Energising Research into ME
Invest in ME Research
(IiMER) celebrates its twentieth year as an independent UK charity in 2026 - twenty years of facilitating and funding
an international strategy of high-quality biomedical research into
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME, sometimes referred to as ME/CFS),
and promoting better education and information about ME.
Twenty years of raising awareness of the effects of the disease on patients and families and
educating and advocating to overcome ignorance and misinformation about the disease.
The charity is working to sustain and augment a UK/European Centre of Excellence for translational biomedical research into ME
that will facilitate progress in treating this disease.
We prioritise education of healthcare professionals, policymakers, media, and the public.
Invest in ME Research is entirely volunteer-run, led by patients and parents. We have no salaried staff, ensuring that every donation directly supports biomedical research and advocacy.
Research, Education, Advocacy
Our research strategy and the research funded by the charity. IIMER is facilitating and funding a strategy of biomedical research into ME. The charity is currently funding important research projects for ME in the UK and Europe. The main hub of research is in the Norwich Research Park with the Quadram Institute and University of East Anglia. The charity is also supporting the development of fundamental research into ME in Europe by supporting collaborative projects and discussions.
Read MoreOur proposal for a UK Centre of Excellence for ME. Translational biomedical research - an iterative feedback of information between the basic and clinical research domains in order to accelerate knowledge translation from lab to bedside and back to lab again - allows translation of findings in basic research more quickly and efficiently into medical practice to produce more meaningful health outcomes and facilitate the sharing of repositories and research-based facilities and laboratories. This is the model that we are supporting for a Centre of Excellence for ME in Norwich Research Park.
Read MoreA founder member of the European ME Alliance (EMEA) – a grouping of charities and patient organisations working together across Europe. The charity also initiated the European ME Research Group (EMERG), European ME Clinicians Council (EMECC) and Young EMERG for young/early career researchers in order to build collaborative research and clinical expertise in Europe.
Read MoreOur annual international research Colloquiums/Conferences attract researchers from around the world in order to discuss experiences and open up collaborations and discover answers for this disease. Despite limited resources the charity has facilitated new directions in research and enabled barriers to be broken down between different areas of science, bringing together biomedical research from different disciplines. By facilitating and initiating these links far quicker progress can be made in finding the cause of this disease.
Read MoreRaising awareness and advocating for the future of patients and their families has been part of the charity's work since it was formed.
Read MoreWe are a small charity but with supporters who have big hearts - and a determination to get the best possible research to be carried out to find the cause of myalgic encephalomyelitis and develop treatments.
We have links nationwide and also internationally.
Invest in ME Research is a founder member of the European ME Alliance (EMEA), a collaboration of European national charities and organisations.
The charity was also responsible for initiating the European ME Research Group (EMERG) concept, a collaboration of European researchers from major institutes.
The charity also has initiated the European ME Clinicians Council (EMECC), a network of European clinicians who will work together and share experiences of treating ME in order to establish better standards for patient care.
We do not receive, and have never received funding from government or government organisations.
The seriousness and urgency of the situation regarding ME makes it necessary for
a charity such as Invest in ME Research to provide the impetus for funding biomedical research
in order to provide hope for the development of diagnostic tests and remedial treatments.
The charity has pursued of policy of raising funds itself for biomedical research in order
to fund research at top UK institutes. More information is available here.
We believe that clinicians should standardise on usage of the most up-to-date criteria which will be agreed and developed for diagnosis by the European ME Clinicians Council and European ME Research Group, along with international collaborators. in order that there is an agreed basis (noting that evolutionary improvement would be welcomed).
The charity organises an annual research Colloquium and conference regularly attracting delegates from 20 countries.
Our conferences and colloquiums were organised from the beginning in order to provide a platform for research and a means of facilitating education about ME.
The charity funds research at the Quadram Institute and the University of East Anglia as well as influencing collaboration elsewhere, in UK, Europe and beyond.
Our aim is to fund and facilitate research in order to establish an understanding of the aetiology, pathogenesis and epidemiology of ME. We hope this will lead to the development of a universal diagnostic test(s) that can confirm the presence of ME and, subsequently, medical treatments to cure or alleviate the effects of the illness
Our efforts are focused on setting up a UK/European Centre of Excellence for ME which will provide proper examinations and diagnosis for ME patients and a coordinated strategy of biomedical research into ME in order to find treatment(s) and cure(s).
We concentrate on three key areas to concentrate our efforts on - funding for biomedical research, education and lobbying. Our aim is to find, fund and facilitate biomedical research into ME.
Recent/Upcoming Events
Organised by Invest in ME Research
More details here.