ESPR Research Grant Programme 2017-2022

The European Society for Paediatric Research (ESPR) launched a large-scale research grant programme in 2017. Scheduled to run for six years (2017-2022), the society makes available new calls on an annual basis.

All grants have in common that they require ESPR membership, with the exception of the ESPR Young Investigator START-UP GRANTS and the ESPR Nursing GRANTS, where only the applicant's supervisor/host must be affiliated with the society. Thus we would like to encourage you to present your data at one of the next ESPR conferences, sign up for ESPR membership and become eligible to apply for a grant of your choice.

The call for applications to the ESPR Research Grant Programme 2020 is now open. The deadline for the submission of applications is midnight Central European Summer Time (CEST) on Sunday, 16 August 2020.

• Meet the ESPR Research Grant Committee

  Adelina Pellicer, MD, PHD University Hospital La Paz Spain

  Sven Wellmann, MD, MBA Children's Hospital Regensburg Germany

  Topun Austin, MD, PHD Cambridge University United Kingdom

  Sotiris Fouzas, MD, PHD University of Patras Greece

This year's grant opportunities are:

• ESPR Young Investigator START-UP GRANTS 2020
  Amount: EUR 10,000 per grant

  The committee wishes to encourage in particular proposals from Eastern European countries.

  Purpose: To help young investigators establish, perform or complete a small basic or clinical research project in all fields related to Paediatrics.

  Eligibility Requirements: At the time of submission, applicants should be:

  • within 10 years of having received a degree in their undergraduate qualification in biomedical sciences/medicine/life sciences.
  • ESPR members or intending to join the society, supported by their supervisors/hosts who are ESPR members.
  • willing to present their research findings at an ESPR conference.
• ESPR Nursing GRANTS 2020

  Amount: EUR 5,000 per grant.

  Purpose: To help young research nurses or allied health professional establish, perform or complete a small basic or clinical research project in all fields related to Paediatrics.

  Eligibility Requirements: At the time of submission applicants should be:

  • ESPR members or intending to join the society, supported by their supervisors/hosts who are ESPR members.
  • willing to present their research findings at an ESPR conference.
• ESPR Post-Doc RESEARCH GRANTS 2020

  Amount: EUR 25,000 per grant.

  Purpose: To support a research project for established researchers in all fields related to Paediatrics.

  Eligibility Requirements: At the time of submission, applicants should:

  • be within 15 years of having received their undergraduate qualification in biomedical sciences/medicine/life sciences.
  • have a proven track record in research.
  • be ESPR members.
  • be willing to present heir research findings at an ESPR conference.

How to apply:

You can apply by sending an email with the following, clearly-labelled and filled-in documents to office@espr.eu in PDF format:

• The ESPR Research Grant Programme 2020 Application Template (download here). Of note, only submissions using this template and adhering to the length requirement of a maximum of three pages (one extra page for references is allowed) will be considered.
• For the ESPR Young Investigator START-UP GRANT and ESPR Nursing GRANTS: the Laboratory Application Form (download here);
• At least one Letter of Recommendation, which should be from your supervisor/host. Of note, for the ESPR Young Investigator START-UP GRANTS and the ESPR Nursing GRANTS the supervisor/host must be an ESPR/SPR member;
• A short version Curriculum Vitae including a list of publications (4 pages max);
• An Institutional Letter which indicates:

N.B.: Please note that only applications fullfilling the formal requirements as indicated above can be considered for evaluation. The Research Grant Committee of the ESPR will not consider incomplete applications.

The deadline for the submission of applications is midnight Central European Summer Time (CEST) on Sunday, 16 August 2020. Awards will be announced at the subsequent ESPR conference and listed on the ESPR homepage.

The ESPR does not take responsibility for accidents or other legal issues occurring during the period a person is benefiting from an ESPR grant.

Please contact office@espr.eu if you have any questions about the process or eligibility.

Other important information:

• General regulations

  All applications will be evaluated by the Research Grant Committee of the ESPR based on:

  • The scientific merit of the proposed research, and
  • The qualifications of the investigator. Only work published in peer-reviewed journals or periodicals will be considered.
• Terms of the awards
  • The awardee will be responsible for managing the funds to be administered by the institution. The award does not cover any overheads.
  • To ensure direct support of the research project of the awardee and to allow highest flexibility, the money can be charged to an account of the institution, to the awardee directly or to a not-for-profit organisation provided that:
    - a written assurance is given indicating that the money will be used exclusively for the research project.
    - a list of items/activities will be prepared indicating what will be covered by the grant;
    - a check-up by the ESPR Research Grant Committee on a 6/12 month basis will be enabled with a report to verify how the funds were used.
  • The awardee must acknowledge the ESPR as the source of funding in any publications arising from work supported by these grants.
  • The awardee must agree to start the project within one year of the announcement of the award, to write a brief scientific and financial report within three months after completing the project (max. 2 pages excluding references) and present a final scientific report at an ESPR congress within two years after completing the project.
• Institutional overhead and indirect costs
  • The awardee may determine best use of the award to support the direct cost of the project. No part of the award may cover institutional overhead or other indirect costs, nor should the awardee be obligated or penalised to pay by substitution such indirect costs by any other means.
  • By accepting an ESPR Young Investigator Award, the supporting institution agrees not to take any part of the funding for institutional overhead or other indirect costs, and will not obligate or penalise the recipient of an award or a sponsoring research laboratory to pay by substitution such indirect costs by any other means. With the exception of health insurance, no portion of an award may be subject to deductions for discretionary fringe benefits by the sponsoring institution.