Research
Q & A

Q. What are the types of grants SRS offers?
A. SRS offers three levels of grants:

Small Exploratory Grant
This grant is designed specifically for new investigators who have a preliminary concept they would like to develop into a research project. The maximum grant award for this category is $10,000. The maximum duration of research is one year. The grant application should be no longer than five pages, and does not require pilot data. It should, however, be able to generate pilot data that could be used when applying for a larger grant.

New Investigator Grant
This grant is specifically targeted to new investigators. It is open to candidates who have received a small exploratory grant; however, it will not be awarded to those who have received prior funding from national granting organizations, such as SRS (standard grant), OREF, NSF or NIH. The maximum award is $25,000; and, the duration of research may extend up to two years. Preliminary data is suggested although not absolutely required, and the application should be limited to seven pages.

Standard Investigator Grant
This grant is awarded a maximum of $50,000 per year up to two years' duration, the maximum total award being $100,000. These grant applications may be in any area of spinal deformity research, although an additional funding source for grants focusing on the etiology of scoliosis is available in conjunction with the Cotrel Foundation. These grant applications require evidence that the investigator has the experience and resources to complete the proposed research. As such, preliminary data is generally required. The application is limited to 15 pages.

Continuation or Extension Grant
Continuation or extension of an on-going project, which has been previously funded by the Scoliosis Research Society will be considered. These additional grant requests require a report on the progress of the work completed to date. In addition, justification for the additional funding and/or time necessary to complete the project is required.

Q. Do you have to be member of SRS to apply for a grant?
A. You do not need to be a member of the SRS to apply for a grant.

Q. What does "Continuation"?
A. Continuation means if the project was funded by SRS in the past and you are still working on it.

Q. What does "% effort for Personnel" mean?
A. % effort for Personnel means the percentage of their annual workload that will be attributed to the research project.

Q. If my grant is awarded, can I submit my findings as an abstract to another meeting?
A. If awarded a grant, you must submit an abstract with your findings to the SRS meeting before submitting to another meeting, even though there is no guarantee of acceptance.

The Scoliosis Research Society provides information on these web pages regarding research and links as a public service. The SRS believes that patients should contact their treating physician about the relevance of any information listed on the site prior to proceeding with any particular treatment. Just as no two individuals are exactly alike, no two patients with a spinal deformity are the same. Therefore, your spinal deformity surgeon will be the most important source of information about the management of your particular spinal problem.