Sign up for our e-newsletter The Foundation
About the Foundation
The UK Stem Cell Foundation was set up in 2005 to speed up the progress of promising stem cell research and technology into treatments and therapies for patients. It is the only UK charity to focus specifically on stem cell research as a potential treatment for a wide range of conditions and diseases.
The UK is home to some of the world’s leading experts in stem cell research and is ideally placed to advance stem cell techniques into the clinic for the benefit of billions of people around the globe.
However the work of these experts is being held back due to a lack of funding that enables their early stage research to reach clinical trial. Clinical trial is where the safety and efficacy of stem cell treatments are tested before they can become treatments for patients.
Our Aims
The Foundation was set up to help address this critical gap in funding. We aim to do this by:
- Raising funding for promising stem cell research projects in UK medical schools, universities and hospitals;
- Funding research projects that have the potential to result in clinical benefits for patients within 5 years;
- Operating a lean, cost-effective organisation, under the direction of an eminent Board of Trustees and with carefully controlled project management. Our operating costs account for less than 8% of the funding we raise.
Since we set up in 2005, we have helped over £14 million to be invested in stem cell research projects in the UK through a combination of fundraising, co-funding and collaboration.
In May 2012, the British Neurological Research Trust (BNRT) was incorporated into the Foundation. Both organisations have overlapping aims around the funding of research into the use of stem cells for spinal cord repair. By working more closely together, they hope to maximise their impact in this area of research.