Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation

What Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation does

The Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation (OREF) is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1955 and headquartered in Rosemont, Illinois. Its core function is grant-making and award administration in support of musculoskeletal (MSK) research, serving U.S.-based orthopaedic residents, early-career investigators, and mid-career clinician-scientists across all orthopaedic subspecialties (spine, biologics, foot & ankle, hip & knee, sports medicine, trauma, oncology, and shoulder). OREF does not develop proprietary technology; instead, it operates a portfolio of competitive grants ranging from $5,000 Resident Research Project Grants to $300,000 three-year Career Development Grants, alongside co-branded programs with AAOS, ORS, ASES, MSTS, AANA Foundation, MTF Biologics, and the J. Robert Gladden Orthopaedic Society.

OREF's revenue model is donor-funded: it raises contributions from individual donors, corporate partners (Stryker, Zimmer Biomet), and other foundations (Aircast Foundation, Zimmer Biomet Foundation), and has secured government co-funding via the Department of Defense and MTEC. Grant applications are accepted exclusively through the proposalCENTRAL platform, with programs promoted via the OREF website, email newsletter, OREF TV, social media, the annual AAOS meeting, and six regional Resident Research Symposia culminating in a national championship. In 2022, OREF awarded more than $1.2 million in research grants plus $75,000 in research-education support.

Recent strategic expansion has moved OREF beyond traditional grant-making into commercialization via the May 2024 Orizon Fund partnership and into military medicine research through a $2 million October 2023 OREF/MTEC/DOD award. The foundation employs 11-50 staff, is governed by a Board of Trustees that includes senior industry leadership (e.g., Zimmer Biomet's CEO Ivan Tornos), and demonstrates measurable downstream impact: OREF Career Development Grant recipients have a 48.4% subsequent NIH funding success rate, and 17 of 23 such recipients from 2000-2019 subsequently secured 35 NIH R01 grants totaling $92 million.

Name

Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation

Legal name

Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation

Website

https://oref.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1955

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

OREF is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1955 that funds U.S. orthopaedic research through competitive grants ($5K-$300K) and awards, serving residents, early-career investigators, and clinician-scientists across all musculoskeletal subspecialties via donor and corporate-partner contributions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Medical Research Grants

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

Keywords

• Orthopaedic research grants
• Musculoskeletal research funding
• Medical research grants
• Nonprofit research foundation
• Clinical research awards

Headquarters

HQ city

Rosamond

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: OREF operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that raises funds from donors, corporations, and foundations to support orthopaedic research. The foundation receives donations from individual donors, corporate partners (Stryker, Zimmer Biomet), and other foundations (Aircast Foundation, Zimmer Biomet Foundation).
2. Corporate Grants: Stryker provided a grant honoring John W. Brown to fund the Career Development Grant program. Zimmer Biomet Foundation supports the OREF/RJOS DEI Research Grant. These corporate partnerships provide dedicated funding streams for specific grant programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

OREF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation that raises charitable contributions and awards competitive research grants and recognitions to orthopaedic investigators, from residents through mid-career clinician-scientists. Its offerings span individual grant programs (Resident, New Investigator, Career Development, Mentored Clinician Scientist), collaborative society grants (with AAOS, ORS, ASES, MTF Biologics, AANA Foundation, MSTS, JRGSOS, and others), annual awards (Clinical Research Award, Lifetime Service Award, Distinguished Investigator Award), and the Resident Research Symposia.

Product overview

OREF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation that provides grant funding and awards to support orthopaedic research. The foundation offers various grant programs including Career Development Grants, New Investigator Grants, Resident Research Grants, and Mentored Clinician Scientist Grants. It also runs collaborative grant programs with partner organizations such as MTF Biologics, AAOS, ASES, Goldberg Arthritis, and others. OREF administers awards including the Clinical Research Award ($20,000), Lifetime Service Awards, and the ORS/OREF Distinguished Investigator Award. Additionally, OREF operates the Resident Research Symposia program featuring regional competitions and a national championship for orthopaedic residents.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• OREF Career Development Grant Provides $300,000 in funding over three years to encourage investigators to commit to scientific research. Research may be basic, translational, clinical, and/or health services.
• OREF New Investigator Grant Provides $50,000 to advance the scientific training of the next generation of orthopaedic physician-scientists with seed and start-up funding for promising research projects.
• OREF Resident Clinician Scientist Training Grant Provides $20,000 in funding to prepare residents for a career with research as a major component.
• OREF Resident Research Project Grant Provides $5,000 in funding to residents who are interested in research.
• OREF Mentored Clinician Scientist Grant Provides $20,000 for the development of new clinician scientists who have demonstrated success as both a clinician and a researcher, allowing dedicated research time for up to five years.
• OREF Clinical Research Award A $20,000 award recognizing outstanding clinical research related directly to musculoskeletal disease or injury, presented at the AAOS Annual Meeting.
• OREF Lifetime Service Award Recognizes individuals and organizations that have built a legacy of service to OREF through their commitment of time, expertise, and philanthropy.
• ORS/OREF Distinguished Investigator Award Established in 2009 by OREF and ORS to honor an individual who has significantly contributed to the field of orthopaedic research.
• OREF/ASES Rockwood Clinical Shoulder Research Grant Provides $50,000 in funding and encourages new investigators to conduct research in the area of shoulder care.
• OREF/Goldberg Arthritis Research Grant Provides $50,000 in seed and start-up funding for promising research projects that address issues related to the treatment of arthritis with an emphasis on arthroplasty.
• OREF/MTF Biologics Research Grant Provides $100,000 for research focusing on the science of biologic allografts, bone regeneration, transplantation, and stem cells for graft transplantation.
• OREF Osteoarthritis Research Grant Provides $50,000 in funding for research that aims to better understand how to prevent and treat osteoarthritis.
• OREF Multimodal Musculoskeletal Perioperative Pain Management Grant Provides funding for research focused on perioperative musculoskeletal pain management in collaboration with the AANA Foundation.
• OREF Prevention of Musculoskeletal Youth Sports Injuries Research Grant Provides $25,000 in startup funding or seed money for a new investigator conducting clinical and/or social research on the prevention of musculoskeletal youth sports injuries.
• OREF Skeletal Metastases and Pathological Fracture Research Grant Provides $25,000 for research focused on skeletal metastases in collaboration with the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society.
• OREF/AAOS Clinical Gaps Research Grant Provides $100,000 for investigator-initiated proposals focused on addressing clinical gaps in healing, repair, or diagnostics through devices, biologics, or technology.
• OREF/RJOS Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Disparities in Orthopaedic Health Care Research Grant Provides $150,000 to stimulate clinical research to find solutions to problems of diversity, equity, inclusion, and disparities in orthopaedics.
• OREF/OTA Trauma Research Grant Research grant with funding support from Arthrex for trauma-related orthopaedic research.
• OREF/John W. Brown Early-Stage Investigator Enabling Technologies in Musculoskeletal Care Research Grant Provides $100,000 for research that addresses the use of enabling technologies in musculoskeletal health care.
• OREF Resident Research Symposia Regional and national symposia that give orthopaedic residents an opportunity to present their research, compete for awards, and gain experience in discussing their research publicly; six regional events plus a national championship.
• Arnold I. Caplan Award for Distinguished Research in Orthobiologics A new award established in 2024 by AAOS in partnership with OREF, funded by the Caplan family, recognizing researchers whose work has significantly impacted the development of therapeutic solutions in orthobiologics and MSCs.

Quantifiable outcome

• OREF grant recipients are 23% more likely to receive subsequent NIH funding
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, strategic and minor.

• Orizon LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 May 2024Formation of the Orizon Fund to support acceleration-to-market of innovative orthopaedic healthcare technology solutions derived from OREF-funded research. Orizon provides capital and operational support including management, product development, regulatory guidance, and reimbursement expertise. Revenue shared with OREF to fund additional research.
• UConn Foundation (The Cato T. Laurencin Institute)strategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2023Partnership to support The Cato T. Laurencin Institute for Regenerative Engineering at University of Connecticut. Funds raised through this partnership support the Institute's core programs. 95% of gifts directed to UConn Foundation; 5% supports OREF research programs.
• Medical Technology Enterprise Consortium (MTEC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 October 2023OREF collaborated with MTEC and the Department of Defense's U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command to award $2 million in research funding for solutions accelerating return-to-readiness following musculoskeletal injuries. OREF contributed $100,000, with the remainder from DOD. Recipients: Henry Jackson Foundation ($1.3M) and Geneva Foundation ($700K+).
• American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple collaborative grants including OREF/AAOS Clinical Gaps Research Grant and OREF/ASES/Rockwood Clinical Shoulder Research Grant. OREF Clinical Research Award presented at AAOS Annual Meeting.
• Arthroscopy Association of North America (AANA) FoundationstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative OREF/AANA Foundation Multimodal Musculoskeletal Perioperative Pain Management Research Grant providing $50,000 for pain management research.
• Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (MSTS)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative OREF Skeletal Metastases and Pathological Fracture Research Grant supporting research focused on skeletal metastases.
• American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) FoundationstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative OREF Multimodal Musculoskeletal Perioperative Pain Management Grant requiring CRNA involvement in research leadership.
• J. Robert Gladden Orthopaedic Society (JRGOS)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerOREF/JRGOS collaboration for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Disparities in Orthopaedic Health Care Research Grant. PI applicant must be JRGOS member for at least 5 years.
• American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional society partner sharing news through OREF Newsroom. AOSSM Hall of Fame recognizes OREF supporters.
• Orthopaedic Research Society (ORS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerORS/OREF Distinguished Investigator Award co-presented annually. Joint grant writing workshops and meeting collaborations.
• Scoliosis Research Society (SRS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization for scoliosis awareness; SRS news shared through OREF Newsroom.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• American Foundation for Surgery of the Hand (AFSH): AFSH is a 501(c)(3) charitable foundation funding research and education in hand and upper extremity surgery. It is closely comparable to OREF as a specialty orthopaedic research grantmaker with similar donor-funded grant structure.
• AANA Foundation: The Arthroscopy Association of North America Foundation funds arthroscopy-related research grants. OREF already partners with AANA Foundation on the Multimodal MSK Perioperative Pain Management Grant, and both serve orthopaedic sub-specialty researcher communities with donation-funded grants.
• MTF Biologics (Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation): MTF Biologics funds tissue transplantation and biologic orthopaedic research and is a current OREF partner via the $100K OREF/MTF Biologics Research Grant. Similar donor-funded research grant structure focused on musculoskeletal science.
• Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America (POSNA): POSNA funds pediatric orthopaedic research grants and supports an orthopaedic subspecialty research community through donations and events. Closely comparable model to OREF's specialty research grantmaking.
• Aircast Foundation: The Aircast Foundation is a donor-funded private foundation that funds orthopaedic and sports medicine research. It is a direct OREF partner contributing to MTEC/DOD MSK research and operates with a similar specialty philanthropy model.
• American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM): AOSSM is a sports medicine orthopaedic society that funds research through its foundation and shares an audience of MSK researchers with OREF. It is an OREF professional society partner and Hall of Fame peer in funding orthopaedic researchers.
• Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (MSTS): MSTS is an orthopaedic sub-specialty society that funds MSK oncology research and partners with OREF on the Skeletal Metastases and Pathological Fracture Research Grant. Operates with a similar grantmaker function for a narrower subspecialty.

Broad incumbents

• American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS): AAOS is the largest broad orthopaedic professional society with its own research and education funding streams. OREF co-presents the annual Clinical Research Award at AAOS Annual Meeting, and AAOS is housed in OREF's Rosemont office building, making AAOS the most significant incumbent partner/comparable in the field.
• Orthopaedic Research Society (ORS): ORS is the premier research society advancing orthopaedic science and co-presents the Distinguished Investigator Award with OREF. Operates as a scientific society (not a pure foundation) but is a core OREF peer within the orthopaedic research ecosystem.
• Arthritis Foundation: The Arthritis Foundation is a much larger national nonprofit that funds arthritis research including osteoarthritis, which overlaps with OREF's Goldberg Arthritis and Osteoarthritis Research Grants. A broader incumbent in MSK health research funding.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/OREFtoday
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/orthopaedic-research-education-foundation
• Facebookfacebook.com/oreftoday

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments1 record

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Frequently asked questions about Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation