The board of directors of the National Swimming Pool Foundation (NSPF) voted unanimously to allocate $812,500 in research grants for the year 2008-2009. The new budget matches the amount budgeted the previous year and represents an impressive 134% increase since year 2004. This budget includes the first $200,000 installment of a $1 million grant to Washington State University to help establish the National Aquatics and Sports Medicine Institute (NASMI).
The board has steadily approved substantial increases in the foundation’s research budget, based on the broad and growing acceptance of all NSPF educational products. Including the NASMI grant, the NSPF board of directors has approved to allocate over $4 million to research since 2004.
“Even challenging economic times do not diminish the need to build science, prevent pain, and encourage aquatics,” said P. Cory Willis, president. Bill Kent, chair of the grants review committee, added, “The precious research dollars we invest create a foundation for healthier lives and sustained growth for the aquatic field. We are fortunate to have prominent faculty investing their talents to benefit us all.”
“We are honored by the professionals who continue to select NSPF products in record numbers. Their payback is two-fold. First, they get the best educational programs. The icing on the cake is that NSPF gives back millions of research dollars to help ensure sustained growth,” observed Thomas M. Lachocki, Ph.D, CEO of NSPF. “There is no other program like it.”
The scientists who received grants last year, and many others, will present their findings at the fifth Annual World Aquatic Health Conference in Colorado Springs, Colo., Oct. 15 to 17, 2008. You can learn about what type of research will occur in 2008 and 2009 at the conference awards ceremony on Oct. 16, 2008.
NSPF accepts grant, scholarship and fellowship applications annually by June 1. The complete guidelines for applying may be found at www.nspf.org.
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