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The Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) is a nonprofit professional society for critical care. Its mission, as stated on its About page, is “to secure the highest-quality care for all critically ill and injured patients.” For research offices, its most relevant outputs are two member-gated research grants, the Discovery research network, its journals and the annual Critical Care Congress. This page summarises them as described on the official SCCM pages on 2026-11-07. It is general information, not medical advice, and not a clinical guideline.
What it is and who runs it
SCCM describes itself as a nonprofit with members in more than 100 countries. Its chief executive and executive vice president is Megan N. Schagrin, and a president serves annually alongside a multiprofessional council. Its publications are Critical Care Medicine, Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, Critical Care Explorations and Journal Audio Summaries. Its projects and programs include the Surviving Sepsis Campaign and ICU Liberation, and it publishes clinical guidelines. Those guidelines are clinical documents for clinicians and are outside the scope of this page.
Source: SCCM, About SCCM, read 2026-11-07.
Eligibility (summary, with the official source)
SCCM’s research grants page states: “You must be an SCCM Professional or Select Member, or a Sponsored Trainee, to apply for SCCM research grants and section Congress scholarships.” Membership categories are Professional, Select and Associate, so Associate membership alone is not listed as sufficient for the grants. SCCM says you can join or upgrade at any time. The membership page lists benefits by category, including a monthly subscription to Critical Care Medicine for Professional and Select members, Specialty Sections (up to three), local Chapters and Knowledge Education Groups. Dues vary by profession and country, so check the current rate on the SCCM join page.
Sources: SCCM, Research Grants and SCCM, Membership, read 2026-11-07.
What it funds or requires
SCCM says its research grants are awarded each year to critical care professionals, for established and early-career researchers. Stated research priorities are basic science and cellular research, clinical research, translational research, general principles, education research, health services and delivery research, and patients and families (survivorship and recovery). Two awards are described:
| Feature | SCCM-Weil Research Grant | Discovery Research Grant |
|---|---|---|
| Awards | Two grants of $50,000 each | One grant of $100,000 |
| Research areas | Basic, translational or clinical; patients and families (survivorship and recovery); health services and delivery; education | Translational or clinical; patients and families (survivorship and recovery); health services and delivery; education |
| Study structure | Single-site clinical study | Multi-institutional study (collaboration between at least two institutions) |
| Duration | Research completed within 12 months | Research completed within 12 months |
| Other stated requirement | None listed beyond eligibility | Plan for engagement of early-career investigators, if applicable |
Source: SCCM, Research Grants, read 2026-11-07. On that date the page stated that applications were closed.
Application or compliance steps
The grants page does not set out a step-by-step process. It offers a downloadable SCCM Research Grant Application Checklist and states the eligibility and design points above. A research office preparing a submission can work from these stated points:
- Confirm that the lead applicant holds Professional or Select membership, or is a Sponsored Trainee.
- Choose the award that matches the study design: single-site for SCCM-Weil, at least two institutions for Discovery.
- Download and work through the official application checklist.
- Confirm that the project can be completed within 12 months.
- For a Discovery proposal, describe how early-career investigators will be engaged, if applicable.
The page does not describe the review process, reporting obligations or payment terms, so ask SCCM for those before committing institutional resources.
Typical timeline phases
SCCM states that the grants are awarded each year and that funded research must be completed within 12 months. That implies three phases: an application window that SCCM opens and closes (shown as closed on the date read), a review and award phase, and a funded period of up to 12 months. SCCM’s page gives no calendar dates for these phases, so none are stated here. SCCM also hosts a virtual town hall on its research grants covering available grants, eligibility and the application process.
Common mistakes
These points are editorial interpretation of the stated rules, not SCCM statements.
- Applying without eligible membership. The stated gate is Professional or Select membership, or Sponsored Trainee status.
- Submitting a single-site design to the Discovery grant, which describes a collaboration between at least two institutions.
- Planning a project that cannot finish within 12 months, which both grants specify.
- Assuming federal-style rules apply. Compare how other private funders set terms, for example in early-career foundation fellowships compared.
Related programs
| Program | What the official page says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery, the Critical Care Research Network | Listed under SCCM’s Research menu with a clinical investigator proposal submission, investigator meetings, a town hall and research collaboratives | SCCM navigation, Research |
| SCCM-Weil Research Trust | Listed under SCCM’s Research menu | SCCM navigation, Research |
| Surviving Sepsis Campaign | Listed under Projects and Programs (see also the SEP-1 sepsis bundle measure on CASRAI) | SCCM, About SCCM |
| ICU Liberation | Listed under Projects and Programs | SCCM, About SCCM |
| Critical Care Congress | Annual meeting; abstracts, case reports and session proposals have their own contribution pages | SCCM, About SCCM |
For other disease-area and professional-society funders, see Alzheimer’s Association grants and Leukemia Society grants. For a related clinical field, see what is emergency medicine.
FAQ
What is the Society of Critical Care Medicine?
A nonprofit professional society with members in more than 100 countries whose stated mission is to secure the highest-quality care for all critically ill and injured patients. It publishes journals, runs the Critical Care Congress and funds research grants.
Does SCCM offer research grants?
Yes. As described on its official pages on 2026-11-07, it offers the SCCM-Weil Research Grant (two grants of $50,000) and the Discovery Research Grant (one grant of $100,000). Applications were shown as closed on that date.
Do I need to be a member to apply?
Yes. SCCM states that applicants must be Professional or Select members, or Sponsored Trainees.
How long can a funded project run?
Both grants specify that the research must be completed within 12 months.
Sources
- SCCM, About SCCM, read 2026-11-07
- SCCM, Research Grants, read 2026-11-07
- SCCM, Membership, read 2026-11-07
- SCCM, Join, read 2026-11-07
