Apply for Research Grants in open competition
About Research Grants
The LEO Foundation will be closed from Friday 11 July to Wednesday 30 July 2025. During this period, we will not be able to respond to inquiries regarding funding opportunities and application processes. We appreciate your understanding and will address all messages as soon as possible. In the meantime, we encourage you to consult the application guide.
Research Grants are open competition grants given to support the best dermatology research projects worldwide.
We welcome applications for research projects that improve the understanding of the underlying medicinal, biological, chemical, or pharmacological mechanisms of dermatological diseases and their symptoms.
We also welcome applications for projects that address clinical issues among people who are at risk of developing, or have developed, a skin disease, including how it impacts their quality of life and the societal costs involved.
How to apply
The Research Grants in open competition program has three annual calls.
Please read the application guide for the full call text and further information about the eligibility criteria, evaluation process, and requirements for the content of the application.
Evaluation process
All submitted applications will be administratively screened for eligibility and mandatory requirements.
If approved as eligible, the applications will undergo external review by the Foundation’s Scientific Evaluation Commitee.
Based on this evaluation the LEO Foundation Board of Trustees will make the final decision, and applicants will be notified of the results.
Application deadlines
All calls close at 16:00 CET/CEST.
| Grant | Opens | Deadline | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Research Grants in open competition (round 1) |
13 Nov 2024 | 08 Jan 2025 | ||
To support the best dermatology research projects worldwide. It is important that the applicant carefully reads the application guide before initiating the application process, as this document contains the complete call as well as detailed instructions for the application process. DEADLINE: 8 January 2025 (16:00 CET) |
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Research Grants in open competition (round 2) |
05 Feb 2025 | 02 Apr 2025 | ||
To support the best dermatology research projects worldwide. It is important that the applicant carefully reads the application guide before initiating the application process, as this document contains the complete call as well as detailed instructions for the application process. DEADLINE: 2 April 2025 (16:00 CEST) |
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Research Grants in open competition (round 3) |
31 Jul 2025 | 11 Sep 2025 | ||
To support the best dermatology research projects worldwide. It is important that the applicant carefully reads the application guide before initiating the application process, as this document contains the complete call as well as detailed instructions for the application process. DEADLINE: 11 September 2025 (16:00 CEST) |
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Scientific Evaluation Committee
Scientific Evaluation Committee is an international panel of independent experts who evalute applications submitted for Research Grants in open competion.
Learn more about our committees.
| Committee member | Titles |
|---|---|
Christoph Schlapbach |
Professor, Inselspital, Universitätspital Bern (Switzerland) |
Dennis H. Murphree Jr. |
Senior Associate Consultant, PhD, Mayo Clinic, Department of Dermatology (USA) |
Emmanuella Guenova |
Associate Professor, M.D. PhD, University of Lausanne (Switzerland) |
Johann E. Gudjonsson |
MD, PhD, Arthur C. Curtis Professor of Skin Molecular Immunology Professor, Dermatology Frances and Kenneth Eisenberg Emerging Scholar, University of Michigan, Department of Dermatology (USA) |
Luigi Naldi |
Director, MD, Centro Studi GISED (Italy) |
Maria Kasper |
Associate Professor, Karolinska Institutet (Sweden) |
Nicole Ward |
Professor, Vanderbilt University Medical Center (USA) |
Niroshana Anandasabapathy |
Associate Professor, PhD. M.D., Weill Cornell Medicine (USA) |
Paola di Meglio |
Lecturer, King's College London (United Kingdom) |
Ryan Donnelly |
Professor, Queen's University Belfast, School of Pharmacy (United Kingdom) |
Shoba Amarnath |
Reader, Newcastle University, Biosciences Institute (United Kingdom) |
Tove Agner |
Professor, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital (Denmark) |
Meet a reviewer
Niroshana Anandasabapathy is Associate Professor at Weill Cornell Medicine, USA and a reviewer for the Scientific Evaluation Committee (SEC).
We do not support
Applications that are not submitted online, or applications that are not in compliance with our application requirements and guidance are not eligible for support.
Moreover, we do not support:
- Graduate students below PhD students and/or academic fees except PhD-tuition fees
- Administration or overhead costs exceeding 5%
- Participation in domestic meetings or courses
- Passive attendance at conferences
- Expenses incurred prior to making an application or obtaining a grant
- Research projects about skin cancer
- Research projects involving commercial companies
- Research projects involving drug testing for commercial purposes
- Applications from other foundations or associations, including patient organizations
