The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has established a $2 million research program, it was announced Wednesday. USADA is the independent anti-doping agency for Olympic, Pan American and Paralympic sport in the United States.
“Prior to our annual $2 million commitment in anti-doping research, the most research dollars available in this country was $200,000, “says Dr. Larry Bowers, USADA’s Senior Managing Director for Technical and Information Resources. “The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has earmarked $5 million for research in 2001. On a annual recurring basis, the amount of research dollars has increased 70 times over what was available in the past.
“With these dollars, we have the opportunities to develop state-of-the-art testing, and hopefully between USADA and WADA, can move ahead of the athletes in the realm of anti-doping in sport.”
USADA has budgeted $2 million annually for support of research related to the deterrence of the use of performance-enhancing drugs in sports.
Within USADA’s mission of eliminating the use of prohibited performance-enhancing drugs and methods in sport, the following objectives have been identified:
- Development and validation of a method for detection of exogenous erythropoietin (EPO);
- Development and validation of a method for detection of exogenous growth hormone or its analogs;
- Development of improved methods for prolonged detection of synthetic anabolic steroids (e.g., new, longer lived metabolites);
- Improvement and validation of technology (e.g., carbon isotope ratio mass spectrometry) for identification of exogenous use of naturally produced steroids such as testosterone, androstenedione, etc.;
- Ethical considerations in athletic doping control.
The first step in applying for funding from the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) is to determine whether your proposal would fit within one of our current areas of focus as listed above. To apply, we ask that you submit a preliminary letter of inquiry, not a fully developed proposal. If your letter of inquiry is accepted, you will be invited to submit a complete application for the second stage of the process.
After stage two, a standing scientific review panel appointed by USADA reviews the proposal. This panel will help to prioritize all proposals under consideration to ensure that the funded grants are of both high quality and strategic with respect to USADA’s goals.
In general, USADA will give preference to applications from public institutions or institutions tax exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service Code.
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