NASS offers multiple forms of research funding, including:

• Project Grants for experienced and early-career investigators, as well as new for 2025, graduate student seed funding
• Research priorities may include basic, clinical, translational or nontraditional, nonsurgical treatment in the field of spine research.
• Traveling Fellowships to study and train at different medical centers other than where currently practicing. See application guide for more information.

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. For recommended funding amounts, see the application guide.

The 2025 deadline for grant Letters of Proposal (LOP) is February 10, 2025, 11:59PM CST. Late submissions will not be accepted. See the application guide for instructions on submitting an LOP.

Decisions will be sent to 2025 applicants the week of March 24. Those invited for full application will be provided with additional instructions.

The 2025 deadline for invited grant applications is May 12, 11:59PM CDT. Late submissions will not be accepted.

For 2025, applications are due May 12, 11:59PM CDT. 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. Membership is NOT required for traveling fellowships.

No. The budget should NOT include costs for attendance and/or presentation at the NASS Annual Meeting. Award recipients are responsible for their own expenses to attend the Annual Meeting, including the registration fee. If recipients are unable to attend the award ceremony, their award certificate will be sent to them after the Annual Meeting.

Similarly, for finished grant projects, the Principal Investigator or a member of their team is required to present their findings in-person at a future NASS’ Annual Meeting and responsible for their travel and registration expenses for the Annual Meeting.

Award decisions will be sent to applicants by mid to end of August each year. 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.

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 sent 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.

General Guidelines

• Conflict of Interest Disclosure: At the time of fellowship or invited grant applications, 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. More information may be found under Policies and Agreements.
• NASS does not support research for independent manufacturers, industry development or personal business financial gain. NASS will be sensitive to this issue.
• 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/exclusions_list.asp)
• Are debarred by the FDA. (See FDA Debarment List at http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/EnforcementActions/FDADebarmentList/default.htm)
• Are subject to any federal sanctions either individually or by institution.
• See Policies and Agreements for additional requirements regarding disclosures, mandatory reporting, final presentation (grants only), citations, delinquent reports, and return of funds.

• Principal Investigator (PI) requirements: Must be a NASS member in good-standing* and cannot have received NASS grant funding within the past three years.**
• *Membership in good-standing is defined as having no outstanding dues, nor restrictions to participation within NASS.
• **Applicants awarded NASS grant funding for only year-one of projects may apply in the next cycle for year-two funding of their project, so long as their Letter of Proposal notes as such and progress made thus far is demonstrated.
• Multiple grants will not be funded simultaneously** to any PI, co-investigator, or collaborator/secondary investigator (**see above exception).
• Young Investigator (YI) requirements: In addition to above PI requirements, principal YI(s) must have completed their doctoral program and either be enrolled in post-doctoral training or no more than 5-years out from completion of post-doctoral program training (e.g., residency, clinical fellowship, or other post-doctoral training) and cannot have received any previous grant funding from NASS.
• Graduate Investigator (GI) & Mentor requirements: GI and mentor are both required to be NASS members. GI cannot have previously received any NASS research funding, while the mentor cannot have received NASS grant funding within the last three years.
• 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.
• 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.
• Project Correspondence: The PI/YI/GI 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; however, most grants approved have annual budgets below $50,000. Grant funding may be awarded for one to two years at the discretion of NASS’ Research Funding Committee.
• Format: Budget must be provided as an itemized table, broken down by year (if requesting for multiple years) and totaled overall.
• Changes to the budget are not permitted between the proposal and invited application stages.
• Overhead / Institutional Costs: Not to exceed 10-15% of the total budget (Note: this amount is included in the total amount)
• Permanent Equipment: Not to exceed $5,000 annually
• Salaries: Only acceptable to include for supporting staff (lab technicians, research assistants, etc.) and statisticians. Do NOT include for any investigators.
• Statistical Analyses: May include salaries for statisticians
• IRB: 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.
• Other acceptable costs to include: consumable equipment, any other direct expenses
• 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.
• Ineligible budgetary items: The following items may NOT be included the budget –
  • Costs for publication, travel, or meeting attendance, including for the NASS Annual Meeting
  • Salaries for any investigators

• 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.
• Project Guidelines: The center(s) selected by the applicant must agree in writing at the time of application to accept the applicant if they receive the Fellowship. All letter(s) must be for current year.
• Budget: Primarily covers the costs of travel and housing. Ineligible budgetary items include costs for publication and meeting attendance. The Fellowship primarily covers the costs of travel and housing and typically ranges from $3,000-$7,000.
• Final Report: Recipients will be required to write an article for SpineLine, the NASS magazine, following the conclusion of their fellowship to report their experiences to NASS Membership.

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