What factors are considered in whether a project receives funding?

The following points apply to all proposals, and those that do not meet all listed points will not be considered for funding.

• Submitted proposals must start in the following calendar year. For example, proposals submitted during 2026 must plan to start on or after 1^st January 2027. 
• Proposals must, where applicable and appropriate, commit to sampling from both male and female cohorts or from female-only cohorts. Applications proposing to sample from male-only cohorts must provide adequate justification for why female cohorts will not be sampled from.
• All proposals must be submitted using the World Rugby Online Research Grant Portal.
• Applications must be made in English.

Research Funding Terms and Conditions

Before applying to World Rugby for research funding, please familiarise yourself with the Terms and Conditions. Applying to World Rugby for funding will be taken as acceptance of these terms and conditions.

World Rugby’s Scientific Committee adopt the following principles when reviewing research proposals:

Novelty and Impact

Proposals that introduce a novel idea or perspective that expands the topic area while also demonstrating a clear impact on player welfare best practice are looked upon more favourably in the review process. More specifically, proposals should clearly demonstrate the following characteristics:

• the project results in an outcome or outcomes that direct or inform decision making to improve player welfare;
• findings apply to the global rugby community and are not limited to localised issues or solutions; and
• findings should either contribute new knowledge or build on previous research;

Funding

• World Rugby can offer full or partial funding for a project.
• World Rugby will consider project cost along with other factors, such as the research impact, the strength of study methodology, and if the study sample demographic suits the questions being investigated.
• Funding amounts each year are not set, and the amount of funding awarded can change from year to year.
• There are no lower or upper limits for project costs, below or above which proposals will not be considered.
• World Rugby may approve funding for multiple years but will normally restrict funding to three years.
• Applicants should not request funding from World Rugby to cover the cost of office space, secretarial support, or administrative charges by institutions.
• Funding is not offered to cover conference attendance or open access journal fees.
• Costs covering staff time of research team members in full-time employment at the applicant organisation or organisations are not eligible to include in budget submissions 
• Applicants can request funding from World Rugby for graduate student, technician and research assistant salaries with adequate justification.

What types of projects are unlikely to receive funding?

The following projects will not be considered for funding unless initiated by World Rugby:

• Studies concerning Secondary Research, or that do not otherwise comprise Original Research
• Studies with little likelihood of actionable outcome
• Laboratory-based studies
• Standalone pilot studies
• Studies with little direct relation to Rugby Union
• Studies concerned with the creation of intellectual property, conceivably for private or commercial use
• Retrospective study designs, or studies where relevant data has already been captured
• Studies relying on in-match player monitoring device data (e.g. GPS, LPS, optical monitoring) unless devices have been validated
• Studies to develop new equipment
• Studies involving animal testing

What topic areas have been identified as priorities by World Rugby?

Details of priority research areas can be found here.

What stages does the funding application process involve?

To receive research funding, proposals must progress through three stages:

• Expression of Interest;
• Detailed Proposal; and
• Ethical Approval (not applicable in all cases)

Expression of Interest

The first step in the application process involves applicants submitting an expression of interest to World Rugby. The purpose of this stage is to introduce the proposed project, providing a concise but informative overview of the project in addition to it's grounding within the surrounding topic area and potential research impact. Completing the online template, the proposal requires:

• Project Title
• Project Summary (3000 characters)
• Summaries of:
  • what is already known about the topic area (400 characters)
  • how the project will expand on the topic area (400 characters)
  • How the findings will influence player welfare practice or policy in rugby union
• Name, relevant research expertise, and anticipated working commitment of research team members bearing the following responsibilities (each 200 characters):
  • Primary investigator
  • Study Design / Protocol / Data Collection
  • Statistical Analyses
  • Drafting Final Project Report
• Project Budget, including the amount(s) and source(s) of any external funding and the funding being sought from World Rugby
• Project Timeline, specifying the start and completion dates for the project

Finally, applicants must affirm that the project meets all specified criteria aligned with World Rugby's funding principles

Submitted expressions of interest will be screened for completeness and alignment with World Rugby's funding principles, and subsequently by World Rugby’s Scientific Committee to assess novelty, scientific rigour and research impact.

Detailed Proposal

Following review of expressions of interest, a selected number of applicants will be invited to submit a detailed proposal of their project. This proposal expands on the expression of interest and enables applicants to present a more comprehensive overview of their project for World Rugby’s Scientific Committee to review. Please note that the invitation to submit a detailed proposal does not guarantee a successful funding application.

Ethics Approval

For projects planning to use human participants, funding award is contingent upon the project receiving ethics approval from an Institutional Ethics Committee at the applicant’s institution or in the area where the research will be conducted (if away from the applicant’s institutional ethics committee jurisdiction).

It is not necessary to have attained research ethics approval when submitting an expression of interest or detailed proposal. However, funding award for approved projects will not be confirmed until the applicant can evidence confirmation of ethics approval and supply a copy of the study information and consent form if the study will include human participants. Where ethics approval is not required, the applicant must explain why in the project plan.

The World Rugby Institutional Ethics Committee (IEC) will not grant ethics approval for external projects.