$40,000 – EMDR Research Grant Award

Grant awards of up to $40,000 are available for post-doctoral students, university faculty or clinician conducting research on EMDR.

In an effort to ensure the funding of high-quality, publishable studies, the EMDR Research Foundation strongly encourages applicants to review the CONSORT website here, especially when requesting large grants. The CONSORT website has guidelines for a variety of designs appropriate to the study of EMDR as well as checklists and examples of those designs. Our review process is likely to favor studies meeting these standards. Guidelines for social and psychological interventions can be found here.

Areas of Priority

The current (2020) research priorities were adopted by the EMDR Research Foundation in December 2013:

1st Priority – Advancing Evidence Based Practice: Increase the availability of quality EMDR research in areas where we already have a foothold in the literature but where more evidence is needed. Specifically, those areas are in the use of EMDR therapy to treat:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Military PTSD
• Phantom Limb Pain
• To enhance recovery from the impact of cardiac events and the diagnosis and treatment of cancer

2nd Priority – Addressing the Global Burden of Trauma: Investigate the use of EMDR in natural or man-made disaster responses, by determining the effectiveness of the following protocols: early intervention protocols, the child or adult group protocols, or the use of EMDR standard protocols in disaster response.

3rd Priority – Building Clinical Evidence: There are a number of areas where EMDR therapy is being used, clinical observations are positive, and there are some research indicators of success. However, more research is needed to build a body of literature in these populations or diagnostic categories, including but not limited to:

• Addictions
• Eating disorders
• Dissociative disorders
• Additional medical/somatic conditions
• Suicide prevention and/or to address the impact of suicide

These priorities apply to research across the lifespan, so that a study might address, for example, adolescent addiction, or geriatric depression.

Eligibility

A researcher who has earned a doctorate in social work, psychology, nursing or a related field, who is affiliated with a college, university, or research institution, is eligible to apply for this grant. Practitioners/clinicians who possess relevant research experience are encouraged to apply. Collaborative partnerships between researchers affiliated with a college, university, or research institution and practitioners/clinicians with expertise in EMDR are encouraged and preferred. If the research grant is awarded, the affiliated institution must assume responsibility for and serve as the fiscal agent for the project. The principal investigator will assume responsibility for and serve as the fiscal agent for any project without an institutional affiliation as an international organization the EMDR Foundation accepts proposals from U.S. and international researchers, however, applications must be submitted in English and budgets developed in U.S. dollars.

Applications

Applications are due February 1st and July 1st. The recipients of the award will be notified of their selection by May 1 and October 1, respectively. The EMDR Research Foundation only accepts applications through our online application system, which is accessible through our website by clicking here.   An electronic copy of each application document is required – and only accepted through the online application form. Any application received without all required documents will not be reviewed. Applicants are encouraged to carefully review the required documentation and prepare all documents for uploading before initiating the online application.

The required application documents are:

• • Completion of online application form field including:
    • Principal Investigator’s name, phone number(s), email address, complete mailing address, university (when applicable,) graduate department or school (when applicable,) project title, and abstract.  (Note: abstract may be entered into the abstract form field or uploaded.) 
  • Proposal Narrative (maximum of 10 double-spaced pages, not including references): [Proposal Narrative with references should be uploaded in the online application as one file.]
    • Statement of the problem and specific research aims
    • Background literature
    • Research design & methods (including measures and data analysis plan)
    • Significance of the proposed study
  • Copies of the measures [combine all measures into one file, and upload through the online application]
  • Letters of agreement from any partnering organizations upload each letter (up to two through the online application, or combine all letters into one file and upload through the online application]
  • Evidence of Institutional Review Board approval or equivalent for international researchers [upload through the online application]
  • Timeline for proposed study identifying key tasks [upload through the online application]
  • Proposed project budget (this may exceed the amount of the grant) [upload through the online application]
  • A curriculum vitae of the Principal Investigator and research team members [upload as separate files (up to 4) or combine into one file and upload through the online application.]

Incomplete applications will not be reviewed and paper or faxed documents will not be accepted. All documents must be submitted simultaneously through the online application. Materials received after the deadline will not be accepted or reviewed. There will be no extensions of deadlines for any individual for any reason. Applicants are advised to keep a complete set of application documents for their own files.

Selection Criteria

A committee of scholars with expertise in research design and EMDR will independently and blindly review each application. The committee will consider the following criteria when evaluating the merits of each application:

1. The degree to which the proposed study addresses the priority areas established by the Foundation as listed in this announcement.

2. The overall methodological quality of the proposed research project. Please note qualitative and quantitative methods are both valuable scientific approaches. The evaluation of a proposal will be based on the soundness of the methodological choices made (such as sample size, randomization, treatment fidelity, etc.) in order to most effectively answer the research questions. Information for Applicants please click here.

3. The potential significance the study has for building knowledge in and strengthening EMDR practice

4. The feasibility of the proposed study and the applicant’s ability to complete it in a timely manner.

Duration of the Project and Reporting Expectations

The project can proceed for up to two years. A progress report will be due one year after the funding cycle begins. The award recipient will be expected to provide an overview of progress made toward completion of the research project and an accounting of expenditures covered by the grant. An updated timeline should also be provided in the report. Upon completion of the project a final report will be due summarizing expenditures and outcomes of the study. Any articles submitted to or accepted for publication by an academic journal should also be sent to the EMDR Foundation.

Allowable Expenses

The applicant may use the grant to cover the costs of conducting the proposed study but may not use it to pay for indirect costs, travel, equipment, or for one’s time. Examples of allowable costs include instruments, research assistants, transcriptions, interviewers, coders, software, statistical training or consultation, printing, photocopying, office supplies, postage, travel to interview sites, and incentives for participants.

All unexpended funds remaining at the end of the 2-year time period must be returned to the EMDR Research Foundation.

Submit Application

Access and submit your application online through the tab at the top of this page.  Questions may be directed to info@emdrfoundation.org.  Please check our website for the latest version of this document.  To view a PDF version of this document, please click here. Revised 8/24/2015