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  • Research Grants

Research Grants

One important strand of our work as a charity is our 'Advance' strand: funding, promoting and contributing to the development of new innovations and research to improve treatments and quality of life for members of the adrenal insufficiency community. 
Here we share the research grants and awards we have available and the projects we are currently supporting thanks to the generosity of our donors, members and fundraisers.
  • Annual ADSHG Research Awards 
  • Supporting Research - Letters, Patient & Public Involvement & Engagement (PPIE) and Funding
  • Annually Awarded Financial Grants
  • Adhoc Research Grants - variable amounts
  • How to Apply for our Annual or Adhoc Research Grants
  • Supporting Research - Donate or Become a Member!
  • Resources for Healthcare Professionals 

Recognising Research: Annual ADSHG Research Awards 

We recognise that it is important that early career clinicians are attracted into the specialism of adrenal medicine and given support and encouragement to continue to question, to explore and to embark on adrenal medicine research that ultimately helps our community to understand more about their diagnosis, and in some cases, directly improves management and treatment.

Our ADSHG Annual Research Awards recognise excellence and relevance in research already undertaken and accepted for presentation at the Society for Endocrinology BES conference, the UK's largest endocrinology conference, which takes place in Harrogate each year.

ADSHG Annette Seal Memorial Award, in conjunction with SfE - £500

This annual £500 award is available for the best nurse-authored abstract submitted to the Society for Endocrinology BES conference on the subject of any aspect of adrenal crisis prevention and treatment, the management and monitoring of steroid replacement therapy or associated patient education.

The award is made in memory of Annette Seal, an active volunteer for the charity, who assisted with our presence at medical conferences before her sad, early passing.

Eligibility: UK-based nurses who have had an abstract accepted for presentation at BES focusing on one of the above subjects.  Judging will be by the panel at the Society for Endocrinology. The award will be presented by the ADSHG at the BES conference.

Conditions: Successful applicants will be asked to write a short article for the ADSHG website/magazine on their research, to be shared with members.

Application process: all eligible abstracts submitted to BES will be considered for this award.  Judging is by the Society for Endocrinology Awards panel.

Louise Breen and Lisa Shepherd pictured with ADSHG Founder and Patron Deana Kenward.

ADSHG Sue Chambers Memorial Award - £500

This annual £500 award is available for the best medic/researcher submitted abstract to the Society for Endocrinology BES conference on the subject of any aspect of adrenal crisis prevention and treatment, the management and monitoring of steroid replacement therapy or associated patient education. 

It may be particularly of interest to Early Career clinicians (e.g. less than 5 years post-PhD) to encourage medical researchers to develop their interests in adrenal insufficiency, including Addison's disease, but it is open to all clinicians.

The award is named after Sue Chambers, a much-loved and sadly missed member of the charity, who passed away in 2018. We hope that Sue's spirited and passionate advocacy for people affected by Addison's will live on through this annual award.

Eligibility: UK-based medics (including students) and researchers who have had an abstract accepted for presentation at BES.  Judging will be by the panel at the Society for Endocrinology. The award will be presented by the ADSHG at the BES conference.

Conditions: Successful applicants will be asked to write an article for the ADSHG website/magazine on their research, to be shared with members.

Application process: all eligible abstracts submitted to BES will be considered for this award.  Judging is by the Society for Endocrinology Awards panel.

Sue Chambers, pictured with the first edition of the Addison's Disease Self-Help Group Cookbook, which she wrote.


Supporting Research - Letters, Patient & Public Involvement & Engagement (PPIE) and Funding

Our charity is proud to be at the forefront of medical research into Addison's disease and adrenal insufficiency, thanks to the work of medical researchers working in this important field of endocrine health. This is an exciting area of medicine where you have the chance to make a real difference to the lives of those living with these rare and invisible conditions.

We are here to support research that seeks to improve the lives of people with Addison's and adrenal insufficiency by offering:

  • Letters of Support for Ethics Committee
  • Letters of Support for Funding
  • Member Engagement and PPIE
  • Financial Grants 

We encourage researchers to :

  • Consider whether their research outcomes have any potential long-term benefit for people with Addison's, adrenal insufficiency and those who are steroid-dependent.
  • Ensure they are clear about the potential impacts of their research on participants. This means the potential for either personal benefit or growth, and psychological or physical harm.
  • Provide supporting documentation, including any patient information sheets that will be offered to participants, a copy of the ethics application or approval, and the research grant application where relevant. For online questionnaires, please supply a Word or PDF file copy of the full questionnaire.

Whether you're applying for an award or grant or for other support with your research e.g. Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE)/ member engagement, you will need to tell us about your proposal. We are a small team but will aim to review your form and get back to you with the next steps within 14 days. You can find out more on our timescales here.

"I haven't worked with such an engaged patient organisation previously and it makes such a massive difference."

Researcher working with the ADSHG

Apply Now


Annually Awarded Financial Grants

ADSHG Endocrinology Conference Travel Grant - £500

There are several key endocrinology conferences on the calendar each year, and this grant will support the successful applicant with travel costs involved in attending.  The grant funds can be spent on travel or accommodation / subsistence expenses.

Eligibility criteria: UK-based medical students, nurses, medics and researchers whose poster has been accepted for display at one of the following conferences:

  • British Endocrine Conference (UK - March)
  • European Conference Endocrinology (Europe - May)
  • Endo (US - June)
  • International Conference on Endocrinology (June every 2 years)

Conditions: Applicants must have had their poster approved for display at the conference. A breakdown of costs will be expected as part of the application, along with a completed research grant application form.  Successful applicants will be asked to write an article for the ADSHG website/magazine on their research, to be shared with members.

Apply for the Endocrinology Conference Travel Grant

Professor John Wass Research Grant - £10,000

This annual £10,000 award is open to all applicants undertaking research stimulating innovations and best practice in emergency medicine concerning adrenal insufficiency and adrenal crisis.

The grant is named after Professor John Wass of Oxford University, long-time collaborator, Chair of our Clinical Advisory Panel and good friend of the charity 

Eligibility: UK-based clinicians and researchers whose research fits the subject criteria above. 

Conditions: Your application form should be submitted to the ADSHG for evaluation by the Trustees and Prof Wass by midnight on 29 May each year (Addison's Disease Day).

The successful applicant will be informed by the end of June. 

Successful applicants will be asked to take part in a 'Behind the Research' interview/article for the ADSHG website/magazine on their research, to be shared with members.

Apply for the John Wass Research Award


Adhoc Research Grants - variable amounts

The ADSHG welcomes adhoc applications for other research initiatives and grants outside of the annual grants awarded above. Please see below on the application process

Amount: The amount of funding available, will be variable depending on the financial status of the charity at that time.  Supporting research falls into the 'Advance' strand of our work, which is just one of the important roles of the charity.  'Support' and 'Connect' are also of key relevance to our community.

Deadlines: There are no set timescales for applications for research funding outside of our annual grants.   

Conditions: Successful applicants will be asked to write a short article for the ADSHG website/magazine on their research, to be shared with members.

If you have any queries or would like to discuss your research with us ahead of applying, please email [email protected]


How to Apply for our Annual or Adhoc Research Grants

Please complete our online form which asks for details about your research proposal and what level of support you are looking for. We are a small team, but will aim to review your form and get back to you with the next steps within 14 days.

For funding applications, all decisions will be made using a clear evaluation procedure. 

Please allow a minimum of 8-12 weeks for a decision from the trustees (who are all volunteers). The ADSHG is unable to offer a fast-track approval process for quick-turnaround questionnaires.

Please note that they will not ordinarily consider research approaches where the researcher has not sought ethics approval from their supervising institution.

If you have any queries or would like to discuss your research with us ahead of applying, please email [email protected]

Current and previously supported proposals

Apply for an ADSHG research grant

Evaluation Criteria

In order to ensure equitable evaluation of all research grant applications that are considered by the ADSHG trustees, applications are evaluated according to set criteria, and given a weighted score based on the following: 

  • Patient Impact (30%): The potential benefits to patients, including improvements in diagnosis, treatment, or quality of life.   How will these be measured? 

  • Relevance to Rare Disease (20%): How closely the research aligns with Addison's disease and adrenal insufficiency 

  • Innovation (15%): The novelty of the research in relation to other research being undertaken/funded 

  • Scientific Merit (15%): The quality and rigour of the research methodology. 

  • Feasibility (10%): The likelihood that the project can be completed within the proposed timeline and budget. 

  • Research Team (5%): The qualifications and experience of the researchers involved. 

  • Budget Justification (5%): How well the budget is justified and whether it is reasonable for the scope of the project. 


 Supporting Research

Our research grants wouldn't be possible without our generous donors and tireless fundraisers. Thanks to their support it is possible for us to fund vital research that seeks to improve the lives of people with Addison's and adrenal insufficiency.

Current and previous supported projects

Donate to support Research

Donate

Become a member to support Research

Join Us

Thank you for your support and your interest in this important but sometimes overlooked field of endocrine research.


Resources for Healthcare Professionals 

We have a host of information and leaflets/publications for you and your patients, available via our online shop or to download as a digital .pdf version.

Quarterly e-Newsletter

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Publications

Leaflet/Publications


 Together, we will improve the lives of those with Addison's disease and adrenal insufficiency!

Connect on social media! Follow us on X/Twitter, Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, TikTok and YouTube

Published: 22nd May, 2023

Updated: 7th January, 2026

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Research Grants

Research Grants

One important strand of our work as a charity is our 'Advance' strand: funding, promoting and contributing to the development of new innovations and research to improve treatments and quality of life for members of the adrenal insufficiency community. Here we share the projects we are currently supporting thanks to the generosity of our donors, members and fundraisers. Read more

Published: 22nd May, 2023

Updated: 7th January, 2026

Author:

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The information contained within this website is not intended to provide clinical diagnosis and/or personalised medical advice. It should not be treated as such. Always seek the advice of your doctor or a health care professional before starting any new treatment for your underlying condition. While we have taken every care to compile accurate information to reflect the current state of knowledge, we cannot guarantee its correctness and completeness. The information provided in this website does not constitute business, medical or other professional advice, and is subject to change. In no event will the Addison’s Disease Self-Help Group or any of the contributors be responsible or liable directly or indirectly, for damages or liabilities relating in any way to the use (or misuse) of information contained within or referred to in this website.

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