Special Request for Proposals: Community-engaged Environmental Health Research Projects

Proposals due September 4, 2015

The NIEHS Center for Environmental Exposures and Disease (CEED) is based in the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute (EOHSI) on the Busch campus of Rutgers University. The mission of CEED is to understand how environmental exposures are integrated with host and environmental factors to influence human diseases; and to use this information to improve human health through education, outreach, and mechanistically based intervention, prevention, and treatment modalities. We encourage interdisciplinary and collaborative approaches to problems in the environmental health sciences, including involvement of the Community Outreach and Engagement Core (COEC). CEED is in its 28th year of funding by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS, P30-ES005022). CEED has a long-standing Pilot Project Program, which supports new environmental health research with the potential to improve human health. For examples of recent pilot projects, see the Pilot Program page.

CEED is soliciting applications for a special Pilot Project Program focused on linking environmental research to communities affected by that specific environmental problem. This special RFP comes out of discussions about how CEED can more fully address our mission of improving human health, through involvement of our Community Outreach and Engagement Core (COEC) and affected communities in research design and implementation.

Requirements of this Community-engaged Environmental Health Pilot Program Project:

1. COMMUNITY FOCUS: Proposals should be linked to community environmental health; research goals and design should include input from COEC or a community-focused organization. Projects that include a community/COEC PI or co-PI are strongly encouraged.
2. Preference will be given to projects that will be competitive for NIEHS grants.
3. Pilot Project recipients should apply for funding from NIH, and preferably NIEHS, within 1 year following the end of the pilot project funding period (i.e., no later than November 2017).

Eligibility

The program is open to all Rutgers faculty members. Collaborative projects are encouraged.

• At least one PI must be a CEED Member or Affiliate Member.
• At least one CEED COEC member should be consulted regarding project design and/or implementation (Rob Laumbach, Joanna Burger, Laura Liang, Mark Robson, Nancy Fiedler, Judith Graber, Anna Vetrano, Brian Buckley, Michael Gochfeld).
• Special consideration is given to new faculty members.
• Co-investigators may be staff/representatives of community-based environmental health organizations or programs.

Budget considerations

A maximum of $25,000 will be available for each grant.

Allowed:
Undergraduate stipends up to $6,000/year ($3,000/semester).
Costs of holding community meetings (refreshments, handouts, local travel).

NOT allowed:
Equipment, travel, graduate student stipends.

Application Procedures

Each proposal must include the following components:

Project Narrative: up to four pages for items 1-10 (single-spaced, 11 pt. font, 1” margins):

1. Title of Project
2. Investigators (include name, title, affiliation, address, e-mail and phone number)
3. Hypothesis/Goals, include community/COEC engagement in setting goals
4. Background and significance
5. Specific Aims, with timeline
6. Methods and data analysis
7. IRB/IACUC: Projects involving human or animal subjects must have protocols pre-reviewed for adherence to IRB/IACUC requirements, by department or EOHSI senior faculty
8. Expected Results, Outcomes:
   • To enhance scientific discovery relevant to environmental health
   • Publications; grant applications to NIH, especially NIEHS
   • Development of ongoing working relationships between CEED and community organizations for future community-engaged environmental research
9. Relevance to NIEHS Center
10. Planned use of NIEHS Facility Cores

Appendices

1. References
2. Biosketches (2015 NIH format)
3. Other Support Page (NIH format) for PI and co-investigators

Budget: up to two pages

1. Budget – Direct costs only – Indirect costs are not permissible
2. Budget Justification

Timeline

• July 31, 2015: RFP released
• September 4, 2015: Applications due
• September 2015: Review by Director and Internal Advisory Board including COEC Director Applicants may be asked to give a 10-minute presentation of their project to the Review Committee
• September 15, 2015: Award letters
• October 1, 2015 – March 31, 2016: FUNDING PERIOD *IRB/IACUC approvals, if applicable, must be secured before any funding will be released.
• January 30, 2016 – 1st quarter; April 30, 2016 – final: Reporting: quarterly progress reports on program establishment, protocol revisions, and spending. All funds must be spent by March 31, 2016. By one year post-funding (April 2017, funded applicants will be required to give an oral presentation of the project outcome at an NIEHS Center members’ meeting, and provide evidence of NIH grant submission.

DOWNLOAD A PDF VERSION OF THIS RFP HERE.

Please e-mail your application by September 4, 2015 to:
Kimi Nakata, MPH, MSSW, NIEHS Center Administrator
PHONE – (848) 445-0194 | FAX – (732) 445-0922 | E-mail: knakata@eohsi.rutgers.edu