Announcement - New Policy to Support Member Applications for Federal Funding of Musculoskeletal Trauma Research
The OTA Board of Directors (BOD) announces a new mechanism whereby federal grant proposals by OTA members may secure the endorsement of the OTA.
The OTA, as a leading professional society representing the research, education and service interests of its membership, has a long and successful history of research funding towards answering the questions of greatest importance to improving the care of patients with musculoskeletal injury. The OTA Research Committee awards grants through a rigorous peer-review process to member investigators in both the clinical and basic sciences, with the explicit aims of seeding research programs that will eventually garner federal funding. The OTA recognizes the weight that its endorsement could have in the review of high-quality applications for federal funding. Therefore, the OTA recognizes the need to establish policies that will review and provide support for proposals that originate from members, seek to answer questions of greatest importance to the OTA membership, and demonstrate the highest degree of quality in scientific rigor and feasibility of execution.
Eligible principle investigators will be OTA Members in good standing applying for a federal grant to support research in the basic, clinical or translational sciences. Multiple applications for the same funding mechanism will be considered.
Interested investigators should submit:
1. A short letter to the OTA explaining the significance and basic premise of the research as well as why OTA endorsement is being requested. Please mention any previous OTA funding received for preliminary work towards this proposal. (500 words max)
2. Specific aims page (with or without pre-proposal leading to invitation for full grant application)
3. List of research grants awarded by the OTA, particularly as they pertain to the application for which endorsement is sought
All of three should be submitted no less than six weeks prior to the date that the letter is required for grant submission. While not required, additional materials including the full proposal will aid in the review process for endorsement. These may be submitted via email to (Julia Markos) markos@ota.org.
Applications will be reviewed by a panel of OTA Research Council members. The panel may request that a draft letter of support be produced by the applicant for editing and signing by the OTA President.
Criteria by which applications will be selected for support include impact of proposed work on the field of orthopaedic trauma and rigor of scientific methods. Approved applications will receive a letter of support highlighting the importance of the research question to the OTA signed by the OTA President.
More information on this new OTA member benefit can be found under the Research tab on the OTA homepage, or by email (Julia Markos) markos@ota.org.
Gerard P. Slobogean, MD, MPH, FRCSC, Chair, Strategic Research Initiatives Committee