The Global Grants for Gut Health

The Global Grants for Gut Health is sponsored by Yakult and Nature Portfolio. Supports innovative, investigator-led research focused on the human gut microbiota.

The fund is open to eligible researchers worldwide who meet the stated criteria and who submit in-scope applications through the Nature Portfolio portal on the Submittable platform. A maximum of three grants will be awarded per funding cycle, each providing up to USD $100,000 for a one-year research project.

Interactions between the gut microbiome and the nervous system Emerging evidence suggests that interactions between the gut microbiome and the nervous system have implications for human health. The microbiome influences neurotransmitter production, immune signalling, and stress responses, which affect mood, cognition, and neurological function.

Disruptions in this relationship have been linked to mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety, neurodevelopmental conditions including Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. However, mechanisms of action have remained elusive.

_This call invites researchers to investigate potential mechanisms by which the gut microbiome impacts the health of the human nervous system through the gut-brain axis, identifying targets for therapeutic intervention. _ Applicants must be employed by a university, research institute or other not-for-profit organization engaged in scientific research.

To be eligible, applicants must hold a doctoral or medical degree (e.g., PhD, MD, PharmD) and possess a minimum of five years of postdoctoral research experience at the time of application. Eligible researchers should demonstrate a track record of excellence in their field and the capacity to lead an independent research project.

The awards are open to researchers of any nationality and projects may be hosted at eligible not-for-profit institutions worldwide. However, due to international sanctions and restrictions, applications cannot be accepted from certain countries or regions subject to trade or legal limitations. See here for more details.

The programme is open to applicants from all scientific disciplines. #### Assessment process & criteria All proposals will first be evaluated by scientific peer reviewers on the basis of the originality and scientific quality of the project. A shortlist of proposals will then be assessed by an independent, expert panelon the basis of all four of the criteria below.

The panel is made up of internationally renowned researchers in human microbiota from across the world. Panel members will review shortlisted proposals individually ahead of a meeting of the full panel to discuss the merits of proposals in detail. The panel will then decide which proposals to fund.

Yakult and Nature Portfolio employees will have no influence over funding decisions. ### Proposals will be assessed against the following criteria: **Quality and originality of the science** Research funded under the programme must contribute to knowledge of the human microbiota. Research Proposals should explain the originality of the proposed research.

This may include novel insights into the human microbiota or the development of novel techniques. Research Proposals must set out well-designed, robust studies using the most appropriate methodologies, equipment, data and analytical techniques to reach the stated objectives. **Potential scientific and social impact** Research Proposals should set out the importance of the contribution they will make.

For example, the research may directly answer key questions, develop techniques to further probe crucial aspects of the human microbiota or address unmet challenges or opportunities. The ultimate aim of the scheme is to benefit society and patients through improved knowledge, tools and techniques to understand and address gut health.

**Quality of the applicant/team and value for money** The applicant (and other team members) must have the necessary skills and experience to carry out the research, both in terms of the science and the leadership of a research grant. This will be judged on the track record of the applicant(s) and the appropriateness of the host universities and institutes.

The project budget must be clearly explained and will be judged on the appropriateness to deliver the proposed programme of research. The panel may also consider how the project will be managed to ensure the resources are deployed effectively.

**Emphasis on mechanisms of action** The research proposal should have an emphasis on elucidating the mechanism or mechanisms of action between the host, the microbial, and non-microbial microbiomes in the gut. Funds can be used to cover the following eligible costs: **1. Direct costs of research** * Salaries of the principal investigator and other team members.

It is expected that awards will cover a percentage of investigators’ time. Awards are not intended to buy out 100% of investigators’ time. Research assistants may be employed on a full-time basis.

* The costs of consumables, materials, supplies, and software, as well as small, non-capital equipment of a maximum value of US$10,000, that will be required to deliver the project and associated activities. * Travel and subsistence for team members as required to deliver the project and associated dissemination activities. This is not intended to cover normal living expenses.

* Ethical approval and other licence fees. * Consultancy and subcontracting fees. **2.

Indirect costs or institutional overheads** * In addition, applicants may apply for a further amount, equivalent to 10% of the requested direct costs of research, to cover indirect costs if such a contribution is required by their institution. I.e. the applicant may apply for $100,000 of direct costs and $10,000 of indirect costs at maximum. The following costs are not eligible: * Capital equipment over US $10,000.

* Accommodation and normal living costs. Applications must be submitted through the online application form. Entries must be complete and submitted by 14th July 2026 11:59pm GMT to be eligible.

1. “Research Proposal Title" - the title of your Research Proposal must be completed and the terms and conditions accepted before you can move onto other sections of the application process. At this stage, you are also required to warrant that your institution has seen and given ‘in principle’ approval to the standard Funding Agreement associated with this grant programme.

2. The creator of the proposal will automatically be considered the principal investigator. 3.

The home institution of the principal investigator will be considered the Lead Institution. 4. Research Proposal Summary: The Research Proposal Summary (600 words) should include: the Context; Objectives; Research Design and Methodology; Project Team; and Dissemination and Impact Plan.

5. Research Proposal and Supporting Documents: Your research proposal will be entered directly into Submittable. Any supporting documents, such as CVs, must use a clear font such as Arial, no smaller than 11pt and with margins of at least 2cm on all sides.

Supporting documents should be uploaded to Submittable as . pdf or Excel files. The Budget Summary is entered directly into Submittable and provides a snapshot of your budget request.

All costs must be in US dollars. Total direct cost budgets must not exceed $100,000 for the 12-month period of research. Applicants may include a request for indirect costs to support institutional overheads.

Indirect costs must not exceed 10% of the total budgeted direct costs. You are also required to attach a file describing the budget in detail. Please refer to Submittable for acceptable file types.

7. Validation & Signature On your application form you will be asked to enter the contact details of the Signing Official at the Lead Institution, including their email address. When you submit your application, an email will be automatically generated, asking the Signing Official to send back a letter of assurance via Submittable.

They will also be asked to confirm that their office has been provided with a copy of the draft funding agreement and given in-principle approval. 8. Before submitting your application, you can review your draft saved on Submittable from the 'submission' menu at the top of the page.

To submit your proposal, please click the Submit button. You will be unable to Submit if you have not provided all the required information. Upon successful submission, a confirmation message will be displayed on the screen and a confirmation email will be sent to the Principal Investigator.

## Terms and conditions for applicants Applicants and their institutions must read and agree to the terms and conditions of the scheme. The Terms and conditions may be found below. Applicants must submit a copy of the funding agreement to the contracts office or other authorised office of their institution for approval before submitting their application.

Successful grantees will be required to sign the funding agreement prior to receiving funds. Download funding agreement * Launch date: **21 April 2026** * Application deadline: **14 July 2026** * Application assessment: **August - October 2026** * Successful applicants notified: **December 2026** ## Reporting and monitoring The grant holder must submit a mid-term report by the end of month seven.

Mid-term reports will be submitted to the grant administrator by email, should be no longer than three A4 pages in total, and should include: * Grant number and title. * Summary of project progress with reference to original aims and timelines. * Findings and outputs to date.

* Summary of any challenges. * Work still to be done including any revised timelines. * Planned publications and outputs.

The grant holder must submit a final report within three months of the end of the Grant unless otherwise agreed by the Funder. Final reports will be submitted to the grant administrator by email, be equivalent to six A4 pages, and should include: * Grant number and title. * Details of project progress with reference to original aims and timelines.

* Details of resulting data, analysis and findings. * Details of outputs to date. * Further planned publications and outputs.

* Opportunities to continue the current project or for future follow-on work. * A statement of expenditure. The grant holder and the lead institution must meet all relevant ethical, legal and regulatory requirements to undertake the research, be they local, national or international.

Approvals must be granted before research begins. Where research involves the use of human participants, tissue or data the Institution and the Award Holder must comply with the Declaration of Helsinki. Where research involves the use of animals the Institution and the Award Holder must work to the NC3Rs “Animal Research: Reporting In Vivo Experiments” (ARRIVE) guidelines.

The Institution and the Award Holder must make every effort to comply with the NC3Rs ambitions to “replace, refine and reduce” the use of live animals in research. The grant holder and the lead institution must have in place and follow formal procedures governing good research practice.

This should cover issues including fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, misrepresentation, conflicts of interest and breach of ethical guidelines or duty of care. The grant holder and lead institution should make results generated through the grant available to the broader scientific community through publication in journals, reports, at scientific meetings and through other appropriate routes.

Grant holders are free to publish results arising from the grant in the most appropriate journals. There is no expectation or requirement that research will be published in journals owned or managed by Springer Nature. Where manuscripts are submitted to Springer Nature journals, they will be subjected to the same editorial and review processes and standards as any other submission.

Applicants can request Article Processing Charges for open access publications as part of the direct costs on their research proposal. The grant holder should follow good publication practice as set out by, for example, the Committee on Publication Ethics and the Council of Science Editors. Grant holders will be interviewed by Nature Portfolio as part of a series of Q&A articles about funded projects.

Yakult and Nature Portfolio will periodically hold symposia, usually aligned with a relevant conference, to bring grant holders together and to showcase research funded under the programme. Grant holders should make every effort to attend these meetings in order to present their findings.

The grant holder and lead institution should make every reasonable effort to ensure that the results of the research contribute to academic advancement and, where possible, to the benefit of wider society and the economy. Results should be communicated to academic and non-academic audiences as required to maximise potential benefits. The funder claims no rights to the ownership or use of results generated though the grant.

Ownership of the results, and any associated intellectual property rights, rests with the organisation generating them. Arrangements for exploitation must not hinder further academic research and dissemination. gutgrants@springernature.

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