Grant Application

The Wings for Life Spinal Cord Research Foundation is a privately funded research charity organisation with the exclusive aim to perform/promote basic and clinical research related to spinal cord injury. Research projects may address all aspects of spinal cord lesions, nerve regeneration, trophic support of lesioned neurons, and functional changes induced by lesions - preferentially in mammals. Proposals should have a view to translation from the laboratory to the clinical setting and have the potential to provide real benefits to human patients. Clinical research projects can be situated in the fields of diagnosis, acute lesion management including surgery, neurology, urology, rehabilitation, and other areas related to paraplegia.

A) Individual Grants:

This grant is intended only to cover the salary of the applicant: For established investigators, post-docs, PhDs and technicians. The goals of the individual research grant programme are to perform/promote basic and clinical research related to spinal cord injury by encouraging new investigator’s work (including Ph.D. students and technicians) on regeneration and recovery processes, but also to encourage well-established researchers to develop new ideas and/or to transfer their efforts of other areas into spinal cord research.

B) Project Research Grants:

This grant is intended to sustain a full research project: Funds cover personnel, equipment, animal costs, consumables, etc.

C) Funding of translational studies:
Wings for Life is willing to fund translational studies of promising concepts aiming to foster the translational process. A relevant clinical endpoint is envisaged.

D) Funding of early stage clinical trials:
Wings for Life is soliciting „Executive summaries“ with particular emphasis on early stage clinical trials (including diagnostic and interventional trials).

Scientists intending to apply for funding schemes of section C or D are requested to contact Wings for Life beforehand for detailed funding options, given a flexible funding format.