Research grants

As part of the individual research career development program for clinicians, the AO Foundation regularly offers funding opportunities for clinical studies as well as basic and applied research projects that address highly relevant clinical problems.

The calls within this framework are generally open to clinicians from all clinical departments of the AO—AO Trauma, AO Spine, AO CMF, and AO VET.

Detailed information on the geographic scope and eligibility criteria such as the research area focus can be found in the individual guidelines of the respective call.

Helpful links:

Clinical fellowships:

Funding opportunities

AO Foundation offers various funding opportunities for Research Grants.

Open calls

AO VET Research Seed Grant – Submission deadline: May 12, 2024

Type: Seed grant

Scope: Projects in a wide range of research fields including unconventional and novel projects

Geographic scope: Global

Apply here

Eligibility:
Young investigators (< 40 years old) who are:
1) within five years of the completion of their terminal degree (eg MD, DVM, PhD, etc) or
2) within five years of initiation of their first assistant professor position at an academic institution or
3) enrolled in residency programs or fellowships.

Financial information guidelines:
AO VET seed grants provide support up to CHF 7,500 with a maximum duration of one year. AO VET highly encourages applicants to submit small grant proposals. For example, investigators may consider seeking funds to support primary or secondary data analyses, systematic reviews with meta-analyses, or manuscript preparation.
AO VET / ARI Collaborative Research Grant Program – Submission deadline: May 12, 2024

Type: Seed grant

Scope: The topic of the research proposal should relate to unanswered questions in veterinary and/or comparative orthopedics, and the methods that are to be used should be aligned with the resources and expertise available within ARI - Investigators will ideally participate actively in the physical completion of the study at ARI or they may ask collaborators at ARI to complete the research on their behalf while remaining actively engaged in carrying the research throughout its duration.

Geographic scope: Global

Apply here

Eligibility: The principal investigator must be an active, paid-up member of AO VET at the time of grant submission.

Financial information guidelines:
Available funds are limited, and investigators are advised that proposed annual budgets should not exceed CHF 35,000 for a period of up to 12 months. It is anticipated that up to two awards will be granted in the 2025 funding cycle. Follow-on funding for a second year may be available but will be determined through a competitive application in the next award cycle. No overhead contributions are made to the submitting organization.
AO Trauma Middle East and Northern Africa Research Grant – Submission deadline: September 1, 2024

Type: Seed grant

Scope: Non-union--including infection

Geographic scope: Regional (Middle East and Northern Africa)

Apply here

Eligibility:
This call is open to investigators from all AO clinical divisions—AO Trauma, AO Spine and AO CMF —who are younger than 40 years old and:
1) within five years of the completion of their terminal degree (eg, MD, DVM, PhD, etc), or
2) within five years of initiation of their first assistant professor position at an academic institution, or
3) enrolled in residency programs or fellowships
4) member of a clinical division (AO Trauma, AO Spine or AO CMF)

Financial information guidelines:
The AO Trauma Middle East and Northern Africa Research Grant provide one-year, stand-alone seed funding up to CHF 4,000 to support innovative projects dealing with musculoskeletal trauma, and related basic and clinical research with scope on non-union including infection.