Pain is a debilitating symptom; by identifying some of the key questions that remain unanswered in this area and driving more research into it, we aim to improve how pain is managed and the quality of life for people with Crohn’s and Colitis who experience it. 

So far, we have invested more than £400,000 into research projects specifically focused on pain to help reach this goal. 

We also created a research network called the ‘Pain Collaborative Network’ to promote and facilitate the discussion and exchange of ideas on pain in Inflammatory Bowel Disease, which has been identified as an area of unmet need by researchers, clinicians and most importantly patients. The idea is to create opportunities for research collaboration across scientific disciplines and to stimulate research within this field. 

The Pain Collaborative Steering Group has two key objectives: 

• To help identify underdeveloped areas of research in the field of pain management and IBD. 
• To help shape the Pain Collaborative Network. With their knowledge and expertise, the Steering Group will recommend research projects for funding that they consider to be valuable in this field. Any pain projects we fund will be approved by our Research Strategy and Funding Committee following an external peer review process, certified as best practice by the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC). 

The inaugural meeting of the Steering Group was held on the 23rd floor of The Shard (don’t look down!), and we gratefully received the space on a complimentary basis through the work of our brilliant office volunteer, Jennie. 

A meeting of amazing minds took place, with rich discussions about pain and IBD and exciting ideas bouncing around the room. The meeting ended with a clear direction on where to take our pain project and how to shape our targeted research call.