The OTC Foundation Research Grant Process is discussed in greater detail in this document: Administrative Policies and Procedures for OTC Foundation Research Grants 2011.

Download the OTC Foundation Research Grant Administrative Policies and Procedures (PDF 377KB)


The program targets senior researchers who are eligible to research grants of up to $50,000 USD, and also young investigators who can obtain grants of up to $10,000 USD. The evaluation and selection process for grants is strictly based upon blinded proposals submitted by applicants, in accordance with Orthopaedic Trauma Association (OTA) criteria.

A summary overview of the OTC Foundation Research Grant Process and the steps to be followed in submitting an application is given as follows:

1. Budget and nuber of Grants: The budget for the OTC Foundation Research Grants is limited and applications are often three times higher than the total grant volume. Therefore, the OTC Foundation is not able to fund all of the research proposals. The number of funded research proposals varies from year to year depending on the availability for funds.

2. Members of the Research Committee (RECO): All are active and experienced in the area of orthopaedic trauma research. They represent North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific.

3. Pre-proposal application: This requires a maximum of 3 pages, briefly summarizing the research idea.

4. Review of Pre-proposals: After receipt, the pre-proposal will be reviewed in a blinded process, meaning no authors or institutions are visible. Each pre-proposal is reviewed by at least five members of the RECO and rated and ranked on scientific merit and orthopaedic trauma impact.

5. Pre-proposal rejections: Pre-proposals with an average rating of less than 3 (of 5 maximum) will be rejected. The applicants are informed of final decisions by letter.

6. Invitations for Full-length application: Successful pre-proposals candidates are invited to submit a full-length application.

7. Review of Full-length application: The full-length application comprises of up to 12 pages. The entire committee evaluates all full-length applications in a non-blinded manner based on scientific merit, orthopaedic trauma impact, methodology and feasibility of research team to deliver within budget and time frame. Reviewers with conflicts of interest withdraw themselves from the evaluation process.

8. Successful applications: The best-rated applications will be offered a Grant contract. Only one grant will be awarded per institution per year for each category (Research Grant/Young Investigator’s Grant).

9. Unsuccessful applications: All principal investigators of full-length applications that could not be funded will be informed and receive feedback.


The annual timelines for the OTC Foundation Research Grant process are:

• ♦ Promotion of fracture healing, including treatment and enhancement of fracture repair
• ♦ Treatment of fractures in osteoporotic bone

• ♦ New technologies in fracture fixation, including computer-assisted surgery
• ♦ Prophylaxis and treatment of infections in fractures
• ♦ Prospective clinical trials in fracture care
• ♦ Numerical methods in trauma surgery