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£125k call to Scotland’s researchers for epidemiology proposals is ‘vital to building stronger data’

£125k call to Scotland’s researchers for epidemiology proposals is ‘vital to building stronger data’

The NHS Research Scotland (NRS) Gastroenterology Specialty Group believes a new epidemiology call offering up to £125,000 in funding is ‘vital to building stronger data for future planning’

The group — which is focussed on research into the common chronic inflammatory bowel diseases, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis — has urged researchers based at Scottish institutions which hold a multi-study license for the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) to get involved.

Charities Crohn's & Colitis UK and Coeliac UK have teamed up to jointly offer the funding for a project lasting 12–18 months, looking at the incidence and prevalence of conditions across relevant demographics.

These conditions include:

  • Coeliac disease
  • Gluten ataxia
  • Dermatitis herpetiformis
  • Coeliac disease and comorbid type 1 diabetes
  • Coeliac disease and comorbid autoimmune thyroid disease
  • Crohn’s disease
  • Ulcerative colitis
  • Microscopic colitis
  • Indeterminate IBD

Funding of £90,000 is available for a project lasting up to 12 months while an additional £35,000 is on offer to look at Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus and autoimmune thyroid disease as comorbidities of coeliac disease alongside, or as a follow up project.

Researchers can apply for this significant financial support up to the closing date of Monday 13 April.

For successful applicants, the project is then estimated to commence in June this year and conclude in May 2027.

Full details on the jointly funded call can be found on the Coeliac UK website.

NRS Gastroenterology Specialty Lead, Professor Daniel Gaya said: “This research will help to build better understanding of how many people are affected by these conditions with the help of the latest data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) which contains anonymous electronic patient records.

“Stronger data leads to heightened awareness, more targeted campaigns, and enhanced future planning.

“It’s therefore important that Scotland’s researchers take advantage of funding opportunities like this one from Crohn's & Colitis UK and Coeliac UK. Please do apply.”

The group’s Performance Manager, Madeleine Bayne added: “We fully support this work which is essential in providing a comprehensive UK-wide picture of the number of people living with these conditions, the number of people being newly diagnosed each year, and how this is changing over time.

“An understanding of how these conditions vary by age, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic position and geographical area will helps to inform the future direction of travel for research including potential areas of improvement for better health outcomes both here in Scotland and across the world.”

The NRS Gastroenterology Specialty Group’s role is to support the delivery of high-quality clinical research in this area and manage participant recruitment to time and target, both for Gastroenterology studies which are led from Scotland, and studies led from other nations which Scottish sites are participating in.  

Studies supported by the group focus on aetiology, pathogenesis, epidemiology, biomarker discovery, and clinical trials of new therapeutic approaches/strategies. 

Publication date: 27th March 2026

Author: NHS Research Scotland

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