ESGE RESEARCH GRANTS

ESGE Research Grants support innovative, original research in gastroenterology. Advance your endoscopic research with financial support from ESGE and guidance from leading European endoscopists. For 2026, ESGE has increased the total grant funding to €50,000, which will be distributed among the two or three winning projects at the discretion of the jury.

Established in 2021, the ESGE Research Champions' Den is the culmination of the Research Grant application process, held each year at the ESGE Days.

Researchers submit their proposals online, and the ESGE Research Committee reviews and scores all valid applications.

The top six applicants are then selected to present their projects in the ESGE Research Champions' Den competition at ESGE Days.

Following the live presentations, a jury of five eminent researchers evaluates each proposal, and the two or three best projects are awarded an ESGE Research Grant.

Entry implies acceptance of these regulations, and all applicants agree to be bound by them upon submitting an application.

Entry implies acceptance of these regulations, and all applicants agree to be bound by them upon submitting an application.

For more information, please contact the ESGE Office: research@esge.com

Please ensure you meet the following criteria before submitting your application. For details on the criteria and evaluation process, please read the ESGE Research Projects Policy.

Eligibility criteria

• Applications are welcome from endoscopy trainees and early-career gastroenterologists or surgeons who are under 40 years of age or within five years of board certification
• Applicants must be ESGE Individual Members working in a medical institution within the ESGE zone (Central and Western Europe, Mediterranean, and North Africa). For information on ESGE Individual Membership and its benefits please click here
• Young researchers are strongly encouraged to apply

Principal investigator requirement

• The Principal Investigator (PI) must be the one submitting the project
• If selected into the Top 6, the research project must be presented by the PI during the ESGE Research Champions’ Den competition at ESGE Days

Award obligations

• Award winners are expected to submit their study results to Endoscopy
• Award winners are also required to provide progress and final study reports to ESGE

Call for applications opens once a year

• Submission portal opens: November 4, 2025
• Submission deadline: January 29, 2026
• Notification of selected applicants: February 27, 2026
• Final stage of application: The Research Champions Den at ESGE Days (Milan): May 14 - 16, 2026