Description: The research proposal should be in the field of clinical science. At least one investigator must be a current IThe ISSLS is excited to announce that applications are officially open for the 2026 Clinical Science Research Grant, generously sponsored by Medtronic, providing US $20,000 in support for high-impact clinical research.

This competitive grant supports innovative proposals in clinical spine science. At least one investigator must be a current ISSLS member, and the principal investigator must be 45 years of age or younger. Proposals will be judged on their significance, strength of hypothesis, robustness of study design, and overall feasibility. Projects that strategically use ISSLS support as a foundation for larger future funding opportunities are encouraged - provided they include a convincing long-term plan.

The award supports research costs only and may not be used for investigator salaries or indirect/overhead expenses. Funding is provided independently by Medtronic, with no requirement or expectation of product promotion or preferential use.

Award recipients must submit a written progress report four weeks prior to the next Annual Meeting and present their work during the Fellowship Ceremony.

🔍 Judging Committee

The 2026 Clinical Science Research Grant will be evaluated by the ISSLS Research Grant Committee:

• ISSLS Secretary – Daisuke Sakai (Chair)

• ISSLS Secretary Elect – Dino Samartzis

• ISSLS President – Yong Hai

• 1st Vice President – Jeffrey Lotz

• 2nd Vice President – Hans-Joachim Wilke

• Scientific Representatives – Sibylle Grad, Koichi Sairyo & Donna Ohnmeiss

🌍 Key Dates & Participation Requirements

• Winner Announced: ISSLS Annual Meeting, Cape Town, South Africa — May 11–15, 2026

• 2025 Grant Winner Presentation: Also presented during the Fellowship Ceremony

• 2026 Winner Requirement: Must attend the 2027 ISSLS Annual Meeting (SpineWeek) in Montréal, Canada to present their progress report (exceptions only in extraordinary circumstances)

📝 Proposal Guidelines

• Background, Critical Knowledge Gap, Preliminary Data, Significance, Hypothesis & Specific Aims: 2 pages

• Detailed Experimental Protocol: 5 pages

• Future Funding Plan: 1 page

• References: No limit

• Brief Biographies: 1 page per investigator

• CVs: Include for PI and all co-investigators

• Attendance Statement: Confirm commitment to present in Montréal, 2027

Submit your full application (single PDF + application form) to: ISSLS@asnevents.net.au

⏰ Deadline: March 27, 2026 — Don’t miss your chance!

Drive clinical innovation. Advance spine care. Leave your mark with ISSLS and Medtronic.

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2025 CLINICAL SCIENCE RESEARCH GRANT WINNER: DAVID KLYNE

The ISSLS Research Grant Award Committee is pleased to announce that the winner of the 2025 Clinical Science Research Grant Award (sponsored by Medtronic) is David Klyne, from the University of Queensland, Australia.

David will attend the 2025 ISSLS Annual Meeting in Cape Town, where he will present his Progress Report at the Fellowship Awards Ceremony.

Title: Uncovering the role of sleep in back pain in the real world.

Congratulations to David Klyne and his team for an outstanding submission.

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Previous winner (sponsored by Medtronic):

• 2024: Luca Ambrosio & Jordy Schol, from Tokai University School of Medicine, Japan.

  Title: The “forgotten spine” as the ultimate goal in fusion surgery: towards the development of a patient-centered outcome measure. Read Report

• 2023: Dr Fabio Galbusera, from the Spine Center, Schulthess Clinic, Zurich, Switzerland.

Title: Estimating Bone Mineral Density from Conventional MRI with Deep Learning. Read Report

Previous winners (previously the ISSLS Research Grant sponsored by Taisho Pharmaceutical):

• 2022: Dr Frances Bach, Utrecht University, Department of Clinical Science, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, The Netherlands, was awarded the Research Grant. As she has now left that institution, Josette van Maanen has continued the project and presented her progress report at the Fellowship Ceremony of the ISSLS Annual Meeting, combined with Spineweek, in Melbourne, Australia.
  Title: The effect of notochordal extracellular vesicles on human and bovine nucleus pulpous explants. Read Report

• 2020: Dr Graciosa P. Teixeira, Institute of Orthopaedic Research and Biomechanics, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany. Title: Does complement deficiency influence intervertebral disc phenotype? Insights from C6 and CD59 deficient mice organ culture investigations. Read Report

• 2019: Dr Olga Krupkova, Laboratory for Immunoengineering and Regenerative Medicine, Zurich, Switzerland. Title: “Cell-based delivery of GDF-5 for regeneration of the intervertebral disc using CRISPR”. Read Report Due to the cancellation of the 2020 Annual Meeting, this report will be available following the 2021 Virtual Annual Meeting.

• 2018: Hugo Massé-Alarie, The University of Queensland, Australia. Read Final Report, Read Progress Report