About the Fund

The Freemasons’ Fund for Surgical Research (FFSR) provides Research Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS England) with grants each year to pursue cutting edge research work, which might otherwise not have been funded. During its over 50 years of history the FFSR has supported much ground-breaking research and many of the Fellows have gone on to distinguished careers.
Many of the Fellowships have been in the field of cancer research but many other disciplines have been supported as well. From organ transplantation and robotic surgery to laparoscopic techniques and joint replacements, innovations in surgery continue to push the frontiers of patient care. Procedures that would have once been futuristic and unachievable are now changing the lives of patients thanks to research and technological progress enabled by major grants from the FFSR.
The Trustees meet regularly to select new Fellows and review past outcomes, guided by their surgically qualified members and assisted by senior members of the RCS England, including the President. Notably, in 2020 a device developed by a Fellow in 2018, Meera Joshi, was rolled out across hospitals to assist in the fight against Covid. It is a sensor that can easily be attached to patients. It operates wirelessly and vital signs can be monitored in real time. At a time when staffing in hospitals has been so stretched it has been a vital aid.

Making a difference

The work of recent Research Fellows in the last 2 years includes –

  • Tackling deep infection following knee joint replacement surgery
  • Improving the testing of prostate cancer biopsies
  • Stem cell construction of cartilage for ear reconstruction
  • Improving outcomes for sufferers of advanced bowel cancer
  • Tackling bowel disease in premature babies
  • Identifying women with a greater risk of breast cancer

And in the current year Fellows are working on –

  • Investigating biomarkers in pancreatic cancers
  • Improving understanding of the implications of frailty in emergency surgery
  • Examining prospects for liquid biopsies when treating thyroid cancer
  • Understanding the development of gastric cancers

%

of the fund has been donated by Freemasons

£ M+

donated in 1967 when the appeal was first launched

£2. M

in 2014 Royal Arch Companions donated to mark their Bi-centenary

£5. M

donated since 1967 to the RCSE England

£ M

is the current value of the fund

£ k

is the average annual donation to RCSE in recent years

Fellows

have been supported in their reasearch in the last 10 years

Fellows

are currently being supported in 2022/23

​Trustees:

The Fund is controlled by Trustees, appointed by the Grand Master, and advised by independent external investment advisors and accountants:

Justin Ash (Chairman)

Jolyon Berry

Paul Copsey

Antony Narula MA MB BChir FRCS FRCS (Ed)

Jonathan Andrew Randall

Howard Ian Sabin FRCS

Julian Soper MA (Oxon), FCSI

Stephen Finch (Secretary)

Michael Messent (Assistant Secretary)

Trustee’s Area
© The Freemasons’ Fund For Surgical Research 2024.
All Rights Reserved. Charity Number: 252951