IUGA Research Grants

The 2024 IUGA Research Grants cycle is now open and will close at the end of March 2024. 

IUGA offers both Basic Science and Clinical Research Grants to fund original research by an IUGA member. All members conducting research are encouraged to apply, especially fellows/physicians-in-training and allied health members. In an effort to broaden access to research funding, applicants from developing countries, new centers, and/or those with less proven research records are also encouraged to apply. IUGA Research Grants are designed to fund the development of the proposed research project, including all materials and testing, statistical analyses, and services required to complete the research. 

The grant cycle opened on February 1st, 2024, and the winners will be announced at the 2024 Annual Meeting in Singapore. The IUGA Research & Development Committee will review and score all submitted applications and will recommend a recipient in each grant category to the IUGA Board to confirm. Award recipients will be announced to the membership via email, and recipient names will be included on the IUGA website.

headshot alarab

"I was privileged to win the IUGA Basic Science Research Award for my proposal titled: The Effect of Local Estrogen Therapy on the Microbiome Composition and Relative Abundance in the Urine of Postmenopausal Women with/without Urinary Tract Infections. With this grant, our team, including Dr. Breffini Anglim, our fellow, and our Associate Scientist, Dr. Shynlova, was able to conduct this study from start to completion. We were able to answer an important question and provide new information that will strengthen the current understanding and treatment strategies of recurrent UTIs in postmenopausal women. This study would not have been possible without the generous support of IUGA."
-May Alarab, 2019 IUGA Research Grant Recipient

Awards

Two grants will be awarded:

  • USD 10,000 for a clinical patient-oriented research project
  • USD 10,000 for a laboratory-based/basic science research project

The initial USD 5,000 payment will be made upon award of the grant, and the remaining USD 5,000 will be paid upon receipt and review of the Interim Report. Ethical approval must be received, if applicable, by the IUGA Office before any funds will be released. Grants will only be paid to an institution and not to an individual.

Eligibility

  • Any IUGA member in good standing is eligible to apply for the grant program.
  • Applicant must remain at the same institution for the entire funding period.

Submission Instructions

A complete application (online application form + required attachments) must be submitted by the published deadline. Late applications will not be considered. Acceptable projects are 1-2 years in duration (maximum 2 years). A no-cost extension may be approved by the Research & Development Committee in extenuating circumstances. Only one (1) grant application will be accepted per IUGA member. The review of applications is a blinded process, thus, applicants should ensure that identifying information (country/state, institution and investigator names, etc.) are not included in the submitted documents. The IUGA Office will redact institutional logos and referee names from the letters of reference before sending them to reviewers. Identifying information in the application form is not visible to the reviewers.

An IUGA Office staff member will review each application for completeness before forwarding it to the Research and Development Committee for review and has the authority to disqualify an application if all required attachments are not submitted with the application form, if the page or word requirements are not followed, and/or if the applicant is not a current IUGA member.  

Required Application Documents

  • Online Application (click here to access application form. This sytem is not  set up to accept your IUGA username and password. While you can log in as a guest user, we recommend creating an account in order to maintain access to your submission in the future). 
  • Project Overview (Project Overview may not exceed 6 pages, excluding any charts, graphs, and references)
    • Structured Abstract (Structured Abstract may not exceed 200 words)
    • Background Review (do not include any reference to the country or city, institution, or investigator names as applications are blindly reviewed)
      • Describe the sponsoring institution.
      • For PI and all co-investigators (Co-investigator 1, Co-investigator 2, etc.): List degree(s) and position title(s), list whether or not investigator is a trainee, and track record of research and major research accomplishments for each, especially as they relate to the proposed research project and your ability to complete the proposed research project (i.e. areas and number of completed research projects, number and type of funding awards, number of publications, etc.). Do not include publication titles or links, as applications are blindly reviewed.
      • Describe the goals and objectives of previous research as it relates to the proposed research project, as this provides a context for the work you plan to undertake.
      • Describe the service areas and populations served. Include a description of laboratory facilities, if applicable.
    • Research Protocol (Research Protocol section should not exceed 2 pages)
      • Background/significance
      • Specific aims
      • Methodology
      • Ethics and Patient Consent (if applicable)
      • Ethics and Animal Studies (if applicable)
      • References (limit to 20)
    • Budget
      • Please indicate how the funds will be allocated in detail, in US dollars.
      • If the study is being funded by another source, this must be disclosed in the budget section, as well as on the Application.
      • If applicant is applying for additional funding from another source, this must be disclosed in the budget section, as well as on the Application.
      • Funding may be used to cover statistical analyses, tech support (i.e. sonographer), laboratory studies, diagnostic studies (i.e. post-treatment urodynamics), mailing and postage for questionnaires or other related material, and patient vouchers for transportation, meals, etc.
      • Funding may not be used to support salaries for the Principal Investigator(s) and any co-investigator(s)., travel, computer purchase, meeting fees and related expenses, equipment, manuscript preparation costs, indirect costs such as university overhead, or IRB fees.
    • Evaluation Criteria and Progress
      • Describe what measures will be used to evaluate the progress of the research study.
      • Describe what records and information will be maintained to allow measurement of progress.
      • Has this research application been reviewed/had input from patient representatives?
    • Timeline
      • Provide a project flowchart/timeline (gantt chart)
    • Institutional Research Board/Ethics Approval
      • Institutional Research Board/Ethics approval must be indicated in this section as well as on the Application. If already approved, provide a copy of Institutional Research Board (IRB)/Ethics approval. If approval is pending at the time of application submission, indicate this status and the approximate date of approval. If IRB/ethics approval is not required for the project, please provide an explanation of why this project is exempt. 
    • Appendices (if applicable)
      • Include any data collection forms, questionnaires, or other study-related materials.
      • If appendices are not in English, include a document explaining what each document is (consent form, in-take form, questionnaire, etc.).
      • If tests or questionnaires are included, indicate whether or not the test/questionnaire is validated. 
  •  Letters of Support 
    • Provide at least two (2) Letters of Support from the department/institution head and collaborators, such as those individuals supplying patient referrals.

Questions should be directed to the IUGA Office at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Award Requirements

Additional Funding

Award recipients are required to disclose if/when additional funding is received from another source for the same project. If recipient receives duplicate funding for the same project after receiving funding from IUGA, the recipient may be required to return the excess amount to IUGA, up to the maximum amount of the IUGA award.

Interim Report

Grant recipients are required to submit a Interim Report half-way through the project reporting the progress of the research study to date. From IUGA's perspective, the timeline begins when the first grant payment is made, and the half-way point is determined based on the project duration submitted on the application. The Interim Report Form is available here. Interim Reports must be submitted via email to the IUGA Office (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). All Interim Reports will be reviewed by the Research & Development Committee Chair and Research Grant Chair. Sufficient progress must be made in order for the committee to approve payment of the second half of the funds. The committee may request additional information prior to releasing the final grant payment.

Final Report

Grant recipients are required to submit a Final Report stating the results of the research study and an itemized budget showing how the funds were used, including providing receipts of paid items, where applicable. The Final Report is due to the IUGA Office (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) one month following the completion of the research study award period. The Final Report Form is available here.

Presentation & Publication

Grant recipients are required to submit an abstract of their completed research study for presentation at the following IUGA Annual Meeting, and to submit a completed manuscript for publication to the International Urogynecology Journal. All publications and presentations must acknowledge funding from IUGA via an IUGA Research Grant.