College of Health Professions Seed Grant

Purpose

The purpose of the College of Health Professions Seed Grant is to provide pilot funding for research projects that has the potential to develop into extramural funding. Pilot research project grant funds can be used for research in education methods, interprofessional education, basic, applied research, translational sciences or clinical care that can gather sufficient data to apply for extramural funding.

Eligibility

Only permanent, full-time College of Health Professions faculty (primary appointment), at the rank of instructor or above, and staff are eligible to submit a proposal as the principal investigator. Student research projects must be sponsored by a College of Health Professions faculty or staff member. To encourage interprofessional collaboration, project proposals by individuals from different departments are preferred, especially if the departments are in different UAMS colleges or other institutions or agencies.

Further, faculty or staff members receiving an award in one year as primary investigators are ineligible to apply for an award in the following year’s funding cycle. Funded faculty as primary investigators must sit out at least one year and complete their funded project so they can become eligible to re-enter the College of Health Professions Seed Grant competition in the second year after their award.

Funding Period

Funding is for a 12-month period starting the first Monday in August; however, 18 months is allowed to complete the project based on grant justification.

Amount of Awards

A total of up to $5,000 is available for pilot grants for research. Funds cannot be used to pay salaries for faculty or staff, but up to $2,000 may be used for hiring a College of Health Professions part-time student to work on this project.

In general, grants will not fund activities that can or should be financed from other revenue sources such as a departmental budget. However, College of Health Professions Seed Grants can be used to extend, complement or supplement funding from other sources.

Applicants must adhere to the following guidelines on the content and format requirements of the proposal. If any format specification is not met, the application will be returned to the principal investigator without consideration for the review process.

Application Specifications

Length

Must include a cover page (one page) and narrative section which includes:

• Specific aims (one page)
• Research strategy (five pages)
• Bibliography (as needed)
• Budget section (one to two pages)
• Biographical sketch (two pages maximum for each investigator)

Please see below for more details.

Font Size

The font must be Arial, with a size of 11 points or larger.

Margins

All page margins should be at least 0.5 inches.

Submission

Submit one original full application by 5 p.m. on July 5, 2024, via email to the associate dean for research at ADResearchCHP@UAMS.edu.

Application Details

Cover Page

On the cover page, be sure to include:

• State the name, rank, title and affiliation (department) of the principal investigator along with their contact information.
• The title of the proposed project
• Identify the co-investigators and collaborators by name, rank, and affiliation (department).
• Project abstract with a 120-word limit

Narrative Section

Provide a narrative section with the headings listed below. This will be reviewed for educational or scientific merit and the potential for future extramural funding.

• Specific Aims including long-term goals (one page)
• Research Strategy (five pages), which must include:
  • Significance (around one page)
  • Innovation (around half a page)
  • Approach (around three pages) and must include:
    • Preliminary data (if available)
    • Statistical Design and Methods
    • Project Timeline Table
  • Plans for future funding (around half a page)
• Bibliography and References Cited (no page limit)

Budget

Provide personnel justification for the primary investigator, co-investigator and other personnel in a detailed budget. Describe all expenses; specific supplies or other operating expenses; and student costs. Justify each expense in detail.

To view sample grant submission budget justifications, please contact Sheena Joyner at ADResearchCHP@UAMS.edu.

Other Support

List all sources of current and pending support for the principal investigator only.

• Agency (or source)
• Title
• Start and end dates
• Level of funding support

Qualifications of Project Personnel (Bio Sketch)

The National Institutes of Health biographical sketch format must be used and provided for the primary investigator and co-investigators participating in the project. However, it should not be included for students. The biographical sketch should contain information about the education, training, and research experience of investigators in addition to a list of relevant publications.

Approval of internal committees (Institutional Review Board, Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, etc.) may occur before or after the grant is approved, but funding will not occur until all the appropriate internal review committees have approved the grant. Recommended applicants for funding have 45 days after notification of recommended funding to submit their Institutional Review Board approval for funding to send to the associate dean for research.

College of Health Professions core faculty will receive announcements by email about the availability of College of Health Professions Seed Grant funds in May with a reminder notice in early June.

The application process itself is two-tiered. Applicants submit proposals by July 5 to the associate dean for research who will arrange for scientific review. Judging standards for applications will utilize criteria similar to those of the National Institutes of Health. Funding for awarded projects will begin on the first Monday in August.

To apply for a College of Health Professions Seed Grant award, or for further information, please contact:

Reza Hakkak, Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Research
College of Health Professions
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Email: ADResearchCHP@UAMS.edu
Phone: 501-686-6166