Early career researchers may receive up to €6,000 for innovative methods and approaches to the therapy of acute and chronic pain.

Deutsche Schmerzgesellschaft, one of Europe’s largest scientific and medical association dedicated to pain research, has opened applications for its 2026 Young Talent Award for Pain Research (Nachwuchsförderpreis Schmerz). The annual award forms part of the Society’s wider commitment to advancing the understanding and treatment of pain through training initiatives, education, scientific meetings and recognition of excellence in the field. The programme is aimed at supporting the next generation of researchers working to improve approaches to acute and chronic pain therapy.

The Young Talent Award honours early career scientists whose work demonstrates both innovation and relevance to patient-focused research. The focus is particularly on projects that employ new methodological approaches or apply established techniques in novel ways to address clinically significant questions. The prize is intended for researchers who are either close to completing their doctoral degree or have recently done so at a higher education institution in Germany.

Three prizes are available each year, with first place winners receiving €6,000. Second and third place awards offer a prize sum of €3,000 and €1,000 respectively.