COVID-19 Update: 

Dear Grant Applicants and Recipients,

COVID-19 has clearly brought unprecedented and significant challenges to our healthcare systems and communities. At Boston Scientific, our priority is to protect and aid the health and safety of our employees, the medical professionals we serve, and their patients. Right now, that means finding new and creative ways to support the frontline healthcare workers as they tirelessly battle the COVID-19 pandemic. It also means doing everything we can as a company to ensure the financial viability of our business so we can continue to deliver meaningful innovations that will help to improve patient care for years to come. 

If you’re interested in learning more about Boston Scientific’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, please visit our website.

Our Boston Scientific Urology and Pelvic Health team will continue to explore ways to support the field of urology and pelvic health through ongoing collaboration with our national society partners. However, given the wide-ranging impact of COVID-19, we are significantly reducing Boston Scientific-led educational programs and third-party programs for the remainder of 2020. Third-party programs will be affected as follows:

Educational Grants
Boston Scientific’s Research & Education Committee does not intend to review existing grant applications or accept new applications until Q4 2020. If you previously submitted a grant application, you are invited to reapply in Q4 of 2020 for funding consideration in 2021. If Boston Scientific has already agreed to fund your program in 2020 and you have not yet postponed or canceled, please reach out to us at urophgrants@bsci.com so we can discuss the best path forward. 

Fellowship Grants
Based on our current understanding of the circumstances at this time, we anticipate funding for the 2020-2021 academic year to move forward as planned, as long as the program is not being changed. Please e-mail urophgrants@bsci.com with the noted changes to your program for further review. 2021-2022 academic year applications will still be accepted for review in November. Please plan to submit your application by October 16, 2020.

Investigator-Sponsored Research (ISR) Grants
New ISR applications can still be submitted, however, we do not intend to complete review of new ISR applications until Q4 2020 for funding in 2021. Any ISR funding decisions that are currently in process will also be deferred to Q4 for funding in 2021. Funding for newly approved applications will be deferred to 2021.

Additional Considerations
The Committee does not intend to review any third-party program grants in 2020 for exhibits and local or regional professional organization memberships and/or fees. Where possible, and on a case by case basis, we will consider charitable donations, indigent care donations, and humanitarian product donations.

These were very challenging but necessary decisions. We recognize that these programs are a critical part of how we collectively advance the field of urology, radiation oncology, urogynecology and our shared mission of improving patient care. If the COVID-19 crisis begins to improve earlier than anticipated, we will certainly re-evaluate these decisions and reach out with any changes.

Please share this information with others at your institution as appropriate. 

We are committed to supporting you the best we can in this current environment so that we can emerge from this challenging time stronger, together. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Sincerely,

Meghan Scanlon and Ronald Morton, MD