Community/Practice-Based Research Activity Funding Program

The Institute of Translational Health Sciences (ITHS) Center for Scientific Review is pleased to announce the availability of research activity grants for those who are engaged, or want to become engaged, in community- or practice-based research.

The Community/Practice-Based Research Activity Funding Program is sponsored by two ITHS cores: the Center for Scientific Review (CSR) and Community Outreach and Research Translation (CORT). The CORT team facilitates bi-directional community-academic research partnerships. Currently, CORT is developing research networks with American Indian and Alaska Native communities and with primary care clinical practices in the WWAMI states (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho). The goal of these collaborations is to involve communities and practices in every stage of health research. CORT also promotes research and capacity building to address priorities and health concerns of these communities and practices.

Purpose

The goal of the Community/Practice-based Research Activity Funding Program is to enhance bi-directional collaborative relationships between communities, practices and academic researchers. Grants are designed to assist community and practice partners:

  • in gaining skills and developing capacity to conduct research
  • in conducting pilot or preliminary work
  • in carrying out data collection or analysis to support research and partnerships
  • in facilitating research network capabilities

Funding decisions will promote geographical and community diversity across the five-state WWAMI region.

Award details

There are two types of awards: the Community/Practice-based Awards intended for any community or practice partner (e.g., practicing physicians, American Indian/Alaska Native communities or organizations, community-based organizations) and a specific American Indian/Alaska Native Community Award.

Typical Community/Practice-based Awards will range from less than $1,000 to up to $10,000 total, but will not exceed $10,000. There will be one $25,000 American Indian/Alaska Native Community Award that will require in-kind contributions that must equal or surpass the requested budget amount and that is intended to support research relevant to AI/AN communities and foster new AI/AN community-institutional collaborations. All awards are typically one year in length; no-cost extension requests are not automatic but are considered on an individual basis. Please note that no extensions for the Community/Practice-based Awards can be approved beyond May 31st of the year following the original project end date, No cost extension for the American Indian/Alaskan Native Community Award can be approved beyond September 30th of the year following the original project end date. For research activities involving human subjects, funds will be awarded after Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval or an exemption has been obtained by the applicant.

Eligibility

The Community/Practice-Based Research Activity Funding Program targets community and practice partners only. Members of the academic research community are NOT eligible to apply. You are eligible to apply ONLY if you are a:

  • Community or practice member (individual or organization) interested in developing research capacity and in collaborating with academicians in clinical or translational health science
     

Please note: Those applying for the American Indian/Alaska Native Community Award must meet certain eligibility requirements. Tribal or AI/AN-focused organizations and institutions, including tribal colleges and universities, groups, or individuals located in Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and ldaho are eligible to apply. Applicants must have experience in some aspect of health research or health care, a related health-focused activity, or partner with a key health organization, institution or program. The research or activity must involve Native people or communities and requires in-kind contributions that must equal or surpass the requested budget amount. Applicants must collaborate with ITHS investigators in the Puget Sound region.

ITHS membership is required for funding. If you are not already an ITHS member, please contact the CORT office, Leah Tuzzio at tuzzio.l@ghc.org or (206) 287-2109. You can also visit http://www.iths.org/membership to learn about the benefits of membership.

Scope of project—Community/Practice-based Award

Funds can be used for small pilot research or quality improvement projects and activities that develop research capacity. Examples include but are not limited to:

  • Funding tuition and travel to attend a course related to community- or practice-based participatory research, or a seminar or conference on a topic that will help develop capacity to conduct health research (topics can be broad)
  • Assessing research feasibility (e.g., key informant interviews)
  • Recruiting study participants and/or providing incentives for a community- or practice-based project
  • Paying for time spent on partnering to write research grant applications
  • Hosting a research-focused workshop or meeting to bring together people of different disciplines on a topic that is in alignment with the community’s interests and need
  • Producing health education materials on topics of concern to communities
  • Establishing health-related support groups (e.g., cancer survivors) in AI/AN communities

Scope of project—American Indian/Alaska Native Community Award

In order for a project to be eligible for the $25,000 award, it must be a pilot study for a future full-scale grant proposal. Examples of such projects include but are not limited to:

  • A survey of several tribes that focuses on particular health issues and whose results lead to a larger grant proposal and that increases the body of knowledge about Native health issues
  • A small feasibility trial of a health intervention (e.g., breast cancer screening, youth tobacco use cessation)
  • Collecting pilot data for a larger proposal such as screening for high risk HPV, or ascertaining the prevalence of, and risk factors for, impaired glucose tolerance among American lndian/Alaska Native youth.

Review criteria

Priority will be given to research projects or activities that are aligned with the criteria for the program. If you would like to see the criteria by which your application will be reviewed, view the reviewers’ scoring form.

Reporting requirements

The awardees are required to update the Center for Scientific Review regularly through a mid-point progress report and a final progress report using a one-page template that will be provided to you. Reports should describe your accomplishments, challenges experienced, and how the funded activity will support future work. If changes to the funded scope of work are desired, awardees are required to request pre-approval to make any changes.

Application and schedule

Note that for research activities involving human subjects, funds will be awarded after Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval or an exemption has been obtained by applicant.

* We strongly encourage that you submit a half-to-one page brief abstract to Leah Tuzzio at tuzzio.l@ghc.org or 206.287.2109 no later than January 25, 2010 so that we can help ensure that the topic meets the pilot program intent and facilitates academic-community/practice partnerships.

Contact

For more information contact Leah Tuzzio, ITHS Community Outreach and Research Translation core Project Director, at 206-287-2109 or tuzzio.l@ghc.org.

Last modified: February 3, 2010