Liquid micellar curcumin company KURK has announced that, in partnership with Swansea University Medical School, it has been awarded a two‑year Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) by Innovate UK, after receiving one of the highest ratings among KTP applications nationwide.
The grant, funded by the UK government, will trace KURK's curcumin "from the bottle to the cell" and generate peer‑reviewed evidence of its action against age‑related inflammation.
KURK said in a statement that the programme "marks the transition from marketing claims to clinically substantiated science."
This award is the second consecutive Innovate UK grant handed to the KURK and Swansea partnership, following a 2025 Analysis for Innovators (A4I) project that independently confirmed KURK's micellar technology delivers curcumin into cells with significantly greater efficiency than conventional formats.
A knowledge transfer associate will be based in KURK's Twickenham laboratory, supervised by Professor Lewis Francis from Swansea University Medical School, who specialises in 3D tissue modelling and inflammatory cell biology.
KURK added that the collaboration is also supported by the National Institute for Sport & Health.
Trent Scanlen, CEO and co‑founder of KURK, said: "We have always believed nature provides credible solutions, but you need rigorous science to prove it."
Having the UK government back our research with Swansea Medical School confirms our approach is credible, differentiated and making a real difference in the natural management of pain, inflammation and recovery as we age.
Professor Lewis Francis, Swansea University Medical School, added: "This project combines Swansea's strengths in cell and molecular biology with KURK's expertise in advanced nutraceutical formulation."
The result will be robust scientific evidence to support interventions for chronic inflammation, long‑term pain and healthy ageing, directly translating mechanistic insights into formulations that improve quality of life across ageing and physically active populations.