IASP John J. Bonica Trainee Fellowship

Guidelines for the Online Grant Application

Important Dates

Application submissions will close May 9, 2018. IASP will announce the grant award by August 2018 and will disburse the first part of funding (50%) upon receipt of proof of Ph.D. completion and satisfactory execution of the grant agreement between IASP and the mentor’s institution.

About the Grant

The John J. Bonica Trainee Fellowship was established in 1998 in memory of the founder of IASP to support training in all aspects of pain research. The grant will be equivalent to a year's salary and benefits for a person of the trainee's qualifications at the selected institution, up to a maximum of $50,000 per year for two years. The grant may not be used for indirect costs or for the purchase of supplies or equipment, including travel costs. Applications will be reviewed by the IASP Fellowships, Grants, and Awards Working Group.

General Information about the Application

Completed applications must be submitted via the online application system in English and include all required documents. The deadline for submission is 11:59 p.m. Eastern U.S. Time on May 9, 2017. Additional instructions appear below.

For questions regarding the fellowship application, email IASP at or call +1-202-524-5300.

The Application

Title Applicant must provide a concise title for the proposed project.

Applicant In this section, an applicant must provide contact information, including IASP member number.

Education History Each applicant must provide information on all relevant degrees, institutes, and dates of graduation, starting with the most recent.

Mentor Applicant will need to provide information related to the proposed mentor: her/his first and last name, professional degree, IASP member number, proposed location of training (name of institute), proposed country of training, and proposed dates of training.

Summary-ProjectIn 200 words or less, an applicant must provide a summary of the importance of the problem addressed, the critical aspects of the training to be obtained, and the ways the research and training will be used to achieve the long-term goals.

Summary-Mentor In 200 words or less, an applicant must explain why they chose the proposed mentor.

Summary-Training In 200 words or less, an applicant must describe the applicability of the training to his/her future career.

Description of Project An applicant must upload a description of the project they intend to conduct andinclude justification of the project, methods, and whether the proposed experiments will generate interpretable results. The Word document should not exceed three pages, 11 pt. font, and ½ inch (1.27 cm) margins. References should be included in that three-page maximum.

Letters of Recommendation Applicants must provide at least two letters of recommendation from IASP members, in addition to the proposed mentor’s letter. In order to request these recommendations, an applicant must follow these steps:

  • Step 1: Applicant starts the online application by entering the “Applicant” information requested in section 2.
  • Step 2: Applicant requests Letters of Recommendation.To request Letters of Recommendation in the application system,visit the main menu and select “Add or Edit Recommendations.”Enter all required information for each recommender. You must select “Add Personal Message & Submit Now” to finalize and send your recommendation request. A recommender will receive an email from with the link to upload the recommendation letter.
  • Step 3: Applicant will receive an email notification from when each requested letter is uploaded to her/his application.
  • Step 4: Applicant submits final application.Afterall letters are submitted, an applicant must log into the system and select “Create or Edit Application” in order to submit the final application.

Attachments In this section, applicant must upload the following documents into the online system:

Trainee Curriculum Vitae, using the IASP template available in the online application system.

Mentor Curriculum Vitae, using the IASP template available in the online application system.

Mentor Letter, including the following information from the mentor:

  • agreement to be the trainee's mentor;
  • confirmation that he or she has sufficient time and resources to support the training;
  • a statement that he or she has not served as a mentor for the John J. Bonica Trainee Fellowship in the past three years;
  • information about the usual stipend amount for equivalent-level trainees at the mentor's laboratory, including any necessary health insurance;
  • confirmation that the mentor's institution is a nonprofit or governmental institution, agreement to accept a grant for payment of salary and benefits only, and a statement that it will not charge indirect costs (overhead and handling fees) to IASP.

Final Information Applicants must check the e-signature box and provide the full name.

NOTE: An applicant may save a draft of the online application. Upon submission, an applicant will receive an email confirmation. Once submitted, applications cannot be edited or deleted.