Real-World Evidence & Computational Pathology Research Grant Program

The Digital Pathology Association is launching a research grant program to support rigorous, reproducible, implementation-oriented studies that help move digital and computational pathology from evidence generation into routine clinical adoption.

Each award provides up to $100,000 over two years ($50,000 per year), with second-year funding contingent on satisfactory first-year progress. Funding is intended to support real-world evidence that advances clinical implementation - not standalone algorithm development.

Award Frequency: One (1) grant will be awarded per two-year cycle.

Program Focus

The program supports original research with clear implementation value and measurable potential to accelerate adoption of digital and computational pathology in clinical settings.

• Standardization and reproducibility: staining and scanning harmonization, metadata standards, and image quality.
• Clinical workflow and interoperability: LIS, PACS, EHR integration, diagnostic efficiency, turnaround time, and remote diagnosis.
• Implementation-enabling AI and multimodal data: decision support, consistency, pathology-radiology integration, molecular/genomic data, and EHR data.
• Adoption readiness and access: validation, regulatory readiness, equity, scalability, resource-limited settings, bias, and patient/public engagement.

Priority will be given to studies that demonstrate a clear path to clinical implementation, reproducibility, interoperability, and broad adoption.

Eligibility

• Eligible applicants include multidisciplinary teams from academic medical centers, hospitals, clinical laboratories, universities, nonprofit research institutions, and community practice networks.
• The Principal Investigator (PI) must be a DPA member, hold an appropriate institutional appointment, and have relevant expertise, such as MD, DO, PhD, MD/PhD, or equivalent experience.
• International applicants are welcome if the PI is a DPA member and the lead institution can meet ethics, governance, contracting, and reporting requirements.
• Joint applications from two institutions are permitted if both institutions meet eligibility requirements.
• For-profit commercial entities may not serve as the Lead Institution or PI. Industry partners may participate only as fully disclosed collaborators or subcontractors and may not control study design, analysis, or publication.

Application Process

Applications will be reviewed through a two-stage process:

1. Letter of Intent (LOI): A summary that includes the project title, PI and institution, objectives, relevance, data sources, proposed approach, anticipated benefit, and dissemination plan.
2. Full Proposal: By invitation only; includes an abstract, lay summary, background, specific aims, methods, data governance plan, implementation approach, budget, biosketches, and letters of support.

Applications will be evaluated on:

• Scientific merit and rigor (25%)
• Clinical adoption and implementation impact (25%)
• Feasibility and team capability (20%)
• Real-world evidence and data quality (10%)
• Innovation (10%)
• Dissemination and mission alignment (10%)

Key Dates: Inaugural 2026 Cycle

Awardee Commitments

Awardees must meet dissemination and reporting requirements, including abstract submission to Pathology Visions in each active grant year, acknowledgment of DPA support in all publications, and open-access publication in reputable journals.

Year 2 funding requires satisfactory Year 1 progress and is not automatic.

Interested? Submit the LOI form by August 17, 2026. DPA member login required. 

Not a member? Click here to join our global community today! 

Questions? Contact mbain@digitalpathologyassociation.org.