Center for Rural Emergency

Seed Projects Grant Program

Currently funds are unvailable. A WVU-wide announcement will be made when this status changes.

The WVU ICRC “seed project” grant program is designed to stimulate new injury prevention and control research.  The primary intent of the program is to enable the conduct of small projects and the collection of pilot data that leads to the subsequent development of larger, independently funded investigations. 

Description

The WVU ICRC Seed Projects Grant Program will fund projects up to $25,000 each, depending on the competitiveness of the applications and the availability of funds.  Projects are limited to 12 months in duration and funds must be spent within one year from the award date.  Allowable costs include lab supplies, computer software, travel, data collection costs, consultant costs, graduate student assistance, and labor costs.  Faculty may request a maximum of 10% salary support.

We welcome all proposals related to injury control and prevention.  Proposals should relate to priorities established in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Injury Research Agenda (http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/pub-res/research_agenda/agenda.htm), the national Healthy People 2010 plan – Chapter 15 (http://www.healthypeople.gov/document/HTML/Volume2/15Injury.htm), and West Virginia’s Healthy People 2010 plan – Chapter 15 (http://www.wvdhhr.org/bph/hp2010/objective/contents.html). Topic areas include, but are not limited to: 1) descriptions of injury patterns in high-risk populations; 2) tests of hypotheses about the causes of injury; 3) developing methods for prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and appropriate evaluation processes; and 4) the biomechanics of injury.

The two major categories of injury are intentional and unintentional and may occur in either occupational or non-occupational settings.  Intentional injuries result from interpersonal or self-inflicted violence and include homicide, assaults, suicide and suicide attempts, child and elderly abuse, and rape.  Unintentional injuries may result from a variety of cause including motor vehicles, falls, fires, poisoning, drowning, and sports or recreational activities. 

Since 2005, six seed projects have been funded. Brief summaries of these can be found here, or under the Research Projects link

Eligible Applicants

Eligible applicants include all West Virginia University faculty.  New faculty investigators are encouraged to apply.  Faculty with current or past extramural support for injury-related research may also apply, but should indicate how the proposed project will either extend their current research or provide new research directions.

Review Criteria

Scoring of seed project applications will be based on the following review criteria:

  • Scope: Does the proposed study fit in with the mission and goals of the WVU ICRC and address its basic areas of research focus in concert with CDCs national Injury Research Agenda and Healthy People 2010?
  • Significance of Research: will the proposed research plan expand the knowledge base or practice of injury control and prevention and have the potential to reduce the burden of injury?  Does the proposed research have the likelihood of generating publications and future extramural funding?
  • Scientific Merit:  How sound are the research methods (e.g., research questions, sampling strategies, data collection methods, measurable outcomes, analysis strategies, evaluations processes)?  What is the study’s perceived likelihood of success? 
  • Feasibility: Can the proposed research be completed in the timeframe outlined, with the resources requested, and with the expertise of the personnel?
  • Collaboration: Does the project have the probability of increasing collaboration between the WVU ICRC and other university centers or institutes or of bringing outstanding researchers into the injury field?

 All applications will be initially triaged by injury research specialists in the WVU ICRC’s Scientific Support Unit to determine if they are responsive to the scope criteria described above.  If applications do not succinctly address identified research needs, they will be returned to the applicant without further review.  Those applications that pass the preliminary review and are deemed competitive will then receive a secondary review to evaluate their methods and scientific quality.  A scoring system of 100 to 500 points will be used with the lowest scores receiving the highest priority and the greater probability of funding. 

Seed Project Application Guidelines

The research proposal is limited to five pages not including the forms for the cover page, abstract, resources, budget and justification, biographical sketches, or the project timeline, bibliography section, human subjects section, and appendices.  The downloadable forms follow these guidelines. Complete the forms on the computer, print them out, then get the appropriate signatures and submit.

The research section of the proposal should be typed, single-spaced with  1 inch margins and use at least an 11 point font. The grant application packet will include the following sections: 

  • Cover Page (1 page)
    Form follows Application Guidelines      
    The following information should appear on the cover page:
    • Date of submission
    • Title of project
    • Name, degree(s)/certification(s), address, phone number, and e-mail of Principal Investigator and PI’s administrative contact name and phone
    • Name, address, phone, and email of Co-Investigators
    • Project dates
    • Project cost
    • Project location or environment
    • Original signatures of faculty – Department Chair, Institute/Center/Office Director, and Dean
        
  • Abstract
    Form follows Application Guidelines  
    Abstract should be no more than 300 words
  • Resources
    Form follows Application Guidelines  
    Include any internal contributions toward the project (i.e., time, equipment, supplies, office space, etc.)
  • Itemized Budget and Justification
    Form follows Application Guidelines  
    • Requested salary for PI, Co-I(s), and any other positions are limited to 10% of their institutional base salaries (must include all sources of salary, i.e., state, UHA, etc.). 
    • Individual salaries are restricted to a rate of $180,100 (per current NIH standards). 
    • Following grant approval, appropriate disbursement of salary and fringe or reimbursement thereof will be determined. 
    • Budget justification should be concise and is limited to one page. Category spacing can be adjusted. 
    • Total budget must not exceed $25,000. Facilities and Administration costs will NOT be charged.  
  • Biographical Sketches

    Form follows Application Guidelines 
    You may use the PHS 398 Biographical Sketch format page, versions 5/2001 or 9/2004. The current form is available for download from: http://grants2.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html
     
  • Research Proposal (maximum of 5 pages)
    Briefly describe the proposed research using the following sections:
    • Specific Aims, and (if applicable) Hypotheses. Provide a concise statement of what the project is intended to accomplish.
    • Background and Significance. Summarize relevant background material and justify what this project will contribute to the field of injury control.
    • Methods. Identify the procedures, materials and methods that will be used to accomplish the stated aims. Include as appropriate, selection of study subjects, data to be collected and the procedures to do this, data management and security, and analysis methods.
    • Evaluation. Develop a basic plan to assess ‘what was planned’ with ‘intended results.’
    • Dissemination. Describe plans for the dissemination of research findings. 
       
  • Timeline  
  • References/Bibliography   
  • Human Subjects
         Indicate if and how human subjects are involved in the research, potential risks to these subjects and strategies to protect them from these risks. Include information about Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval and category (e.g., exempt, expedited, quorum). See WVU IRB link for detailed information: http://www.wvu.edu/~rc/irb/  Information on IRB required training and documentation can be found at the following site: http://www.wvu.edu/~rc/irb/ethi_tra.htm  Note: Funds will not be awarded until documentation of IRB approval is provided to the WVU ICRC.  
  • Appendices
    • Letter(s) of Support
      Applicants may include Letter(s) of Support from parties interested and supportive of the research, but not necessarily involved in the project. 
    • Consent forms, if required
    • Data collection forms/ Surveys
    • Other

Submission

Submit four copies to: 
WVU ICRC Seed Project Grant Program
P.O. Box 9151
Morgantown, WV 26506-9151

Funding decisions will be made within 30 days of the submission deadline. 

Progress Reports

Principal Investigators will be required to submit quarterly reports briefly  summarizing progress to date and timely expenditure of funds.  A final closeout report will be due within two months of completion of the study.

The Principal Investigator will also be expected to share research results during scheduled ICRC seminars or other appropriate academic enrichment programs, as requested.

For more information about this program, contact:  Jim Helmkamp, PhD, 304-293-0253, jhelmkamp@hsc.wvu.edu.