WADA delays call for proposals for 2021 Social Science Research Grant Program to October

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announces that the Agency has delayed its call for proposals for its 2021 Social Science Research Grants Program (Program) by six months to October 2020 in order to better accommodate the academic community in light of COVID-19.

As reported to WADA’s Executive Committee (ExCo) in May 2020, WADA’s Education Department --  along with the Agency’s Social Science Review Panel and Education Committee -- took this decision primarily in response to feedback that researchers, which were awarded grants as part of the 2020 Program, are currently experiencing delays in starting their projects due to campus closures; restricted access to, and contact with, research subjects; and, in some cases, an inability to obtain the required authorization to finalize grant contracts.  The Agency will leverage this delay to further develop its Social Science Research Strategy (Strategy).

WADA Director of Education, Amanda Hudson, said: “As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have an impact around the globe, WADA has taken the decision to delay its call for proposals for its 2021 Social Science Research Grant Program to October 2020. We want to accommodate the challenges that researchers are confronting with the current situation; and, use this opportunity to further our Social Science Research Strategy; including by resetting our Program timelines to align with the global academic calendar, which should afford potential candidates a suitable amount of time to prepare their applications.”

“In this context, WADA encourages the academic community to engage in early dialogue with their respective Anti-Doping Organizations (ADOs) to identify social science research needs and prepare applications that partner with the anti-doping community. As the Agency continues to develop its Strategy, we will be keen to support greater collaboration between practitioners and academics to improve the integration of research outcomes into practice.”

Increasing and enhancing research-led anti-doping education remains one of WADA’s strategic priorities and, as such, this delay will have no financial impact on the Agency’s social science research budget.

In the meantime, WADA’s Strategy continues to be developed and will be submitted to the Agency’s ExCo meeting in November. It will provide guidance to researchers and ADOs for the overall direction of WADA’s social science research efforts for the coming four years; including, an articulation of the Agency’s research priorities.

For further information regarding the Social Science Research Grants Program, please visit the Social Science Research section on WADA’s website or contact the Agency’s Education Department at education@wada-ama.org.