How to secure research funding—and learn from the rejections

BY DR BRIAN KWON

About the author

Dr. Brian Kwon, Canada Research Chair in Spinal Cord Injury and Dvorak Chair in Spine Trauma, is an internationally recognized, award-winning surgeon-scientist with the University of British Columbia Department of Orthopaedics, where he runs a translational research group focused on spinal cord injury. He is the chairperson of the AO Spine Spinal Cord Injury Knowledge Forum, a member of the AO Spine Research Commission, and Principal Investigator of several AO Spine studies. And he has had a lot of grants rejected in his career!

Additional resources:

  • The call for applications for the 2022 AO Spine Research Start-up Grant is open until April 1, 2022. Latest news and open funding opportunities from AO Spine here.

  • A podcast with Brian Kwon discussing his personal tips for securing research funding was published as part of a special Research Top Tips series, from Myelopathy Matters (Myelopathy.org) and AO Spine RECODE-DCM. The initiatives worked together to accelerate knowledge discovery that can change outcomes in Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy (DCM). Each episode takes a dive into a fundamental concept of scientific research, with leading spine researchers talking us through their recipes for success in their own words. 

  • The AO Program for Education and Excellence in Research (AO PEER) offers a collection of clinical research resources, reference documents, and learning opportunities for anyone wanting to learn more about doing research. The Grant Writing and Study Protocol module of AO PEER includes useful templates for applying for grants.

Disclaimer

The articles included in the AO Spine Blog represent the opinion of individual authors exclusively and not necessarily the opinion of AO Spine or AO Foundation.