Access & Publications Research Program
STS sponsors and funds research through a well-established program administered by the STS Access & Publications (A&P) Task Force.
The A&P Research Program is for STS National Database participants conducting research using data from one of the four Database components: Adult Cardiac Surgery Database (ACSD), Congenital Heart Surgery Database (CHSD), General Thoracic Surgery (GTSD), and Intermacs Database.
Funding consideration is given to novel, well-conceived, and hypothesis-driven proposals, with extra consideration for projects that involve multiple investigators/institutions and can be completed within 9-12 months. Analyses are performed at an STS-designated analytics center.
Researchers submitting proposals should keep in mind:
- The submitted research plan should be well thought-out and must include sufficient details that clearly outline all required analysis steps. Shell tables and figures are required.
- Data elements required for the research analysis must be included in the STS National Database. Many proposals have been rejected because they required data that were not part of the Database.
Prospective investigators are strongly encouraged to review the Current Projects web page, as well as the Published Research web page, in advance of submitting a full proposal.
2025 Proposal Submission Deadlines
| Specialty Database | Cycle I | Cycle II |
|---|---|---|
| Specialty Database Adult Cardiac Surgery Database | Cycle I February 10 | Cycle II August 1 |
| Specialty Database Congenital Heart Surgery Database | Cycle I April 1 | Cycle II October 1 |
| Specialty Database General Thoracic Surgery Database | Cycle I March 10 | Cycle II September 15 |
| Specialty Database Intermacs | Cycle I June 2 | Cycle II November 20 |
Refer to the A&P Processes, Procedures, and Leadership document for detailed information regarding the A&P proposal review process, and submit your application today. For more information, contact the STS Research and Analytic Center.