CTSI Community Engagement Research Core:
Pilot Project Funding Available
Release date: October 28, 2011
Application Due date: December 16, 2011
Anticipated Award date: February 1, 2012
I. Introduction
The Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute’s Community Engagement Research Core (CERC) announces the availability of pilot project funds for promising community-engaged research projects addressing specific priority areas that have been identified by the CERC’s Community Advisory Board. Applicants for these funds will be multidisciplinary teams of Penn State investigators who actively engage with at least one community partner in the research process. Collaboration between Penn State faculty members at University Park and Hershey campuses is encouraged but not required. Community partners may be community organizations, public agencies, health care organization, etc., that are knowledgeable about community health and have the commitment to be a partner in research to improve the health of the population. These research teams, including the community partner(s), will be known as Community Engagement Research Teams (CERTS) and are expected to include at least 3 team members. Proposals will be reviewed by the members of the CERC.
Research Priority Areas:
• Improving children’s oral health
• Caring for cognitively impaired elders in rural communities
• Childhood obesity: family and adult caregivers’ influences
These initial research priority areas reflect health needs in the Central Pennsylvania region, as identified by the CERC’s Community Advisory Board.
Community engagement research involves collaboration between the investigators and community representatives, so that community members/organizations have input to the research questions, study design, implementation, and dissemination of results. More information about about community engagement research may be found at http://www.ctsaweb.org/ and about the Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute at http://pennstatehershey.org/sites/ctsi/
Applicants responsive to this announcement will show evidence of direct involvement of community members in the research, as reflected in both the research plan and the budget. Applicants may contact the CERC co-coordinators (contact information at the end of this announcement) for assistance in connecting with community partners. Additional funding announcements will follow over the next 4.5 years of the current Clinical and Translational Science Award, giving investigators time to establish relationships with community partners if none currently exist. Investigators who wish to apply for pilot project funding in the future are strongly encouraged to begin establishing relationships with community partners now.
II. Eligibility criteria
The Principal Investigator (PI) must hold a Pennsylvania State University faculty appointment. This includes faculty members at the Penn State Hershey Medical Center.
In addition, to be eligible, each project must include:
1. A research topic that addresses a Community Engagement Research Priority Area.
2. Community engagement in the research project. A letter of support from the community partner(s) is required that is consistent with the commitments discussed in the proposal.
3. A research plan deemed likely to lead to external peer-reviewed funding.
4. Evidence that the proposed topic is highly relevant to NIH programs or research priorities.
5. A focus on rural and/or underserved populations is encouraged.
6. A detailed budget with justification. A total of $70,000 per year is available for funding of all pilot projects, and we anticipate funding 1-3 projects in the first year. No more than $10,000 annually can be allocated to faculty salaries (including fringe) in each project.
7. A project period of not less than 12 months and not more than 24 months.
8. Commitment to presenting the study results to the CERC’s Community Advisory Board.
9. Commitment to provide an annual progress report to the CTSI and to acknowledge the CTSI in all publications resulting from this research.
Funds are NOT intended to support:
• Student or post-doctoral fellow research
• Delivery of outreach programs or services not considered health research
• Research that is not directly responsive to the research priority areas
• Funding for the kinds of activities supported by departments and colleges (e.g., travel to conferences, software purchase)
• Summer salaries (where applicable)
Criteria for Review
Reviewers will consider each of the five review criteria (below) adopted by NIH to assess merit. In addition proposals must include a clearly described research plan including specific aims, sound methods and approach, and a suitable analytic plan.
• Significance: Does the project address an important problem or critical barrier to progress in public health, have a translational science component, and address a community priority?
• Investigators: Do the PI and collaborators have the expertise needed to conduct the project?
• Innovation: Does the project challenge old concepts or use new models or approaches?
• Approach: Are the overall strategy, methodology, and analyses well-reasoned and appropriate to accomplish the specific aims? Will the strategy establish feasibility for future work that can be externally funded?
• Environment/Community: How does the project benefit from Penn State’s research environment and from participation by community partners?
III. Format and Submission of Proposals
Proposals should be submitted as a single pdf file to Shirley Blouch (sblouch@hes.hmc.psu.edu) on or before December 16, 2011.
Proposals must be single-spaced, in Arial 11 font, left-aligned with half- inch margins. Proposals cannot exceed 7 pages for Parts 1 – 8 below. Appendices are not to be included. Your proposal must be complete when submitted and include all of the items noted below, including letters of support and an NIH-style biosketch for each investigator.
Remember that reviewers may not have specific expertise in your area. Therefore proposals should be written for a broad academic audience.
PROPOSAL SECTIONS
1. Title of Proposal:
2. Name of Principal Investigator, Degree(s), Department, College:
3. Lay Abstract (no more than 300 words):
Provide a succinct overview of the proposal. Note which research priority area is addressed in the proposal. Assume that reviewers do not have technical knowledge in a specific field. Avoid or explain technical jargon, field-specific terminology, or acronyms.
4. Specific Aims and Objectives:
List the specific aims and objectives of the proposal, with clear research questions or hypotheses. Explain which research priority area is addressed in the proposal.
5. Significance/Impact:
Provide a discussion of how the accomplishment of these objectives will inform the field and lead to the development of a community engaged research project that can be externally funded.
6. Background, Rationale, and Methods:
Provide a brief summary of the background and rationale for the proposal, and a detailed description of the methods and activities that will be employed to address the specific aims.4
Clearly specify what community or area of the Central Pennsylvania region will be involved with your project.
7. Translational and Community Engagement Research Potential:
Describe the translational potential of your project for preventing disease and/or promoting health and health behaviors. Describe the role of community partners in various phases of your research.
8. Timeline and Anticipated Outcomes:
Describe the project timeline and anticipated research outcomes. The plans for specific products should be specified, including dissemination of results (which must include presentation of the study results to the Community Advisory Board).
9. Future Plans:
Describe plans to apply for external funding for the next phase of the research, making use of data obtained from this pilot project. Identify the most likely sponsor (e.g., specific NIH institute) and the expected date for submitting the first application.
10. Budget and Justification:
Provide an itemized budget and budget justification that includes salaries, fringes, and other expenses for data collection, analysis, etc. The budget should reflect community engagement by including funding for specific contributions to the research by community collaborators.
No more than $10,000 may be allocated to faculty salaries (including fringe) in any project year. Requests for travel or food are discouraged unless essential to conduct the proposed research. As part of the budget justification, describe the roles and experience of the investigators, the community partner (s), and any other personnel included in the proposal. No indirect costs are provided.
11. Provide the Name and phone number of your department's budget coordinator:
12. Investigator Information:
For each investigator, beginning with the Principal Investigator, provide the following information. Include investigators from collaborating community organizations.
Principal Investigator:
Name and Degree(s)
Title
Department
College
Phone
Email
Co- Investigator(s):
Name and Degree(s)
Title
Department
College
Phone
Email 5
Community Co-investigator(s):
Name and Degree(s)
Title
Name of Organization
Street Address, City, State, Zipcode
Phone
Email
13. Letters of Support from Community Partner(s)
Applicants must include a letter of support from collaborating community organization(s) that provides evidence of community engagement in the proposed research.
14. NIH biosketches and Other Support pages (or equivalent) for the PI and each Penn State co-investigator.
Please direct questions about this Pilot Project Funding opportunity and requests for technical assistance in developing community partnerships to:
Lisa Bailey-Davis, MA
Co-coordinator, Community Engagement Research Core
Department of Public Health Sciences
600 Centerview Drive, Suite 3400L
Hershey, PA 17033-0855
lbaileydavis@psu.edu
Telephone: 717-531-0003 X 287488
Fax: 717-531-0146
OR
Sara Baker, MSW
Co-coordinator, Community Engagement Research Core
Department of Public Health Sciences
600 Centerview Drive, Suite 2101
Hershey, PA 17033-0855
sbaker7@psu.edu
Telephone: 717-531-1175
Fax: 717-531-0839