About
The Orthopaedic Research Society (ORS) is a leading research society that has been supporting engineers, orthopaedic surgeons, biologists, veterinarians, and clinicians for 70 years in pursuit of a world without musculoskeletal limitations. The organization brings together the best researchers and surgeons globally, providing a community to share new research findings, discuss ideas, and collaborate in innovative ways. ORS offers programs that teach, mentor, and encourage members while inspiring them to advance the field of orthopaedic research.
Funding Opportunities
Fred Nelson Scientific Communication Award
The Fred Nelson Scientific Communication Award recognizes excellence in scientific communications in orthopaedic research. Named in memory of Fred Nelson, who was a tireless advocate for promoting the basic science research of the ORS for multiple decades and compiled more than 500 Basic Science Tips over several decades. The award honors ORS members who demonstrate proven records of scientific communication, defined as written or verbal communication of research results beyond the original work. This includes podcasts, interviews discussing publications, written summaries disseminated to the broader public, and social media dissemination that educates and engages broader audiences. The award emphasizes contributions made in the previous 3 years and evaluates nominees based on the quantity, clarity, and breadth of their scientific communication efforts. Recipients are recognized with a plaque presented at the ORS Annual Meeting.
Underrepresented in STEM Undergraduate Travel Award Program
The ORS Underrepresented in STEM Undergraduate Travel Award Program provides complimentary registration for up to two undergraduate students from participating institutions to attend the ORS Annual Meeting. The qualified students must currently be enrolled in an undergraduate program in a STEM major, have an interest in orthopaedic research and/or medicine, and should not have attended a past ORS Annual Meeting. The ideal candidate for this award must identify as a member of at least one underrepresented group in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math (STEM). This initiative is designed to help the next generation of musculoskeletal researchers from underrepresented backgrounds gain exposure to the orthopaedic research community and connect with established researchers in the field.
ORS Marshall R. Urist, MD Award
This $5,000 award honors an investigator who has a sustained ongoing body of focused research in tissue regeneration as it relates to the musculoskeletal system. The Marshall R. Urist, MD Award was created in 1996 and is currently sponsored by the Orthopaedic Research Society. This award recognizes an investigator in tissue regeneration research who has demonstrated sustained commitment to innovation, collaboration, and mentorship. The winner will present at the ORS Annual Meeting and receive a commemorative plaque. Nominees are evaluated on innovation, overall impact on the tissue regeneration field (including research and mentoring), collaborative nature, continued productivity, translational nature, and professionalism. The award is named after Dr. Marshall R. Urist, whose pioneering studies on bone induction and the identification of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) revolutionized orthopaedic medicine and helped establish the field of orthopaedic growth factor research.
ORS Meniscus Section Impact Award
The Meniscus Section presents the Impact Award to honor an established meniscus researcher in the ORS who demonstrates impactful meniscus research and impactful collaborations, mentorship, and innovation. The ORS Meniscus Section presents this award every other year to recognize an established meniscus researcher who has demonstrated impactful meniscus research and impactful collaborations, mentorship, and innovation. The awardee will be recognized at the Meniscus Section meeting at the Annual ORS Meeting with a custom commemorative plaque and will have the opportunity to provide an award acceptance address. Nominees will be evaluated by a sub-committee of the Meniscus Section executive committee based on the nomination criteria including impactful meniscus research, engagement in ORS Meniscus Section meeting, collegiality, collaboration, innovation, mentorship, and a commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Dr. Peter Roughley Award
The ORS Spine Section presents the Dr. Peter Roughley Award, named after the late Peter Roughley, PhD, who was well known for his seminal contributions to proteoglycan research and its role in both disc and cartilage structure and function. Dr. Roughley was particularly gifted in teaching and mentoring individuals, and was always willing to instruct and advise his fellow scientists. This award preserves his legacy of training future generations of scientists by sponsoring a trainee and mentor exchange to enhance a trainee's knowledge in spine, disc and cartilage biology. The award recognizes a team (mentor and trainee) and provides $2,000 to support the travel of the trainee. The purpose of this award is to enable trainees to expand their expertise and support network with a Mentor who complements the expertise of the Mentee's advisor/supervisor. The Mentee can visit a lab of a spine section member or a Mentor outside the spine section if well justified. Applications are submitted by a Mentee and Mentor team. The Mentee must attend the subsequent ORS Spine Section Scientific Meeting and present their experience to the Spine Section. A summary report of up to 500 words along with up to 4 photographs illustrating aspects of the mentor/mentee exchange are required, which must be submitted to the Spine Section within 6 weeks of completion of travel.
ORS Adele L. Boskey, PhD Award
This honorarium of $5,000 will go to a mid-career ORS member for outstanding and sustained commitment to mentorship, as well as a demonstrated track-record of an upward trajectory and impactful research program. Named for Adele L. Boskey, PhD, this award is annually given to a mid-career (between 10 and 20 years beyond their PhD, MD, DVM) ORS member in good standing who has made significant contributions to the mentorship of rising scientists, engineers, and/or clinician/scientists in the fields of orthopaedics and musculoskeletal science and engineering. Emphasis is given towards the awardee's sustained commitment to mentorship and activities that advance diversity and inclusive excellence in these fields. The awardee should have also made significant research contributions and have demonstrated leadership or capacity for leadership in the field. This award is given in recognition of Dr. Boskey's pioneering and seminal research contributions, her sustained commitment to mentorship throughout her decades-long career, and to the legacy of orthopaedic clinician/scientists, biologists, and engineering researchers and leaders that she launched. The Award is sponsored by the Orthopaedic Research Society.
ORS/OREF Distinguished Investigator Award
The ORS/OREF Distinguished Investigator Award was established in 2009 by the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation (OREF) and the Orthopaedic Research Society (ORS) to honor an individual who has significantly contributed to the field of orthopaedic research, to the ORS, and the OREF through their outstanding scientific achievements and their commitment of time and service. This prestigious award recognizes individuals with long-standing, productive careers in orthopaedic research who have demonstrated exceptional leadership and mentorship in the field. The award selection is based on multiple criteria including significant contributions to orthopaedic research, demonstration of leadership and mentorship, significant career achievement with a record of innovative research, service to the ORS and OREF, and demonstrated professionalism. Nominees must be Established Members of the ORS. A review team comprised of five individuals, including the most recent award honoree, representatives of the OREF Research Grant Committee, and representatives from the ORS Awards and Recognition Committee, evaluates all nominations. Nominations require submission of the nominee's NIH Biosketch, a letter of recommendation, and a statement of service to ORS and OREF. Self-nominations and nominations from the review team are not accepted. Since its inception in 2009, this award has recognized distinguished researchers including Carl T. Brighton, Henry J. Mankin, Joseph Buckwalter, and many other leaders in orthopaedic research.
ORS ISFR Interdisciplinary Academic Exchange Grant
The ORS International Section of Fracture Repair (ISFR) Interdisciplinary Academic Exchange Grant supports research collaboration, expands section membership and fosters diversity by cultivating a rewarding section membership experience through networking, career development, and competitive grants/awards. This grant funds an ORS ISFR member to visit a research lab for the purpose of collaboration and knowledge exchange in the areas of fracture repair and/or bone regeneration research and to facilitate the exchange of new research methodologies and techniques. The application is peer-reviewed by the multi-disciplinary ISFR Awards Committee. The period of exchange is expected to be a minimum of 2 weeks and may spread over more than 1 visit, with support for longer periods also welcomed. The funds can be used towards travel, accommodation, and living costs for the investigator to visit research institutions to foster collaboration in fracture repair and/or bone regeneration areas.
ORS ISFR Lifetime Achievement Award
The ORS International Section of Fracture Repair (ISFR) Lifetime Achievement Award proudly honors highly accomplished individuals who have throughout their career demonstrated and promoted the highest values of the ORS ISFR including collaboration, diversity, mentorship, innovation, and scientific excellence in their leadership, service, education, and professional relationships. This prestigious award honors an investigator who has established themselves as a cutting-edge researcher and/or clinician scientist in the areas of fracture repair, bone regeneration, bone biology, or trauma. The award recognizes individuals who have made substantive impact on the field through scientific excellence, clinical advancement, mentoring, innovation, collaborative work at national and international levels, and engagement in fostering diversity and inclusion. Recipients are selected by a committee consisting of ORS ISFR members and approved by the ORS ISFR Officers.
ON/ORS Education Grants
The ON/ORS Education Grants program provides $500 education grants to highly motivated and talented early career investigators to attend the ORS Annual Meeting. This funding opportunity is a collaboration between the Orthopaedic Research Society (ORS) and the ON Foundation, supporting researchers within five years of graduation who have a strong interest in orthoregeneration, with translational work preferred. Recipients must have a track record in orthoregenerational research and must not have previously benefited from a similar ON/ORS support program. As a condition of the award, recipients must register for the ORS Annual Meeting and either write two social media posts highlighting their experience while tagging ON and ORS, or define a new term for the ON Glossary. The grant aims to support early career investigators in attending this important annual conference to advance their knowledge and networking in orthopaedic research.
ORS/RJOS Young Female Investigator Grant
This award from the Orthopaedic Research Society (ORS) and the Ruth Jackson Orthopaedic Society (RJOS) offers support to young female orthopaedic researchers. The grant provides $1,000 to cover travel expenses and free registration to the 2026 Annual Meetings of both societies. The collaboration between RJOS and ORS aims to promote and support young female investigators in the field of orthopaedic research, representing the synergy of female leadership in inspiring the younger generation of women in the field. The award recipient must attend both the ORS 2026 Annual Meeting and the 2026 RJOS Annual Meeting, where they will present their original work. The abstract submitted must be original work with the candidate as first author, and should score in the top 5% of submitted abstracts.
ORS New Investigator Recognition Awards
The ORS New Investigator Recognition Awards (NIRA) is a prestigious recognition program for early-career researchers in orthopaedic research. A group of finalists are selected to present both a podium presentation and poster session at the ORS Annual Meeting. The final award recipients are selected based upon the quality of the presentation and material. This award is designed to recognize excellence in research among new investigators who have completed their residency or PhD within the past 5 years. Finalists present their work at the annual meeting and are interviewed by the NIRA committee. The award provides recognition and visibility for emerging researchers in the orthopaedic field, with winners being announced and honored at the ORS Annual Meeting.
Stryker | ORS Women's Research Fellowship
The Stryker | ORS Women's Research Fellowship offers support of up to $60,000 to promote women in science. This is an opportunity for an ORS member who identifies as a woman or as gender non-conforming (non-binary, gender fluid, etc.). The award winner should be a recent PhD recipient (within the last four years) in science or engineering, a full time post-doctoral fellow, and should be conducting translational orthopaedic research with an experienced research advisor. Translational research is defined as research with a clearly articulated vision of how it can lead to improved musculoskeletal health of individuals. The Fellowship will be offered for one year with an award amount up to $60,000 per year for direct costs. Indirect costs are not allowed. The fellowship is not intended to provide a full-time salary, but up to 25% is acceptable. For postdoctoral fellows, costs associated with tuition and fees are allowable only if they are required for specific courses in support of the research training. At the time of Fellowship, individuals are required to pursue their research training on a full-time basis, normally defined as 40 hours per week. Recipients are expected to interact with Stryker personnel including on‐site meetings and at least two presentations on research progress. Recipients will also submit an ORS abstract to present a poster at the annual meeting and, if selected, a podium presentation as well. Two awards are allowed per person per lifetime.
At a Glance
- Total Funding Opportunities
- 15
- Active Now
- 13
- Source Domain
- ors.org
Catalog Data
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