Grant and Funding Programs Offered by Organ Donation and Transplant Research Foundation of BC (ODTRF)

The Organ Donation and Transplant Research Foundation of BC (ODTRF), formerly the Transplant Research Foundation of BC, is a charitable foundation dedicated exclusively to funding peer‑reviewed research in organ donation and solid organ transplantation. Established in 1992 with support from BC Transplant, it focuses on projects that improve outcomes and quality of life for transplant recipients, living donors, donor families and caregivers, as well as the overall donation process.

ODTRF operates several complementary funding streams. Its flagship Venture Grant Program provides annual seed funding to BC‑based scientists for innovative basic, clinical and translational research in organ donation and transplantation. By partnering with the Canadian Donation and Transplantation Research Program (CDTRP), these Venture Grants are now integrated into a national innovation competition, giving local teams access to wider collaboration networks.

Alongside investigator‑led research, the foundation supports practice‑based and point‑of‑care projects. Through the Research Challenge, in partnership with Providence Health and the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute, ODTRF co‑funds micro‑grants for nursing and allied health staff to run patient‑oriented quality‑improvement and clinical practice studies, typically in the $8,000–$10,000 range. Team Grants, delivered with PHCRI and VCHRI, provide larger awards aimed at building research capacity and addressing patient‑identified priorities in post‑transplant care and organ donation practices.

ODTRF also administers or co‑sponsors thematic initiatives. The Astellas/ODTRF Clinical Research Grant program awarded multiple $50,000 grants for collaborative, patient‑focused clinical studies with national impact. The Addison Pediatric Transplant Research Project (Addison Fund) targets the specific needs of pediatric transplant recipients, supporting multi‑institutional projects on vaccines, immune monitoring, metabolism and long‑term outcomes in children.

Across its portfolio, ODTRF prioritizes projects that are innovative, patient‑centred and aligned with priorities expressed by transplant recipients, families and donor communities. Many programs require or strongly encourage structured engagement of patient, family and donor partners within research teams. Funded projects range from biomarker discovery and immune modulation strategies to improving consent processes, enhancing follow‑up care, and reducing the burden of immunosuppressive therapy.

The foundation regularly publishes impact and annual reports summarizing funded projects and outcomes for each fiscal year. These reports, together with lists of current and past grants, illustrate ODTRF’s role as a specialized funder in the Canadian transplant research ecosystem and its contribution to leveraging substantial external research funding for British Columbia and beyond.

Originally founded as the BC Transplant Research Foundation in 1992, ODTRF has evolved into what it describes as the only Canadian charitable foundation dedicated solely to organ donation and transplantation research. It is governed by a board of directors and advised by a scientific advisory committee that reviews proposals and helps ensure that limited funds are invested in high‑quality, peer‑reviewed projects with strong potential to improve clinical practice and long‑term survival for transplant patients.