Research Proposals

2026 Round now closed

HOW CAN I APPLY?

1. Please take a moment to watch a video tutorial (available in English, Spanish or Portuguese) on how to prepare a high quality research proposal. You may also refer to the text version of the video tutorial below. 
The video tutorials below were recorded for a previous application round. While the guidance on preparing a research proposal remains valid, the dates have been updated for the current round. For the 2026 round, the application deadline is 15 April, and applicants will be notified of the results in August.

For any questions, please contact Ana Clara Paiva - [email protected]


Video Tutorial- English   Videotutorial- Español   Vídeo tutorial - Português 

Text Tutorial- English      Texto Tutorial- Español  Tutorial de texto - Português 

Application Questions (Reference Document)
A reference document listing the questions included in the IPA Research Grants application form is available for download below. This document is provided to help applicants prepare their proposals in advance. Applications must be submitted through the official online submission system. Download the Application Questions (PDF)

2. Upload the application form along with the requested supporting documents via the electronic submission platform:


WHO MAY APPLY?
Proposals are welcome from all psychoanalytic researchers. However, the researcher must be affiliated with an organisation capable of administering any grant (also known as a Responsible Authority) that is awarded.

LANGUAGES
We are pleased to confirm that applicants may submit proposals in English or Spanish.

WHAT TYPES OF RESEARCH ARE FUNDED? 
We support psychoanalytical research of all kinds including clinical, experimental, conceptual and applied research. The several forms of psychoanalytic research are evaluated without prejudice regarding the type of research. We also fund research on a wide range of topics. The major requirement is that the research expand psychoanalytic knowledge. Research proposals must be clearly related to psychoanalysis and all proposals must be accompanied by an explicit statement of how the research contributes to psychoanalytic knowledge.
Although not a requirement, we will give special consideration to quantitative research proposals.

Proposals will be reviewed by psychoanalysts who are not necessarily trained in specific research methodologies. For that reason, research proposals should be written in a form that is comprehensible to psychoanalytic readers, with key concepts, methods, and analytic procedures clearly explained rather than assumed. Applicants should take care to explain technical terms and subjects in a manner comprehensible to psychoanalytic readers. Referring to a school of philosophy or a statistical test by name alone will greatly weaken a proposal. Explaining what a technical approach is and why it is appropriate to the question under the study strengthens the proposal. 
WHAT ARE THE CURRENT IPA PRIORITIES?

Your research should support the following priorities: 

  • The IPA will actively encourage the promotion of psychoanalysis as a method of treatment and as a complex and pluralistic set of evolving theories about the mind and culture to strengthen psychoanalysis, psychoanalytic training and psychoanalytic ideas across the world. Additionally, the IPA assists Societies and individual members to better develop their psychoanalytic identities, practices, professional activities, and contributions to the communities in which they live.

  • The IPA will foster and enhance its members’ sense of participation and belonging to an international psychoanalytic organization and community of other analysts worldwide. The IPA achieves this through its many activities, including regional and inter-regional dialogues, communication and exchanges, which uses both traditional and modern technologies. 

  • The IPA will focus its attention on ensuring the vitality, uncompromising ethical standards, and excellence of psychoanalytic training, training standards, and continuing professional development of both existing and emerging component societies. The IPA will place its priority on preserving and enhancing the quality of psychoanalytic thinking, treatment, practice, and training in their diverse areas of interest and application whenever and wherever they are attempted.


TELEANALYSIS: Note: A new and current priority of the IPA is to study the process of teleanalysis (psychoanalysis via telehealth technology). We welcome high quality research proposals designed to promote psychoanalytic knowledge about teleanalysis. Ideally, these will be methodologically sound that do more than survey opinions on the subject. Please note that even if your research is not related to teleanalysis, we still welcome and encourage your research proposal.


WHAT FUNDING MAY I APPLY FOR?

IPA Grant procedures do not allow for the funding of overhead or indirect costs such as the purchase of normal office equipment. This includes standard personal computers (PCs), laptops, software, and peripherals unless there are exceptional circumstances. The Responsible Authority, Principal Investigator, or those working on the project are expected to provide such equipment.
Travel directly relevant to the research may be requested, including travel necessary for data collection, fieldwork, research training essential to the methodology, or dissemination of research findings.
Applicants should note that costs related primarily to travel, conference attendance, publication, or dissemination are often partially funded, depending on the overall balance of the proposal and available funds.
All requested costs should be clearly justified in relation to the conduct and analysis of the research, and, where applicable, applicants should explain how such costs contribute to the advancement of psychoanalytic research, whether through the applicant’s own work or by supporting the wider development of the field.

HOW MUCH MAY I APPLY FOR?
Grants are typically awarded in amounts of $10,000 or less. The maximum permitted request is $20,000. We therefore fund proposals that can make significant use of limited funds. Examples of such proposals include pilot studies, seed or partial funding for larger studies, or clearly defined phases of a broader research programme. 

WHAT IS IRB APPROVAL, AND DO I NEED IT BEFORE I APPLY? 
IRB refers to an Institutional Review Board or equivalent ethics committee. Requirements vary depending on the nature of the research and institutional standards. Studies involving human participants, interviews, or unpublished clinical material typically require ethical review or formal exemption.
IRB approval is not necessary prior to proposal submission; however, applicants must provide documentation showing that ethical review has been applied for, where applicable. Final funding is contingent on receipt of appropriate approval or exemption documentation.
 
THE SMALL GRANTS PROGRAMME
The Small Grant Programme is available only to IPA Candidates and IPA Members who are recent graduates (less than three years post-graduation). The usual award is limited to $2000 but awards of up to $5000 may be granted in unusual circumstance. These grants are intended primarily to help potential researchers in their development as investigators by supporting mentoring and research focused education. 

 

THE AWARDS PROCESS
Grants are awarded on a competitive basis. Available funds are distributed based on the relative merit of the proposal as determined by their satisfaction of the IPA Research Grant Subcommittee’s criteria with the strongest proposals funded first. Unfortunately, this means that many worthwhile proposals cannot be funded and that some good proposals will not be funded because other proposals were regarded as stronger by the committee.


FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS AND GENERAL CONDITIONS

If you have any questions or feedback, please email [email protected].
THE REVIEW PROCESS
Reviewers assess proposals on psychoanalytic significance, methodological clarity, feasibility, and the appropriateness of the requested budget in relation to the proposed research. Three reviewers will be allocated to each proposal that passes the initial screening. All reviews will be further evaluated by the IPA Research Grants Subcommittee for secondary, executive review and final funding decision. 

Applicants should be aware that due to budget constraints, the IPA is unable to fund many very worthwhile proposals. Even when we limit awards to the more outstanding proposals, our financial constraints frequently require that we award only a proportion of the amount of funds requested by each investigator.  Applicants should consider that no researcher has all their research proposals funded. Given the limited research funds and the limited focus of all granting agencies, researchers must expect from time to time that their proposals – even excellent ones – will not be funded.


CONFLICTS OF INTEREST 
Individual reviewers are asked to notify the IPA Research Grants Subcommittee of any potential conflict of interest for any proposal(s) they are allocated to review. 
If a conflict of interest is reported (such as the reviewer having a close relationship to the applicant or has direct involvement with the research proposal), the proposal will be re-allocated to a different reviewer. Past individual reviewers who are applicants as part of a current application round will automatically not qualify to participate as a reviewer in the round they have applied in.

Procedure for IPA Research Grant subcommittee members linked to grant applications:  To avoid conflicts of interest when IPA Research Grant Subcommittee members are linked any IPA research grant proposals, we have implemented the following procedures:

A. IPA Research Grants Subcommittee members must alert the Chair of the subcommittee if they are linked to the development of any research study that will be submitted for grant consideration.

B. Research proposals that are linked to a research grants subcommittee member may still be submitted for grant consideration under the following circumstances:
  1. The research grants subcommittee member may not be involved in the research proposal application process; this includes not assisting with the responses to application questions. During these instances, the subcommittee member will be asked to sign a form confirming they will not be involved in the application process. 
  2. The research grants subcommittee member will not be allowed to score, vote, or provide feedback on the research proposal they are linked to, If said research proposal makes it to the final round of deliberation for grant consideration, the subcommittee member will be required to excuse themselves from this decision-making stage in relation to that specific application.
  3. When a research grants subcommittee member is linked to one or more research proposals, the subcommittee member will be permitted to score, vote on, and provide feedback on all other proposals in the final round. However, the subcommittee will arrange for there to be three (3) separate reviewers for any application which is to be reviewed by a subcommittee member who has indicated they have a link to any application in that year's round.
  4. It is permissible- indeed encouraged- for members of the research grants subcommittee to provide applicants, prospective applicants, and the public at large with general information about the research grant application process and the criteria that will be used to evaluate research proposals. The research grant reviewer questions and the 1 to 5 evaluation scale according to which applicants' responses are rated will be made available to applicants. 

EXPECTATIONS OF GRANT RECIPIENTS AND RESPONSIBLE AUTHORITIES 
1. The Principal Investigator and Responsible Authority (organisation/institute/society administering the grant) must sign a Letter of Grant agreeing to the terms of the grant, including the general conditions detailed here. 

2. Provide IRB (ethical) approval before funds are distributed. We recommend recipients apply for ethical approval through the Institutional Review Board or Ethics Committee of their Responsible Authority. 

3. Provide reports to the IPA, including: 

  •  A technical/scientific report from the Principal Investigator that must be approved by the Research Committee Co-Chair responsible for the evaluation of research proposals. This report should be provided after one year and also after the completion of any project that been supported by the Fund, and should include a financial summary detailing how the grant was spent. The technical/scientific report will be published on the on the IPA website. If there are any restrictions regarding the IPA publication, please let us know in advance and preferably at the time of proposal.
  • A fiscal report from the Responsible Authority confirming that the expenditure detailed in the Principal Investigator's report is accurate, and plans to return funds not used for the specific purposes outlined in the Letter of Grant.
4. Acceptance of the grant entails a commitment to provide copies of any publications that may result from it following its termination and to respond to periodic inquiries from the IPA regarding developments that may have flowed from the grant.

5. The IPA wishes to ensure your research results are as widely disseminated as possible. For this reason, the IPA asks you to grant the IPA a non-exclusive licence to publish the results of your research on the IPA website and in other IPA publications and to enable the IPA to grant a licence to journals to publish it in any language . As the licence you grant to the IPA will be non-exclusive, you will retain the ownership of the copyright and the right to use the results of your research as you think fit. 

6. In accepting a grant, you agree to credit the IPA with having provided support for your research in any and all publications that derive in whole or in part from work done under the grant.

7. In accepting a grant you agree to inform the IPA of any presentation in any forum that result in whole or in part from work done under the grant.

8. Authors will be asked to inform the IPA if a paper contains matter (such as clinical material) which should not be published. In such cases, the IPA will always consult you and seek your agreement to any necessary changes prior to publication.

9. By applying for this grant, you agree to abide by the above requirements.