Research Grants

The Community Innovation Award celebrates community-based surgeons and research studies dedicated to improving patient care or musculoskeletal health in their communities. This program fills a gap in the research landscape in Canada, encouraging community orthopaedic researchers to bring their research ideas to fruition.

The CORL fund was founded in 2006 to help ensure Canada’s world-class status in orthopaedic research; thereby ensuring orthopaedic patients reap the reward of new techniques and treatments made possible through research grants from this program.

In collaboration with the Canadian Shoulder and Elbow Society, the Canadian Orthopaedic Foundation established the CSES Research Grant to support and encourage orthopaedic surgeons to conduct collaborative shoulder or elbow research.

The premier award for orthopaedic research in Canada, the J. Édouard Samson Award, recognizes the best career orthopaedic research over a period of five years or more at a Canadian centre.

The Robin Richards Award for Upper Extremity Research recognizes the best upper extremity paper presented at the Canadian Orthopaedic Association annual meeting.

In 2023, the Canadian Orthopaedic Foundation launched an initiative to drive more research funding to Canadian researchers through global competition.  As a national charity, the Foundation is ideally positioned to match Canadian research talent with global needs as identified with our Industry Partners.  Our TEAM CANADA brings our top talent into the global competition for research funding... and we are winning.

When funding allows, the Foundation grants special named research awards. Three of these are the Carroll A. Laurin award, recognizing excellence in clinical research; the Robert B. Salter award, recognizing excellence in basic science research; and the Cy Frank award, recognizing excellence in research innovation.  In addition, one of the successful applications in the research competition may be chosen to receive the Alexandra Kirkley Young Investigator Award recognizing outstanding research by a young (less than 40 years of age) investigator.In addition to the above, the Foundation also supports a wide variety of other educational initiatives for bone and joint health.

The Bones and Phones Legacy Scholarship Fund was established to recognize orthopaedic residents who have demonstrated commitment and contribution to enhancing musculoskeletal health in their community, or abroad, beyond that which would be expected during their residency training period.

In partnership with Dr. Thomas V. Smallman and the COA Basic Science Course, the Canadian Orthopaedic Foundation established the COA Basic Science Course Scholarship to create an incentive for orthopaedic residents to benefit from the process of analyzing, and preparing for presentation, the relevant aspects of a challenging clinical case.

In 1982 the Canadian Orthopaedic Association (COA) received an offer from one of its members, Dr. Igor Bitenc, to sponsor an annual travelling fellowship for a young orthopaedic surgeon from the then Yugoslavia. The Fellowship, named in memory of Dr. Bitenc’s late mother, Mrs. Anica Bitenc, is funded by an annual endowment from Dr. Bitenc and managed by the Canadian Orthopaedic Association. ​

Dr. R.I. Harris significantly contributed to and shaped orthopaedics in Canada, and following his passing in 1966 the Foundation wished to honour his legacy by establishing a lecture session at the Canadian Orthopaedic Association’s (COA) Annual Meeting. The lectureship creates an opportunity for Canadian surgeons to meet and learn from distinguished guest lecturers from around the world.

An outstanding researcher, teacher and orthopaedic surgeon, Dr. Ian Macnab contributed significantly to orthopaedics in Canada. Following his passing in 1992, an educational lectureship was named in his honour, with the first lecture delivered by Dr. E.H. Simmons in 1994.

As funding allows, individual community grants are awarded in support of our mission: to achieve excellence in bone & joint health and mobility by advancing musculoskeletal research, education and care.