Mar 092017
 

Proposals due April 17, 2017

 

DATE: March 3, 2017
TO: Faculty: Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
FROM: Helmut Zarbl, Ph.D., Director
Debra L. Laskin, Ph.D., Deputy Director
Kenneth Reuhl, Ph.D., Director of CEED Pilot Project Program
SUBJECT: Request for Proposals for 2017-18 Pilot Project Program Funding

 

The NIEHS Center for Environmental Exposures and Disease (CEED), in collaboration with the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute (EOHSI), is soliciting applications for its 2017-18 Pilot Project Program.  Pilot funding supports new environmental health research with the potential to improve human health.  CEED is funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS, P30-ES005022).

The mission of CEED is to understand how environmental exposures are integrated with host and environmental factors to influence human diseases. Further, to use this information to improve human health through education, outreach, and mechanistically based intervention, prevention, and treatment modalities.

This year’s RFP encourages interdisciplinary and collaborative approaches to problems in the environmental health sciences, including involvement of community-based organizations and the CEED Community Outreach and Engagement Core (COEC).  Community organizations and Rutgers researchers may collaborate to co-lead investigations of community environmental health concerns. 

For examples of recent pilot projects, see: https://ceed.rutgers.edu/pilot-project-program/

Requirements of Pilot Program Project:

  1. NIH Biosketch (see next page)
  2. Preference will be given to projects that will be competitive for NIEHS grants
  3. Pilot Project recipients must apply for NIH, and preferable NIEHS, grant funding by March 2018 or within 1 year following the end of the pilot project.

A maximum of $25,000 will be available for each grant; however, budgetary justification and potential for NIEHS funding will be significant factors in reviewing these grants.  The maximum may be exceeded only in exceptional cases.

The Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator must be a Rutgers faculty member, with special consideration given to new faculty members.  Membership in the NIEHS Center or in EOHSI is not required. However, collaborative projects with CEED/EOHSI members are strongly encouraged.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES

Each proposal must include the following components:

PROJECT NARRATIVE: up to four pages (single-spaced, 11 pt. font, 1” margins):

  1. Title of Project
  2. Investigators (include names, titles, addresses, e-mail and phone numbers)
  3. Hypothesis
  4. Background and significance
  5. Specific Aims, with timeline
  6. Methods and data analysis
    •        Human subjects: list and attach active IRB protocol that is appropriate or can be easily amended to include projected studies
    •           Animal subjects: list relevant IACUC protocol and attach approval letter  

7.Expected Results, Outcomes: **

  • Enhance scientific discovery relevant to environmental health; publications;
  • Grant applications to NIH, especially NIEHS 7. Relevance to CEED mission (see p. 1)

8. Planned Use of CEED Facility Cores

PROPOSAL APPENDICES:

  1. References
  2. Biosketch in NIH format; http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-15-032.html
  3. Other Support Page in NIH format: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/othersupport.pdf
  4. Budget and Budget Justification

Budget Considerations:

  • Direct Costs only – Indirect costs are not permissible
  • Undergraduate stipends up to $6,000/year ($3,000/semester) are allowable.
  • No equipment, travel, graduate student stipends, or faculty salary will be supported.
  • Awards will not be granted to the same investigators more than 2 consecutive years.

Review Process

Review of the Pilot Grant proposals will take place in April 2017.  The Director of the Pilot Project Program will first review all applications to determine if the application meets the basic criteria, and will triage any non-adherent applications immediately.  The Director may offer to assist in fine-tuning applications, at his discretion.  All eligible applications will be sent out for review by internal and external reviewers.  Applicants may be asked to give a 10-minute presentation of their project to the Review Committee.

 Awards and Reporting

Successful applicants will be sent award letters, including instructions regarding expenditure of funds, by May 15, 2017. All funds must be spent by March 1, 2018, at which time awardees must provide an interim progress report.  By one year post-funding, funded applicants will be required to give an oral presentation of the project outcome at an NIEHS Center members’ meeting, and provide evidence of grant submission.

Inquiries and Submission of Proposals:
Please e-mail your application by April 17, 2017 to:  Kimi Nakata, MPH, MSSW, NIEHS Center Administrator
PHONE: (848) 445-0194  FAX: (732) 445-0922
E-mail: knakata@eohsi.rutgers.edu
Website:Environmental Health Pilot Grant Program 2017

 

DOWNLOAD A PDF VERSION OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT HERE

 March 9, 2017
Jul 312015
 

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

 July 31, 2015
Jul 302015
 

vascular-functionHoward Kipen, MD, MPH, Professor of Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Director of Clinical Research and Occupational Medicine at EOHSI, is the principal investigator of an award totaling $999,975 over three years. The project, titled “Climate Change, Indoor Ozone, and Vascular Function,” is being supported by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Learn more about Dr. Kipen here.

 July 30, 2015
Jul 272015
 

CEED, in collaboration with EOHSI, solicited applications for its 2015-16 Pilot Project Program. The mission of CEED is to understand how environmental exposures are integrated with host and environmental factors to influence human diseases. Further, to use this information to improve human health through education, outreach, and mechanistically based intervention, prevention, and treatment modalities. This year’s request for proposals encouraged interdisciplinary and collaborative approaches to problems in the environmental health sciences, including involvement of the Community Outreach and Engagement Core (COEC).

Five pilot projects were chosen for funding for this cycle. They include:

  1. Design and Development of a Novel Personal Nasal Filter to Improve Respiratory Health (Han, P.I.)
  2. Microfluidic Biosensor for Dual Detection of Nitrite Content and Inflammatory Protein Biomarkers in Exhaled Breath (Javanmard, P.I.)
  3. Rutgers Commuter and Community Cohort (RC3) Study: Community Viewpoints (Laumbach, P.I.)
  4. Assessment of Microbial Communities in Real-World Urban Air Pollution Particulate Matter (Schwander, P.I.)
  5. Epigenetic Deregulation of Sexual Developmental by In Utero Exposure to Zeranol (Zarbl, P.I.)

Summary descriptions of the 5 projects can be see on the Pilot Program page.

 July 27, 2015