Twenty years of hard-won science.
Help us keep it alive.
Our 20th Anniversary Funding Appeal
Maintaining the Momentum
“This momentum — built over two decades — is ready to carry us further. But only with your support.”
Since 2006, Invest in ME Research has operated as a volunteer charity with one aim: funding and facilitating biomedical research into ME. We have never paid salaries. Every pound raised has gone directly to the science.
The Centre of Excellence for ME at Norwich Research Park is now home to two postdoctoral researchers whose work sits at the heart of our UK and European research programme — and whose continued presence in the laboratory depends entirely on your support.
The European networks and collaborations that have followed were made possible by the scientific credibility built at the Centre. These fellows are part of that story, and part of what comes next.
Help Us Keep the Lights On
Every donation secures the future of this vital research. 100% of funds go directly to the fellowships. IiMER has no salaried staff.
Donate on JustGivingMeet the Fellows
Two scientists. One shared goal: understanding the biological mechanisms of ME so that patients can finally be helped.
The Ian Gibson Fellowship
Named in honour of the late Dr Ian Gibson — scientist, politician, and long-time advocate for people with ME — this fellowship supports Dr Seton's investigation of the gut-brain axis and how the intestinal microbiome contributes to oxidative stress and premature immune ageing in ME patients.
Dr Seton's work builds directly on her IiMER-funded PhD, ensuring continuity of expertise. Her research also explores whether microbiota replacement therapy might reduce intestinal and systemic oxidative stress in ME.
More about this fellowship
The Luna Nova Fellowship
Funded with the generous support of Luna Nova, this fellowship strengthens the Centre's capacity to investigate the virome and immune system stimulation in ME. Dr Perera's work is integrated with the RESTORE-ME clinical trial — until recently the only trial of its kind in the UK.
This role expands the research capacity of the Centre of Excellence, bringing new expertise in immunology, infection, and the gut-brain axis to bear on the biomedical mechanisms underlying ME.
More about this fellowship
These fellowships are generating a substantial and growing body of research. Read the detail.
The Research in DetailWhy This Matters
These are not isolated projects. They are the living foundation of a twenty-year investment in ME science - and the platform on which the next phase of European research will be built.
IiMER initiated the European biomedical ME research infrastructure from the ground up. The European ME Research Group (EMERG), the European ME Clinicians Council (EMECC), the Young EMERG early career researcher network, and the European ME Alliance (EMEA) with our colleagues in Europe. All exist because of the connective work this volunteer charity has carried out over two decades. That infrastructure now spans more than nineteen countries and is positioning European ME research at the forefront of international biomedical collaboration.
The Centre of Excellence at Norwich Research Park is the scientific anchor of that network. By maintaining these fellowships, we ensure that the knowledge built over twenty years remains active, applied, and connected to the wider European effort.
Without continued support, this momentum is at risk - not just for two researchers, but for the entire network that depends on the Centre's credibility and continuity.
Continuity of expertise. Both fellows built their knowledge through IiMER-funded programmes. Losing them means losing years of accumulated understanding that cannot simply be rehired.
European leadership. IiMER created and continues to sustain four European networks for researchers, clinicians, early career scientists, and patient organisations. The fellows are part of that story, and part of what comes next.
Support the Fellows
IiMER is a 100% volunteer-run registered charity with no salaried staff. Every pound you donate goes directly to keeping these two researchers in the laboratory, driving the science forward for people with ME.
