World Anti-Doping Agency: Scientific Research Grants

Overview

Not-for-profit organisations along with universities and businesses can apply for this funding.

For 2016, research projects should address the following topics:

Detection of doping substances/methods: methodologies in analytical chemistry, and in particular research addressing:

• The detection of doping substances and methods using liquid or gas chromatography, mass spectrometry, or new methods in analytical chemistry.

Detection of doping substances/methods: affinity-binding and biochemical methodologies, and in particular research addressing:

• The detection of doping substances and methods using antibodies or other affinity-binding reagents or other biochemical methods.
• Multiplexing of affinity-based assays and other biochemical approaches.

Pharmacological studies on doping substances/methods, and in particular research addressing:

• Establishment and/or refinement of threshold values for prohibited substances showing doping effect above a certain dose or depending on route of administration.
• Pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics/metabolism of prohibited substances and methods including impact of gender, ethnic, and environmental factors affecting excretion, detection or action.
• Doping potential and strategies for detection of drug interactions (cocktail formulations) or micro-dosing.
• Long-term metabolites or markers of doping substances.

The Athlete's Biological Passport, and in particular research addressing:

• Discovery and validation of new discriminant markers.
• Evaluation of confounding factors.
• Expansion of the ABP approach to other target analytes (eg. peptide hormones as part of the endocrine module).

Detection of doping substances/methods: molecular biology, "Omics" and miscellaneous methodologies, and in particular research addressing:

• The detection of gene doping and gene manipulation including "in vivo" validation.
• Validation of molecular and metabolic signatures 'in vivo" to detect use of prohibited substances and methods.
• Detection of stem cells doping in muscle(s), connective tissues or other tissues and organs relevant in sport.

There is no set minimum or maximum size of grant, rather grants are assessed and determined on an application by application basis. However, in total, WADA has committed US $56 million to research since 2001.

For guidance, the average budget of previously funded social science projects is:

• One year projects: $20,000
• Two year projects: $30,000
• Three year projects: $65,000