Interstitial cystitis (IC) is a painful condition of the pelvic and bladder region. It causes urinary urgency and frequency. Interstitial cystitis is sometimes also called painful bladder syndrome. There is no known cause for interstitial cystitis. Present treatments for IC do not help all people with this condition. IC research is important to provide better understanding about this disorder. New treatments for IC may be discovered through further study. Research grants for interstitial cystitis are sometimes awarded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The Interstitial Cystitis Association (ICA), a non-profit organization, also offers grant awards for IC research. According to the Interstitial Cystitis Association, the organization has funded over 70 grants for IC research, totaling more than $1 million, as of November 2010.
NIH Research Grants
Obtaining grant awards through the NIH can be a lengthy process. When considering grant awards, the NIH states that it looks for projects of high scientific caliber, unique research projects and investigator-initiated research. NIH grants are awarded to individuals, as well as public and private organizations.
How to Apply for an NIH Grant
Applicants should plan months in advance to collect preliminary data. Applications are usually written months before they are submitted through the government grant website. The Division of Receipt and Referral in the Center of Scientific Review reviews applications for grant proposals. The applications then move on to a peer review committee. The review process takes four to eight months. A management staff then reviews and negotiates funding grant awards. You need to follow NIH policies when submitting grant applications. To find a grant opportunity with the NIH and to submit an application, go to grants.gov (see "Resources").
Grants Through the ICA
The Interstitial Cystitis Association has several areas of interest when considering research grants proposals: the etiology of IC, the epidemiology of IC, potential modalities of IC treatments, pain management, urine or serum markers, neurophysiology and pregnancy with IC. To submit an application for a research grant, email the association two PDFs with required information. The first PDF should include specific information about your proposed research, including the title of your project and abstract, as well as estimated time to complete the project. The second PDF should include up to three recently published peer-reviewed articles. Send grant proposals to research@ichelp.org. Review of grant proposals is tentatively scheduled for six to eight weeks after grant proposals have been received. Go to ichelp.org for complete application details (see "Resources").
ICA Grant Review Committee
Members of the ICA Advisory Board review all of the research grant applications. The Grant Review Committee members independently review and give feedback on grant applications to the ICA. The committee later meets together to discuss the research grant applications. They consider the relevance of the research for patients with IC, the scientific merit of the research, the quality of the grant application, potential advancement for the field and research costs.
ICA Grant Payments
Once ICA research grants are determined, 50 percent of the grant money is paid. Three research project reports are required no later than one year following the first grant payment. The first report is a scientific one, giving an outline of the project results. The second report is a one-paragraph explanation of research results, to appear on the association's website. The third required report is a budget summary, giving an accounting of how research funds were used. Final payment is given after the three reports are reviewed.
