NASS offers grant funding for promising research projects by both experienced and Young Investigators, within the categories of Basic, Clinical or Translational research. NASS also awards a Nontraditional, Nonsurgical Treatment Grant. Additionally, NASS has two types of traveling fellowships: Clinical and Research. See application for full descriptions.

The number and amount of awards each year are at the discretion of the NASS Research Funding Committee, Evidence Analysis & Research Council and the Board of Directors and are determined by the application grades from the Research Funding Committee, as well as the amount of funding available for disbursement. NASS makes no guarantee that applicants will be awarded the grant requested or that applicants will receive the total amount of funds requested if approved.

The deadline for grant Letters of Proposal is usually the second week in February of each year. The deadline for 2024 is February 5, 2024, 11:59PM CST. Letters of Proposal are only accepted via e-mail at research@spine.org. Late submissions will not be accepted.

Decisions are sent out typically in the third week of March each year. For 2024, proposal decisions will be sent to applicants the week of March 18, 2024. Those invited for full application will be provided with additional instructions.

The deadline is usually the second week in May of each year. The 2024 deadline for invited grant applications is May 6, 2024, 11:59PM CDT. Late submissions will not be accepted.

The deadline is usually the second week in May of each year. For 2024, applications are due by May 6, 2024, 11:59PM CDT. Applications will be accepted only by e-mail at research@spine.org. Late submissions will not be accepted.

Please visit www.spine.org/donate2research for more information.

Contact Colleen O’Brien at CObrien@spine.org or (630) 230-3664.

Yes. Any NASS international member in any specialty will be considered. The NASS Member must be in good standing regarding dues payments to NASS.

No. The budget should NOT include costs for attendance and/or presentation at the NASS Annual Meeting.

No. Award and grant recipients are responsible for their own expenses to attend the Annual Meeting, including the registration fee. If recipients are unable to attend the meeting, their award certificate will be mailed to them after the Annual Meeting.

Award funds will be dispersed after the Annual Meeting by mail or wire transfer.

Only award certificates are presented to recipients at the Research Grant/Fellowship Awards Ceremony during the Annual Meeting each year. If the recipient is not able to attend the Annual Meeting, the award certificate will be mailed to them after the Annual Meeting.

Award funds will be dispersed after the Annual Meeting by mail or wire transfer; tracking information will be provided to the principal investigator.

Typically, decisions will be made mid to the end of August. Notifications will be sent via e-mail to all principal investigators who have submitted an invited grant application or fellowship.

Research funding winners will be announced to the public during the Annual Meeting.

Grant Applicant Guidelines:

• Principal investigator(s), or PIs, must be active NASS members in good standing with dues and cannot have received NASS grant funding within the past three years.*
• *Applicants awarded NASS grant funding only for year-one of projects may apply in the next cycle for year-two funding of their project, noting as such in their Letter of Proposal and demonstrating progress made thus far.
• Multiple grants will not be funded simultaneously* to any PI, co-investigator, or collaborator / secondary investigator (*see above exception).
• NASS members welcome to apply include: new investigators, active and qualified members within any specialty, International, and Medical residents, with the condition that residents have mentor/faculty support to work with them.
• Young Investigator Grants: Principal Young Investigator(s) must be within 5-years of post-doctoral program training completion (e.g., residency, fellowship, or other doctoral training completed no earlier than 2019)
• Any spine-related proposal will be considered; however, proposals may be submitted in only one category, not multiple. Categories may not be changed between the proposal and invited application stages.
• Applicants are strongly encouraged to have mentors or other senior researchers review Letters of Proposal and any Invited Grant Application before submission to NASS.
• All applicants (including grant collaborators / secondary investigators) are required to submit a conflict of interest (COI) disclosure through the NASS website in accordance with the NASS disclosure policy. See Policies and Agreements in the Research Funding Application.
• Funding will not be considered for applicants who:
• Are excluded from federally-funded healthcare programs. (See the HHS Office of the Inspector General’s List of Excluded Individuals and Entities at https://oig.hhs.gov/exclusions/)
• Are debarred by the FDA. (See FDA Debarment List at http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/EnforcementActions/FDADebarmentList/default.htm)
• Project Correspondence: The PI will receive all project correspondence, serving as the primary contact and is responsible for sharing information to co-investigator(s) and collaborators.
• Project Duration: Projects must be for work to be performed or works in progress, not works already completed. Grants are awarded for one to two-years of project-funding at the discretion of the NASS Research Funding Committee. All projects are required to be completed within three years of award funding.
• Budget:There is no limit to the amount that may be requested for funding. See Types of Funding Available detailed in the Application for recommendations.
• As a 501(c)3 organization, NASS funding is typically not subject to IRB fees. NASS will pay reasonable IRB fees (up to $2,000), if provided IRB documentation detailing the applicability of these fees to research funded by non-profit organizations.
• Cost-sharing of projects is encouraged. Within the proposal and application, please list all other potential or confirmed funding institutions/organizations and amount requested and/or awarded as relevant to the project.
• NASS does not support research for independent manufacturers, industry development or personal business financial gain. NASS will be sensitive to this issue.
• See Policies and Agreements in the Application for additional requirements regarding disclosures, annual progress reports, final report and presentation, citations, delinquent reports, and return of funds.

• Open to both NASS members and nonmembers within any spine-related specialty, as well as International members, provided that they have not previously received a NASS fellowship.
• Applicants are required to submit a conflict of interest (COI) disclosure through the NASS website in accordance with the NASS disclosure policy. See Policies and Agreements in the Application.
• Funding will not be considered for applicants who:
• Are excluded from federally-funded healthcare programs. (See the HHS Office of the Inspector General’s List of Excluded Individuals and Entities at https://oig.hhs.gov/exclusions/)
• Are debarred by the FDA. (See FDA Debarment List at http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/EnforcementActions/FDADebarmentList/default.htm)
• Project Guidelines: Detailed further on Traveling Fellowship forms within the Application.
• See Policies and Agreements in the Application for additional requirements regarding disclosures, annual progress reports, final report and presentation, citations, delinquent reports, and return of funds.

Please email research@spine.org or call (630) 230-3694.