Ehlers-Danlos Society Accepting Applications for Research Grants

The Ehlers-Danlos Society is accepting applications for its spring 2020 research grant program.

Grants will support research in Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) and hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSD).

Through its Spring 2020 Microgrants program, the society will award about nine grants of up to $5,000 each. These grants are generally intended to support small-study hypothesis testing, surveys, or new analyses of data that has already been collected.

The society began accepting applications for the microgrants Feb. 5, and the deadline is April 24. Awards will be announced in June. The online application can be found here.

Another round of microgrants — also nine grants of up to $5,000 each — will be offered later in the year. Applications for these grants will open on Sept. 1 and close on Oct. 26, with awards announced in December.

Through its Clinical Research Major Grant program — which is aimed at projects directly affecting the care of people living with EDS or HSD — the society will award $400,000 in grants, ranging from $50,000 to $150,000 each. Applications will be accepted between March 2 and May 22. Winners will be announced in August.

Another $400,000 in Basic Science Research Major Grants will be awarded in similar amounts. These grants will support projects that aim to clarify the underlying biology of EDS and/or HSD. While the projects may have the potential to produce findings with clinical ramifications, their aim is to better understand these diseases. The application window is June 1-Sept. 25, and awards will be announced in December.

Both programs are intended to support larger research projects expected to take a year or two to complete, with funding going toward hiring researchers and covering the cost of study equipment.

Grant applications will be available on this link as they are announced.

“We aspire to offer grants annually, with calls for clinical research proposals early in the year and for basic science later in the year,” the society said. “We also offer grants of varying value to reflect the different nature of researcher requirements, including microgrants.”

The society said it will also offer travel grants to support the costs of travel and conference registration for researchers and educationalists presenting their work on EDS or HSD.