Innovative research helps address emerging challenges and identify new trends in doping, new drugs, new delivery mechanisms and new methods of detection
Program Details
We promote and fund scientific research projects on these and other topics:
-
Development or optimization of analytical tools for the detection of doping substances or methods
- Growth of the Athlete Biological Passport (ABP)
- Pharmacology of prohibited substances or drug combinations
We prioritize projects with direct and imminent applicability (including human studies where relevant) in our efforts towards clean sport. Therefore, we rarely fund basic research projects. We encourage applicants to submit translational research beyond the discovery stage, and the proposed projects should aim for concrete deliverables by the end of the funding period.
New search tool for Funded Scientific Research Projects
Funded Scientific Research Projects
Since 2001, WADA has funded projects in the following areas:
- Compounds/Methods enhancing growth
- Compounds/Methods enhancing oxygen delivery
- Exogenous and endogenous anabolic steroids
- Detection of prohibited substances/methods: classic methodologies e.g. chromatographic, immunological and biochemical
- Gene and cellular technologies applied to sports
- Identification and detection of substances with doping potential
- Pharmacology of prohibited substances
2025 Call for Proposals
Consult the scientific research topics in the 2025 Call for proposals. Details about application and review processes are given in the application guidelines for scientific research grants. Applications have to be submitted through WADA Grants.
Expressions of Interest (EOIs) are accepted all year-round. EOIs will go through an initial review process prior to selected research teams being invited to submit a full application. Three cycles of EOIs and full applications review are scheduled annually, to correspond to WADA’s Executive Committee meetings, during which funding decisions are made.
Important deadlines for the 2025 Call are shown below.
Deadlines for the 2025 cycles:
Cycle |
Granting Year |
EOI submitted by |
EOI Decision |
Full Application submission |
Decision notice expected by |
#1 |
2025 |
30 September 2024 |
Mid-November 2024 |
13 December 2024 |
Mid-March 2025 |
#2 |
2025 |
28 February 2025 |
Early May 2025 |
30 May 2025 |
Mid-September 2025 |
#3 | 2025 | 4 July 2025 | Late August 2025 | 3 October 2025 | Mid-December 2025 |
As a reminder, deadlines for the 2024 cycles are also shown, as decisions on funding are still pending.
Deadlines for the 2024 cycles:
Cycle |
Granting Year |
EOI submitted by |
EOI Decision |
Full Application submission |
Decision notice expected by |
#1 |
2024 |
29 February 2024 |
Late April 2024 |
31 May 2024 |
October 2024 |
#2 |
2024 |
30 June 2024 |
Late August 2024 |
30 September 2024 |
January 2025 |
Members of WADA’s Science & Medicine Department hosted a webinar in November to provide a detailed explanation of the new process.
For further information, please contact our Science & Medicine Department.
Special Topics for Scientific Research Funding
To complement the annual call for proposals, WADA invites researchers to submit expressions of interest (EOI) throughout the year using the WADA Grants platform.
Open topics are listed here, with links to more detailed requests for applications where relevant.
Please take note that there are no open Special Topics at the moment
WADA is committed to funding research projects and adding to the knowledge base by publishing in peer reviewed journals.