Decisions occur at biannual trustee meetings (autumn/spring), with no fixed deadlines—applicants should allow months for review via university communications. Exclusions include long-term postgraduate studentships, capital projects, unrestricted core costs, and non-Southampton initiatives; its distinctive niche lies in two decades of deep institutional integration, annual student symposia, and unwavering physiology focus, making it uniquely tailored for Southampton's physiological community.