Research is how we will stop seizures interrupting people’s lives. However, epilepsy research has lacked investment for a long time. This means the community of researchers dedicated to epilepsy is smaller than it should be.
There is no shortage of talented scientists who could apply their skills to study epilepsy. Yet without the funding available or the connections to other epilepsy scientists, some of them may choose to work in other fields where there are more opportunities.
As a comparison, dementia affects around 1.5 times more people than epilepsy but attracts an estimated 10-fold more scientists. Those dementia researchers are creating breakthroughs that will change people’s lives. It’s time we built a research community like this for epilepsy.
That’s why one of the Institute’s core themes is to build a strong and connected community of scientists, what we call ‘Capacity Building’.
Who are ‘early-career researchers’, and why focus on them?
An important part of our Capacity Building work is to help researchers at the start of their epilepsy research career succeed.
A scientist’s career typically starts with a PhD degree, working in a team led by an established researcher. After working on other projects – developing their skills, publishing important work, and winning funding – the scientist may eventually step out to create their own team.
This transition, from early-career researcher to independent team leader, is a critical but challenging step. It’s one of the key points when some scientists leave research all together.
So, attracting scientists at the start of their career to work in epilepsy, and keeping them in the field, is really important. And while we want as many scientists as possible studying epilepsy, it’s not just a numbers game. Bringing new scientists into epilepsy research, with new ideas and techniques, could provide new solutions to old problems, and deliver the breakthroughs people with epilepsy need.
Supporting research – and researchers
We’re proud that your donations go towards life changing research. In our most recent grant round, many of the grants were awarded to early career researchers, to support both their research and their careers.
For example, Dr Jonathan Horsley and Mr Aswin Chari were awarded our Emerging Leader Fellowships, to help them make the transition to leaders in epilepsy research.
We’ve also co-funded two new PhD studentship opportunities, with The Anatomical Society and Sam’s Superheroes, allowing scientists to take the first steps of their research careers in epilepsy.
ECR Training Programme
To be awarded these grants, researchers had to apply for funding through our rigorous and competitive process. Unfortunately, many potentially life-changing research projects end up not being funded, because there isn’t enough money to support everything.
So, we also help scientists develop the skills they need to win funding for future research, whether that’s from the Institute and/or other research funders, through our new Early Career Researcher Training Programme.
The programme includes a two-day residential meeting. The first of these was held in May 2026 for our initial cohort of scientists. They had a chance to listen to leading epilepsy scientists talk about their careers, as well as meeting other early-career researchers, to build collaborations and spark new ideas for epilepsy research.
The feedback from the event was excellent, with a real sense of camaraderie among the early-career researchers. “I met open, supportive colleagues who were generous in sharing ideas and advice,” said one attendee. “It was inspiring to see the next generation of epilepsy researchers actively looking to team up to make epilepsy research more effective and, importantly, more enjoyable.”
We hope the Training Programme builds the confidence and skills of a new generation of epilepsy scientists.
A fly on the wall
We also give early-career scientists the chance to see firsthand how the Institute decides what research to fund.
We offer observer positions on our scientific advisory committee for early-career researchers, allowing them to be a ‘fly on the wall’ of the grant awarding process. This gives them valuable insights into what it takes to turn a great research idea into a grant-winning application.
Two recent observers, Dr Karoline Leiberg and [Nye], share their experiences in a blog post later this month.
Training and travel grants
Travel is also an important part of scientific life, whether to go conferences to share their work and make new connections, or to work in other labs to learn new skills.
The Institute is trialling a scheme to provide funding to help scientists with the travel costs of attending conferences and training opportunities. This will give scientists a chance that they might not otherwise have to develop and share their research.
A community ready to take on epilepsy
In a survey of researchers carried out by the Institute in 2024, two of the biggest barriers to their work identified were a lack of funding and collaborative networks. So, it’s vital we look beyond funding research projects, and at how else we can help scientists do their best work.
By supporting scientists’ careers as well as their research, we can create a research community ready to take on the challenges faced by people with epilepsy, and help everyone live seizure free.
Donate today to build the strong research community people with epilepsy deserve.
