Grants

Butterfield Awards in Medicine and Health

 As well as our small grants, The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation takes applications once a year for Butterfield Awards of up to £10,000 in the field of medicine and health. Butterfield applicants may also apply for continuing projects lasting up to three years to a maximum of £10,000 per year, to a total limit of £30,000.

Purpose of the awards

Butterfield Awards support exchanges and collaborations between health and medical professionals in Japan and the UK. They are intended to be broad in application and can also support the study of scientific, clinical, social and economic issues in healthcare. In particular the Foundation wants to create opportunities for researchers, practitioners, policy makers, managers and voluntary sector workers in both countries to share knowledge, learn from one another and develop new approaches.

What are the key considerations for a Butterfield Award?

  • The proposed field of research or collaboration must be one in which the UK and Japan have a mutual and beneficial interest.
  • The project must involve partners in both the UK and Japan.
  • All proposals must be supported by reputable referees who are not based at the same institution as either project partner.
  • Evidence of the facilities to be provided by host institutions or partner organisations must be provided.

Beyond the first two points there are no restrictions on the field of research or collaboration provided medicine and health are central.

The grants may be used for travel expenses, or to contribute to other costs including conference and publication costs.

What can’t a Butterfield Award be used for?

Grant applications and expenditure cannot include:

  • laboratory consumables
  • salary subsidy for participation in the project
  • purchase of materials
  • capital projects such as the purchase, construction or maintenance of buildings
  • retrospective activity – any project activity must take place after the Foundation decision date

Who can apply?

Applicants should normally be able to show an existing research record, but consideration will also be given to practitioners, managers, carers or others in health-related fields who intend to establish working links between organisations or produce a publishable comparative study.

Preference will be given to those who have not previously been involved in UK-Japan collaboration, and applications from those in the early stages of their career are particularly welcomed.

How to apply

The annual deadline for applications is 1 December, for a decision in March of the following year. (Please note that prior to 2026 the deadline was 15 December and has been moved to this earlier date.)

Download the Butterfield application form.

The completed application form should be submitted to the London office, with the information and supporting materials listed below:

Project outline

  • Executive summary in up to 150 words, accessible to a lay audience
  • Project schedule
  • Overview of participants
  • Facilities provided by host or partner
  • Significance and innovation of the project
  • Outcomes, assessment and continuing impact
  • Budget plan

Supporting materials

  • Letter of confirmation or invitation from the project partner in the UK/Japan
  • CVs of the project partners
  • Confirmation of ethical approval (where appropriate)
  • References by two professional referees (both must be from different institutions to the project partners, and neither directly involved with the project)

When writing the reference, professional referees should specifically address the following:

  • Do the applicants have the necessary and appropriate qualifications and experience to carry out the proposed project?
  • Is the proposal scientifically valid and well-designed?
  • If there are ethical implications, do these appear to have been properly addressed?
  • Is the outcome of the research likely to have a practical impact on care and treatment?
  • Does the link with Japan appear to contribute to the value of the project and to have mutual benefits?

If you have any questions about eligibility or the application process, please consult our FAQS page. You can also contact us at grants@gbsf.org.uk

For successful Butterfield Award applicants

In the case of one-year projects paid in a single instalment, a brief report on the activity or event must be sent to the Foundation within three months of completion, demonstrating that the grant has been spent on the purpose for which it was awarded and providing evidence of the project’s success and impact. This must be submitted with a breakdown of the grant expenditure.

In the case of two-year or three-year projects paid in multiple instalments, the second and/or third instalments will only be paid after receipt and approval of a brief annual progress report. This report should cover activity and expenditure for the previous year’s activity, and a proposal for activity and use of funds for the following year.

The Foundation expects to receive acknowledgment of its assistance in any published material.

Foundation logos zip file.

Please feel free to tag us in any social media posts about your project activity, on X, Facebook or LinkedIn, where you can find us as GBSasakawa. We encourage you to also share project updates with us via email, particularly any photographs or testimonies that you would be happy for us to publish in our annual report.

The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation is now registered as a National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Non-commercial Partner organisation for the Butterfield Awards, with projects in receipt of a Butterfield Award therefore eligible for NIHR Clinical Research Network Support.