Applications for ESPN research awards for 2025 are now open. The grants aim to stimulate collaboration between paediatric nephrologists in Europe to promote clinical or basic science research pertinent to children with kidney disease. Research awards are open to all ESPN members working in hospitals or academic institutions within Europe. Preference will be given to applications that are collaborative projects endorsed by ESPN Working Groups. There are three categories of awards:

General Awards: These proposals must have documented support from a relevant ESPN Working Group, but the Working Group Board does not have to be actively involved in the research project.

ESPN Working Group Awards: These are proposals in which the relevant ESPN Working Group is actively involved in the project. Evidence of this must be provided in accompanying documentation.

Start-up Grants: These provide start-up funding for researchers early in their careers. It is open to proposals where the principal applicant is under 36 years old (unless appropriate motivations are raised, including longer training, etc.).

ESPN/ERA Registry Travel Grant: This grant is intended to support research projects at the ESPN/ERA registry, enabling the applicant to work on-site at Amsterdam University Medical Centers (AMC) registry offices. It is open to proposals from ESPN members, both experienced and young investigators, with a specific interest in clinical epidemiology and/or statistics. The grant will cover a stay of 6 (min) to 10 weeks (max) in Amsterdam at 1,000 euros per week, including travel expenses.

The total value of the research grant budget this year is € 50,000. Individual grants are likely to be a max €20,000.

All applications will be evaluated by the ESPN council and external reviewers based on scientific merit and relevance to the field. All grant categories will be scored and ranked together, but priority will be given to ensuring that one Young Investigator grant and at least one ESPN Working Group grant are awarded each year.

The application form is available on the ESPN webpage. It should be completed and returned to our ESPN office secretaryespn@oic.it , together with a brief (max. 2-page) curriculum vitae for the principal applicant and any supporting documentation from an ESPN Working Group.

For the ESPN/ERA grant, the applicants should indicate in their application, in the budget justification part, the project timelines (working weeks on-site at the AMC and remote, continuous, or split times if applicable). Also, applicants should be able to check the registry webpage for previous publications, ongoing projects, and the contents of the ESPN/ERA registry database.

A receipt of the application will be sent by email.

Applications not following the ESPN application form will be returned to the applicant and not sent to reviewers.

The closing date is 31st of March 2025. Late applications will not be considered. The evaluation of the ESPN council is final, and there is no option for appeals.
The winners will be announced during the ESPN General Assembly at the ESPN Congress in Athens 2025 and posted on the ESPN website.

Visit the ESPN research grant webpage for application forms and the checklist for researchers.