The International Society of Microbiota (ISM) has joined the Global Grants for Gut Health (GGGH) programme as a supporting partner, expanding opportunities for Japanese early-career microbiome researchers through a new Best Abstract Prize and increased awareness of international funding opportunities. GGGH is an initiative of the Nature Awards, run by Springer Nature and Yakult, that recognises and supports early-career researchers advancing gut microbiome science.
The Global Grants for Gut Health programme has already supported more than USD 2.5 million in microbiome research and awards three research grants of USD 100,000 each year . This extended partnership, and new category in Japan, has a clear objective: to build on the awards successes by strengthening connections between Japan’s microbiome research community and international research funding opportunities.
The new partnership and award category will be announced as part of the ISM–RIKEN Targeting Microbiota Conference taking place September 24–25, 2026, at The University of Tokyo.At the conference, the GGGH programme will highlight how it is helping to expand access to funding for early-career microbiome researchers worldwide, with a particular focus on boosting participation from Japan and the wider Asia-Pacific region.
A dedicated session on international research funding and grant development will bring together experts from academia, publishing and scientific societies to explore how researchers can access global funding opportunities and strengthen the competitiveness of their grant applications. The panel will feature Hiroshi Ohno, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences; Kiyoshi Takeda, Osaka University; Reiko Shinkura, The University of Tokyo; Yumi Matsuoka, Osaka University; and Jeffrey Robens, Nature Portfolio, joined by Marvin Edeas, Founder and Chairman of ISM.
Speaking of the partnership Marvin Edeas, Founder and Chairman of ISM said: “Japan has an exceptional microbiome research community. The question is how we can create stronger bridges between this scientific excellence, international networks and new sources of research funding,”
The new category will recognise three researchers, who will each receive JPY 100,000 in recognition of outstanding scientific work presented at the conference. The judging criteria and selection of recipients will remain under the control of the conference scientific and organising committees, preserving scientific independence in the award process. More information here .