The Borne Foundation

Who we are

Prematurity is the leading cause of childhood mortality in the world today. It leaves many babies with lifelong disability, and it can destroy the joy of parenthood, replacing it with fear and anxiety for the future.  The reason why babies are born too soon is often unexplained. Preterm labour, once established, cannot be stopped. Borne’s mission is to invest in research that can make medical breakthroughs possible, so that new treatments can be found to make childbirth safer and give babies the healthy start they deserve. 

Strengthening the research base is key to bring about lasting change. Borne is determined to fund the most promising scientific ideas that can advance our knowledge and lead to new interventions and treatment protocols that can delay or halt preterm birth. We are encouraging cross-disciplinary scientific collaboration on a global scale and investing in big science, leveraging the latest technology and bioinformatics expertise to accelerate progress towards breakthroughs. We have established funding collaborations with likeminded funders including the UKRI’s Medical Research Council to attract more of the best scientific and medical minds to this area of research. 

Our culture and values

Over the last ten years, Borne has grown from a successful research appeal within the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, into a dynamic and ambitious medical research charity focused on harnessing the research talent and expertise at leading universities around the world. The charity is a member of the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC) with strength of scientific governance to ensure that funds raised are directed to research projects of the highest quality, and Borne is transparent and open about the way decisions are made about the work that we support. 

We are committed to creating an environment where research into pregnancy and childbirth can truly flourish. We have continued to diversify our funding base, giving us the means to move forward at pace with significant discovery science initiatives, as well as the appetite to fund the translation of discoveries into potential life-changing new treatments that can delay the onset of preterm labour. 

Equality, diversity and inclusion policy

Borne is committed to creating an inclusive recruitment process and welcoming applications from people of all backgrounds. If you require any adjustments at any stage of the process, please let us know and we will do our best to support you.