ILTS Research Grants

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ILTS is excited to announce the 2025-2026 Research Funding Grants, an initiative designed to support cutting-edge research in liver transplantation. These grants are designed to foster innovation and advance scientific studies that have the potential to: 

  • Significantly improve clinical outcomes, 
  • Refine surgical techniques, 
  • Enhance donor organ management, 
  • Optimize immunosuppression strategies, and 
  • Advance long-term patient care in the field of liver transplantation.

Through this program, ILTS seeks to empower investigators worldwide to pursue high-impact research that will shape the future of liver transplantation. A total of three grants, each valued at USD 20,000, will be awarded in the 2025-2026 funding cycle.

Categories: 

Basic/Translational Science: studies involving cell culture, animals, or human tissue/blood samples.

Clinical Science: studies involving clinical patients, either via existing/new datasets or observation/intervention.

Eligibility Criteria:

• The candidate must be an ILTS member in good standing at the time of application and be within the first five years of their initial faculty appointment. Candidates who have not yet received a faculty appointment are not eligible.
• The candidate must submit a short Curriculum Vitae in NIH Biosketch format.
• The project must be original and not have overlap with existing funding.
• Applicants who are principal investigators on major grants (e.g., NIH R series, international scientific foundations) are not eligible. Also, applicants may only submit one ILTS grant application each cycle.

Research Topic: The research topic must fall within the field of liver transplantation, whether in the clinical, basic science, or translational arenas (one project for each area will be funded). A PI may only submit one project to the competition per award cycle.

Research Project Composition:

The research project should include the following components and submitted as a single PDF file:

  1. Cover sheet containing which category the applicant is apply to (basic/translational vs clinical), their name, current position, institution, and title of project

  2. Abstract: A concise summary of the project, limited to 200 words.

  3. Specific Aims Page: A clear and focused outline of the project’s objectives.

  4. Project Description: A detailed narrative (maximum of 4 pages, single-spaced, 11-point font, 0.5 in margins) organized into the following sections:
  • Significance: Describe the importance of the research and its potential impact.
  • Innovation: Highlight the novel aspects of the proposed work.
  • Research Approach: Provide a comprehensive plan for conducting the research, including methodology and expected outcomes.
  • Description of PI role in the project and future plans (up to 0.5 page of the 5-page limit).

  1. Budget justification with itemization of anticipated expenses and amount of grant support, with explanation of any additional costs that will be shared from other source (1 page)

  2. References: not included in the page limit and should be listed separately with in text citations. 

  3. Resources: A short description of the available resources (environment, instruments, core facilities) must be included (maximum of 1 page). 

  4. Letter of support from mentor, department chair, or division chief (1 letter, maximum 2 pages)

Evaluation of Proposals: The submitted projects will be evaluated by a selection committee that includes the Co-Chairs of the ILTS Grant Review Committee, a member of the ILTS Council, and a member of the ILTS Executive Council.

Each member of the review committee will independently score each project. The evaluation will consider the following criteria: Significance, Innovation, Investigators, Approach, Environment, and the potential impact on the field. A report with feedback from the evaluating committee will be provided to each applicant independently of the outcome.

Funding: ILTS will provide a USD 20,000 grant to support the project. Awardees will receive up to $1,000 toward economy-class airfare to attend the ILTS Congress in 2027, along with complimentary registration, a ticket to the Gala Dinner, and up to two nights of hotel accommodation. No indirect or overhead costs are allowed. 

Grant Period, Progress Report, and Final Report: The funding must be utilized within a period not exceeding two years from award initiation. No indirect costs are allowed.

A progress report (maximum 3 pages) detailing the advances made must be submitted 6 months after receiving the grant. Additionally, a final report is required no later than 12 months from the start of the grant. A request for a no cost extension beyond 12 months will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Reports will be evaluated by the ILTS grant review committee leadership. Continuation of funding will be contingent on the outcomes and progress outlined in these reports.

Timeline:

November 1st: Call for Submission opens.
January 15: Submission deadline.
February/March: Review period
April: Award notification.
May: Research start date
December 1: 6 month progress report
1 year mark: final report vs. request for no cost extension into Year 2.

Mandatory Documents for ILTS Award Disbursement: For studies involving human subjects, evidence of Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval must be provided before the award can be initiated. Similarly, for studies involving animals, Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) approval is required prior to the start of the project. 

The awardees will be recognized at the ILTS annual meeting.

ILTS is an international society of transplant professionals, and we support the international standards of informed, uncoerced consent of organ donors and prohibitions on trafficking of organ donors for profit.