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Project Grants in Spinal Cord

Wings for Life Spinal Cord Research Foundation

What is funded

This grant is intended only to cover the salary of the applicant: Post-docs, PhDs, and/or technicians.

Funding goal

The goal of the individual grant is to encourage new investigators who work on regeneration and recovery processes to develop new ideas and/or transfer their efforts of other areas into spinal cord research.

Budget request
a.Amount requested
b.Predicted budget allowance and justification for the first two years. Please ONLY enter given categories (Equipment, Personnel, Products, Training, Animals and animal care, Indirect costs (max. 10% of the direct costs, i.e. max 11.818 € if you apply for 130.000 €), Other (please specify), Travel costs to annual Wings for Life scientific meeting (This category is mandatory: 1.500 € within Europe, 3.000 € overseas))
c.Details on project personnel (max. 20% of the total budget can be used for PI and/or Co-PI salary (i.e. up to max 26.000 €, if you apply for 130.000 €); total sum must be equal to Personnel allowance in section 7b)
d.Equipment (total sum must be equal to the Equipment allowance in section 7b)

Maximum sum per grant is 130.000 € - per year all inclusive. Indirect costs (overhead costs) are limited to 10% of direct costs (equipment, products, animals and animal care, fringe costs, etc.). The grant will be given in EUR. At the time of each payment the respective, contractual EUR amount will be converted into the respective currency at the daily rate at that time.

AI Based Application Success Predictor

Based on public specification of the foundation’s criteria and patterns of funded projects, the following predictors stand out:

Predictor	Explanation / Evidence
Clear relevance to spinal‐cord injury (SCI) – especially trauma, regeneration, recovery/plasticity	WfL explicitly states that funded projects “address basic and clinical research related to spinal cord injury … nerve regeneration/plasticity, neuronal and glial protection, functional deficits induced by lesions.” science.wingsforlife.com+1 Projects purely in other neurological domains (without SCI linkage) would be less competitive.
Translational or clinical potential, not just basic science	The foundation emphasises preference for “a perspective of translation from the laboratory to the clinical setting” and the “potential to provide real benefits to spinal cord injury patients.” science.wingsforlife.com+2Red Bull+2 Meaning: strong link between research outcome and patient impact heightens competitiveness.
Feasibility and deliverability within scope/time/budget	Because grants may span 1–3 years, applicants that articulate realistic milestones and achievable aims are favoured. The size (e.g., €100k–130k/year) requires that projects are appropriately scoped. asia-spinalinjury.org+1
Demonstrated innovation or addressing unmet needs in SCI	Several funded projects emphasise novel approaches in regeneration, biomaterials, electrical stimulation, etc. For example, WfL features projects such as magnetic nerve fibre lengthening, exoskeleton/skin stimulation, combining stem‐cells + rehab. Wings for Life World Run+1 Projects that propose incremental improvement may be less competitive.
Appropriate investigator/team experience & environment	While WfL does support new investigators (especially via Individual Grants), successful applications typically show competent team, institutional support, and research environment that can deliver. Additionally, new or “transfer” investigators (i.e., investigators from other fields moving into SCI) are explicitly encouraged. phd.northeastern.edu
Alignment with the foundation’s mission and strategic programmes (like ATP)	The existence of the Accelerated Translational Program (ATP) indicates a strategy to move further into translational/clinical trial space. Projects aligned with that mission (i.e., closer to patients / human application) may gain an edge. Research Features+1
Open science / data sharing commitments	WfL emphasises that funded researchers are contractually required to publish results (positive or negative) and to participate in data sharing initiatives for the SCI field. Medium This indicates that applicants who plan for dissemination and open data may be more competitive.
Global collaboration / scale	WfL funds global projects (examples from USA, Australia, Israel, etc). A strong international component or team may strengthen applications. Wings for Life World Run

⚠️ Common Weaknesses / Pitfalls

From the publicly available information and patterns of rejected proposals, the following traits are likely to reduce competitiveness:

Projects not specifically addressing spinal cord injury (SCI) – e.g., generic neurology without SCI link.

Research that is purely technological development (e.g., exoskeleton device) but without clear rehabilitation/plasticity or SCI relevance — the guidelines say: “We do not fund projects which are only intended to improve technological development.” science.wingsforlife.com

Overly broad scope or unrealistic timeline given the budget/timeframe.

Lack of clarity on translation or patient benefit — if the project remains very basic without a pathway to impact.

Weak or absent plan for dissemination or data sharing, given WfL’s emphasis on open science.

Investigator/team lacks sufficient experience or infrastructure to deliver (especially for larger Project Grants).

Underestimating the importance of deliverables, milestones, and realistic budget given the grant size.

🎯 Examples of Funded Projects (Illustrative)

Use of spinal cord stimulation via skin electrodes + rehab for chronic high‐level SCI at University of Washington. Wings for Life World Run

Gene‐editing or biomaterial/vesicle strategies to regenerate nerve networks (e.g., University of Pisa & CNR). Wings for Life World Run

Clinical trial‐oriented funding: e.g., the biotechnology company NervGen Pharma receiving >US$3M from WfL ATP for a Phase 1b/2a proof‐of‐concept clinical trial in SCI. NervGen Pharma

🧾 Summary: Top Predictors of Wings for Life Grant Success

Strong SCI relevance – the proposal must clearly focus on spinal cord injury, regeneration, plasticity, functional recovery.

Translational and patient‐impact orientation – how will the work move toward improved outcomes in SCI?

Innovative, unmet‐need focused research – ideally high‐risk/high-reward or addressing gaps in SCI recovery therapies.

Feasible, well‐designed project – realistic objectives, appropriate budget, good timeline.

Strong team / institutional support – credible investigators, infrastructure, collaboration where needed.

Alignment with WfL’s strategic programmes (including ATP) – translation, open science, global relevance.

Commitment to dissemination and data sharing – plan for publication, sharing negative/positive results, participating in SCI community.

Specialties

Neurosciences

Eligibility Requirements

Postdocs are explicitly eligible to apply for Project Grants, offering valuable support at this early stage of your career.

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: Wings for Life Spinal Cord Research Foundation

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: 1630 Stewart Street, Santa Monica, CA 90404

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