The NRS is currently accepting applications for funding from its research grants program, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2025. Supported exclusively by individual donations from rosacea sufferers, the NRS research grants program has awarded more than $1.7 million to support 78 studies since 2000, with the goal of increasing knowledge and understanding of the potential causes and other key aspects of rosacea that may lead to improvements in its treatment, prevention and potential cure.
“This important program has fostered dramatic advances in the understanding of the disease process, which have provided an essential foundation for developing improvements in treatment,” said Dr. Richard Gallo, chairman of dermatology at the University of California-San Diego and a member of the NRS Medical Advisory Board, which selects studies for funding. “Thanks to NRS-funded research, dermatologists now have a much better understanding of rosacea, and a growing array of innovative therapies are now available to treat and potentially fully eliminate its signs and symptoms.”
The Society awards grants of up to $25,000, or more in special cases, for research on rosacea. Because the cause of rosacea is unknown, high priority is given to research in such areas as the pathogenesis, progression, mechanism of action, cell biology and potential genetic factors. Studies may also be funded in such areas as epidemiology, predisposition, quality of life and associations with environmental and lifestyle factors.
The deadline for submitting proposals to receive a research grant is July 1, 2025. Researchers interested in applying for grants may obtain forms and instructions through the research grants section of the NRS website, rosacea.org. Rosacea patients can donate to support the program anytime throughout the year.
“As funding sources become more scarce, the NRS research grants program offers an increasingly important resource for basic researchers in dermatology,” Dr. Gallo said. “In particular, it should encourage those early in their careers to take advantage of this opportunity to make significant contributions to the body of research into this widespread but often overlooked disease.”