Research Prize

UEG Research Prize Awardee 2025: Fotios Sampaziotis

Fotios Sampaziotis is a UK Research and Innovation Future Leaders Fellow, a group leader at the University of Cambridge, and a consultant hepatologist at Addenbrooke’s Hospital. He obtained his medical degree from the University of Athens and completed his hepatology clinical training in Cambridge. He earned his PhD at the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute and continued his postdoctoral research under an NIHR Clinical Lectureship in Hepatology with Professor Ludovic Vallier in Cambridge.

The UEG Research Prize 2025 was awarded to Fotios Sampaziotis for a pioneering study that brings regenerative cell therapy closer to clinical use in liver transplantation. By using human biliary organoids to repair ischaemic bile duct damage ex vivo, his team’s work offers a potential solution to the high discard rate of DCD livers in European transplant centres – ultimately aiming to save more lives and reduce healthcare costs.

Fotios Sampaziotis’ work in regenerative medicine has received international recognition, including prestigious awards such as the British Transplantation Society’s Medawar Medal. In 2022, he was honoured with the UEG Rising Star Award for his pioneering research on organoids in bile duct regeneration.

Join us for the award ceremony at the Opening Plenary on October 5, 2025, where we celebrate this year's awardee during UEG Week Berlin. Learn more via our UEG Week online programme.

Past awardees

Past awardees

2024: Enrique de-Madaria, Hospital General Universitario Dr. Balmis, ISABIAL, Alicante
Research Project: "The WATERLAND study"
Watch the recording

2023: Michael Bretthauer, Oslo University Hospital
Research Project: EAGLE: "The European Alliance for Gastrointestinal Lesions in Early Stages"
Watch the recording

2022: Neil Henderson, University of Edinburgh
Research Project: "Using integrated single cell genomics and spatial transcriptomics approaches to identify the key therapeutic targets driving the progression of human NASH”
Watch the talk of Neil Henderson at UEG Week 2022.

2021: Dirk Haller, TU Munich, Germany
Research Project: “Repurposing mitochondria-protective targets for adjuvant IBD therapy”

2020: Stefan Schreiber, Kiel University, Germany
Research Project: “Therapeutic mechanisms of controlled-ileocolonic-release nicotinamide (CICR-NAM) in IBD”
Watch presentation given at UEG Week Virtual 2020

2019: Silvio Danese, Humanitas Research Hospital in Milan
Research Project: "The gut virome as a trigger for IBD: from metagenomics to pathogenesis”

2018: Cisca Wijmenga, University Medical Centre Groningen (UMCG), The Netherlands
Research Project: "A celiac mucosal barrier-on-chip model to investigate its role in initiation of celiac disease”
Watch the interview with Cisca Wijmenga.
Read more about Cisca Wijmenga and women in UEG in the UEG Journal.

2017: Jesper Lagergren, Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden
Research Project: “The aetiology, prevention and treatment of oesophageal cancer”
Watch the interview with Jesper Lagergren.

2016: Ernst J. Kuipers, Erasmus MC University Medical Center Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Research Project: “Hidden in plain sight: the opportunities for targeted surveillance and intervention for early gastric neoplasia”

2015: Jan Tack,University of Leuven, Belgium
Research Project: “Role of nutrients and tastants in determining the gastric accommodation (GA) reflex and the control of meal volume tolerance in health and disease"

2014: Rebecca Fitzgerald, Medical Research Council, Cancer Cell Unit, and Honorary Consultant in Gastroenterology at Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge (UK), NIHR Research Professor
Research Project: "Combination of quantifiable genomic assays with a patient friendly non-endoscopic cell retrieval device called Cytosponge™ for management of patients with Barrett’s oesophagus"

2013: Ian Tomlinson, Welcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, Oxford, United Kingdom
Research Project: "The roles of bone morphogenetic protein pathway genes in the normal and neoplastic intestines"

2012: Ludvig M. Sollid, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, Norway
Research Project: “Antibody Response in Coeliac Disease”

2011: Pierre-Alain Clavien, University Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland
Research Project: “Liver regeneration – extending the potential of the liver after major surgery”

2010: Hans Clevers, Hubrecht Institute, Utrecht, The Netherlands
Research Project: “Develop techniques for ex vivo expansion and transplantation of stem cells from the human intestinal tract"

2009: Jean Frédéric Colombel, Hopital Claude Huriez, Lille,France
Research Project:"ORIGIN: Observing Relatives, Immunity, Genetics and the mIcrobiome before the onset of Crohn’s disease"

2008: Markus Neurath, University of Mainz, Germany
Research Project:"Molecular imaging of the intestinal immune system in IBD"

UEG Research Prize

In 2025, UEG awards € 50,000 for excellence in basic science, translational or clinical research.

With this prize we support a future scientific research project from early stage to successful conclusion. The prize addresses active, established senior researchers whose science will have a crucial impact on digestive health.

Application is closed.

Target group

Active, established senior researchers whose science will have a crucial impact on digestive health and whose proposed study will have a significant impact on the advancement of their career.
Applicants should be leading a substantial research group and their work, preferably focused on research areas that generally have greater difficulty in obtaining funding, should be conducted predominantly in Europe.
The applicant's work should have been supported by substantial peer reviewed grants through internationally recognised research councils, research charities or industrial partners.
Applicants must have been mentioned at least once as (co-)author of an abstract submitted to UEG Week in the past 3 years (2022, 2023 and/or 2024) OR have been awarded as UEG Rising Stars in the past 5 years (2020-2024).
Applicants must commit to deliver the agreed research within the stipulated time frame.
Applications from departments that received a Research Prize in the previous 5 years (2020-2024) will not be accepted.
The prize will be awarded to the same recipient only once.
This opportunity is available for all UEG Associates.
We encourage candidates from all digestive health fields to apply.
For further details, read our application criteria.