Research Grant - RiGRa

Research Grant (RiGRa)

The RiGra (RiMS Grant Programme) was established to promote excellence and collaboration in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) rehabilitation across Europe. The programme supports projects that aim to advance best practices and research in MS care, encouraging cross-border collaboration and innovation among members of the RiMS community.

Funding

The RiMS Grant is co-funded by the Italian and Danish MS Society.

Who can apply?

• Applicants must be a RiMS member (either individual or center-level) at the time of submission.
• Submissions must be made electronically (via email) before the announced deadline.
• The grant is available for Early Career Researchers (ECRs) and Early Career Healthcare Professionals (ECHPs).
  • ECRs are defined as those who have not had more than 8 years since their highest degree.
  • ECHPs who are eligible include any professional group involved in rehabilitation and who have not been working in their current profession for more than 8 years.
• Previous RiGra recipients may apply again, provided that their previous RiGra-funded project has been fully completed and all associated requirements and deliverables have been fulfilled.

Preferred Criteria

• Projects involving multi-center and international collaboration, especially between at least two RIMS centers in different countries.

Judging Criteria

• Clear feasibility and achievable outcomes with the funding provided.
• High relevance to RiMS’ mission and objectives.
• Detailed and transparent budget.

Grant amount

The total amount of the grant is €20 000. Details on the payment schedule can be found below.

How to apply?

Complete the submission form and send back to secretariat@rehabinms.org. 

RiGra 2027 - Applications open

Timeline

• 5 October 2026: Applications open
• 31 December 2026: Deadline for sending in applications
• 1 March 2027: Review of applications (min. 2 reviewers per application) and Executive Board decision
• 5 March 2027: Approval/rejection letters sent
• 1 June 2027: Start of RiGra and first payment*
• 31 May 2029: Deadline to send in results and final payment
• June 2029: Presentation of the results at the RiMS General Assembly

📢 Take a look at the winner from 2026 and discover what made their project stand out in this article.

Evaluation Criteria

Reviewers are asked to evaluate the following criteria.

• The issue addressed is relevant to the RiMS (e.g. pertinence and importance of the topic, advancements of scientific knowledge)
• The hypothesis is clearly stated
• The proposal is original (e.g. new concepts, approaches, methodologies)
• The abstract is sufficiently informative (i.e. gives a clear view of the aims and methods of the proposal)
• The research design is suitable
• The methods are described specifically enough to be evaluated
• The analysis plan is reported and suitable
• The proposal is feasible (i.e. likelihood of success in the time proposed)
• The budget sufficiently detailed and justified
• The applicant is qualified to carry out this project, his/her level of experience and background are adequate for the project and the institutional facilities are adequate
• There is a good integration in the activity of the various investigators/ centers

*Payment

Once notified of the acceptance, RiMS requests a formal commitment letter from the winner.  This letter should include if yes/no an ethics committee needs to be installed.

Then, RiMS will initiate the payment schedule as follows:

1. €17,000 following the Assignment Letter

If approval from the ethics committee is required, the first payment will be €5,000, and the remaining €12,000 following submission of this approval to the RiMS Secretariat.  

    2. €3,000 following submission of the final report to the RiMS Secretariat to secretariat@rehabinms.org (template

         will be shared).  

History of RiMS Grant Programme (RiGRa)

2026
— Zuhal Abasiyanik  & Felipe Balistieri Santinelli, Hasselt University, Belgium
Development of a patient-reported outcome measure for high-level motor capacity in multiple sclerosis. 

2025
— Blanca de Dios Perez, University of Nottingham
Measuring value in MS rehabilitation: a comprehensive evaluation framework

2022
— Philipp Zimmer, TU Dortmund University, Germany
Mechanistic Insights Into Exercise-related Kynurenine Pathway Modulation in Multiple Sclerosis

2021
— Zuhal Abasıyanık, REVAL Hasselt University, Belgium & Dokuz Eylül University, Izmir, Turkey
Psychometric properties of patient-reported questionnaires assessing dual-task difficulties in daily life in persons with MS: an international multi-center study

2019
— Anne Rahn, University of Lübeck, Germany
Needs of people with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (NIPS) – a cross-cultural study

2018
— Giovannetti Ambra
A cross-country validation of the Comprehensive assessment of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy processes (CompACT) for its use with people with multiple sclerosis – “CompACT for MS”

2017
— Ruhaak Leonie
Prevalence, features and underlying causes of dysarthria in Multiple Sclerosis: a systematic review