Universities Education and Research Center

Pilot Projects Research Training Program 2007

Eligibility

Grants ranging from $5,000 to $12,000 are available to occupational health and safety researchers in Region II. Research should be in the occupational health and safety field and should focus on the NIOSH/NORA research priorities. Information regarding NORA can be found at www2.cdc.gov/NORA. Priority will be given to applicants from New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Eligible applicants include individuals who meet the following criteria:

• Occupational residents and doctoral students in ERC or TPG training programs
• Junior investigators needing initial support for innovative research in occupational safety and health who lack support from other sources
• Investigators working in complementary or non-traditional disciplines who wish to become more actively involved in occupational safety and health issues, and
• Investigators attempting to develop innovative research efforts in collaboration with faculty from the Universities Education and Research Center.

Master’s level trainees in the ERC are encouraged to work with faculty members who meet the eligibility criteria for applicants.

Awards will be made for one year. Trainees applying for funds must list an advisor, who must have faculty ranking at the same institution. The faculty advisor will be responsible for overseeing the expenditure of funds. Stakeholders within Region II are also eligible to apply provided they are working with an ERC faculty member. Faculty who have received RO1s or RO3s in occupational health and safety within the past five years are not eligible to participate, although they are encouraged to serve as mentors.

Amounts of Award

The Scientific Review Board will award grants ranging from $5,000 to $12,000. (No indirect cost will apply.)

Application

To apply for these grants, the following material must be received by the application deadline, October 5, 2007. Please complete the Pilot Project Application Cover Page.

1. A short (no more than two pages) biographical sketch or resume for each person involved in the research (including faculty advisor, if applicable).
2. A short (five pages maximum), single-spaced proposal, outlining the proposed research project, including:
   1. purpose and benefits to the field and region
   2. specific objectives and goals
   3. methods for accomplishing the research
   4. time line showing project start/completion times
3. Budget (PHS Form 398).
4. Budget justification (should not exceed one page; a description of each item listed in the budget should be included with an indication of its relationship to the proposed work).
5. Demonstration that appropriate human/animal subject approvals and other necessary approvals have been arranged and received. Funding cannot be disbursed
   without such approval in place.

A final report summarizing research activities and results must be submitted, and all awardees must present a poster at the Annual Scientific Day (2007 awardees must present in April 2009)

Criteria Used to Assess Awards

The following criteria will be used in determining these awards:

Research Criteria

• Overall scientific merit: The applicant must submit and original and feasible proposal that demonstrates the applicant’s understanding of the proposed field of research. Prior research experience is not necessary.
• Purpose: A clear statement and description of the purpose of the research project must be included.
• Specific objectives and goals: Specific goals of the research project must be listed and defined.
• Methods: The methods proposed for carrying out the research must be defined and described clearly, and timeline should be clearly presented for completing the project in one year.

Programmatic Criteria

• Meets NIOSH NORA and Universities ERC objectives and regional needs: The research priorities identified in NORA will be used to evaluate the relevance of research proposals to the field of occupational health and safety.
• Builds research capacity among trainees and new investigators: Proposals should be likely to lead to further research activities.
• Likelihood of obtaining future funding from external sources
• Involves multiples stakeholders: Proposals for pilot funding that seek to involve multiple interested parties – such as employees, organized labor, employers, state officials, academics, etc. – are encouraged. Similarly, proposals that include the participation of NIOSH-supported training program grantees in health and safety or investigators at other academic institutions in the region are specifically encouraged.
• Evaluates intervention strategies and their effectiveness.

Send an electronic version of the completed appliation to:

Andrea Johnson

E-mail: andrea.johnson@mssm.edu

Scientific Inquiries

Jacqueline Moline, M.D.
Tel: (212) 241-8842
Fax: (212) 996-0407
E-mail: jacqueline.moline@mssm.edu

Administrative Questions

Andrea Johnson
Tel: (212) 241-8842
E-mail: andrea.johnson@mssm.edu

Documents above marked are viewable with the free Adobe^TM Acrobat^TM Reader. If you do not have Acrobat Reader, click on the image below to download it.