05 February 2024
EFIC-Grünenthal-Grant (E-G-G)
For two decades, this world-leading innovation grant has funded pioneering research. It supports early-career scientists and physicians to launch their professional journeys in pain research within member countries of the European Pain Federation EFIC®.
Grünenthal provides up to €110,000 of funding for this grant each year. Individual research grants worth a maximum of €50,000 are available for projects with a duration of up to two years. These grants are allocated by a sub-group of the EFIC® Working Group for Grants and Prizes. They directly target clinical and human experimental pain research, including innovative educational initiatives that improve pain diagnosis and treatment.
KEY STATS
- Approximately €1.8 million awarded since 2004.
- 70 projects successfully funded.
- 14 countries represented.
WHAT WE OFFER
- Funding for pioneering pain research.
- Freedom and independence for scientific projects.
- Exposure and publicity for early-career scientists.
- Networking opportunities across the pain research community.
HOW TO APPLY
Are you an early-career pain scientist? Apply for the E-G-G! The application process is fully online and all documents must be in English.
You will need:
- A research plan.
- A budget plan.
- Your CV.
- A letter of recommendation.
You can find further information on the EFIC® webpage.
KEY DATES
- 1 February, 2024: Application phase open.
- 2 September, 2024: Application phase closed.
- September to October 2024: Evaluation phase.
- January 2025: Announcement of winners.
Researchers who are passionate about broadening our understanding of pain and its pathophysiology are now encouraged to apply for the E-G-G 2025. The grant offers an exciting starting point for early-career innovators who want to launch their scientific career with powerful momentum.
MEET THE WINNERS
Get inspired by some of the people and projects that have successfully won an E-G-G grant! You will find videos and interviews in this special section…
Eleonora Maria Camerone
Italy
Unveiling the Impact of Expectations on Chronic Pain: An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study
Advances in computational pain research have shown that pain perception is influenced by both the magnitude and precision of expectations. Our project tests this model on chronic musculoskeletal pain patients. We use real-time assessments to investigate the temporal dynamics between momentary expectation (magnitude and precision) and pain perception. We expect that the interaction between the expectation and its level of precision will enable us to predict the pain intensity. If successful, this model for identifying pain fluctuations would facilitate precision medicine and enable individualised, timely strategies to break the feedback loop that maintains chronic pain.
Sampurna Chakrabarti
Germany
Phenotype-Driven Neuro-Proteomics to Identify Clinically Relevant Pain Targets
There is a clear need for new analgesic targets that translate successfully from rodent to human clinical trials. Our project aims to utilise a novel cell and phenotype-resolved approach to delineate the proteomic profile for defined human sensory neuronal subsets from healthy people and patients with chronic pain. The global and quantitative protein catalogue generated will represent a first-of-its-kind resource for identifying novel targets for chronic pain conditions.
Lieve Filbrich
Belgium
Multisensory Interactions in Pain: Uncovering Their Effect on the Motor System
Recent studies have shown that pain and nociceptive perception can be highly influenced by interactions with non-somatic stimuli, and vice versa. Our project aims to examine the potential functional role of multisensory perceptual effects in pain. It will investigate their relationship with the motor system in surrogate models of persistent pain, while also seeking to characterise potential maladaptive processes in this relationship for chronic pain patients. Overall, this project aims to contribute to a mechanism-based understanding of motor difficulties in clinical pain.
