• Cover Page
  • Title of Project
  • Team Members: Please list all team members with affiliation and contact information.
  • Abstract/Project Summary (maximum 1 page): The abstract should include: a brief background of the project; specific aims, objectives, or hypotheses; the significance of the proposed research and relevance to the Summit; the unique features and innovation of the project; the methodology (action steps) to be used; expected results; and description of how your results will affect other research areas.
• Specific Aims: (1 Page Maximum) The purpose of the specific aims is to describe concisely and realistically the goals of the proposed research and summarize the expected outcome(s), including the impact the proposed research will exert on the research fields involved. The specific aims should cover: broad, long-term goals;the specific objectives and hypotheses to be tested; summarize expected outcomes;and describe impact on the research field
• Research Plan (maximum 4 pages)
  • Significance: The Significance section should explain the importance of the problem or describe the critical barrier to progress in the field that is being addressed. Explain how the proposed research project will improve scientific knowledge, technical capability, and/or clinical practice in one or more broad fields. Describe how the concepts, methods, technologies, treatments, services, or preventative interventions that drive this field will be changed if the proposed aims are achieved.
  • Innovation: Explain how the application challenges and seeks to shift current research or clinical practice paradigms.Describe any novel theoretical concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation or interventions to be developed or used, and any advantage over existing methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions.Explain any refinements, improvements, or new applications of theoretical concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation, or interventions.
  • Approach should address the following questions: What do you intend to do? What has already been done in general, and what have other researchers done in this field? Use appropriate references. What have you (and your collaborators) done to establish the feasibility of what you are proposing to do? How will the research be accomplished? Who? What? When? Where? Why?
• References (not included in the 4-page maximum for the Research Plan).
• Roles and Functions of All Project Personnel, and the individual responsibilities of the PI(s) (maximum 1 page). If relevant, be explicit about who the community partner(s) is and how they will be involved in the design and implementation of the project.
• Collaboration Plan: Provide a brief description of 1) Team Communication and Coordination Plan (please address geographic distance if relevant); 2) Data management and ownership plans 3) Authorship plan (What will be the criteria and the process for assigning authorship and credit?) 4) Promotion/dissemination plan (agreement on how findings, products, and publications will be promoted and communicated to the public).
• Biographical Sketch or CV of Principal Investigator(s)/Project Director(s)
• Budget with Justification for each item (maximum 1 page). Please see Budget Guidelines for a list of allowable costs.
• Proposed Project’s Relationship to Extant Research: Provide a brief description of how the proposed pilot project is related to any current projects being conducted by the PI(s).
• Letters of Support (optional)

Funds may only be used for direct costs of carrying out approved projects, such as:

1. Personnel who are essential for conducting/implementing the project, such as graduate research assistants and student labor. Individuals who are not on the regular state payroll (i.e., consultants and other off-campus assistance) may be hired to perform special project-related tasks as needed.
2. Resources that require fee-for-services within UConn or at another institution.
3. Participant incentives for recruitment, study participation, or project participation.
4. Out-of-state travel that is necessary to conduct the project.
5. Equipment necessary for conducting the project (“equipment” is defined as an article of tangible, non-expendable personal property that costs $5,000 or more).
6. Project supplies, including drugs and services.
7. Other specifically authorized expenses that may be essential for carrying out the project.

Funds may not be used for the following:

1. Principal Investigators’, Co-Investigators’, or any faculty member’s salary.
2. Living expenses.
3. Laptops or desktop computers, unless used exclusively for the project and not for any other activities.
4. Service/maintenance contracts on equipment.
5. Laboratory renovations or other infrastructure renovations.
6. Institutional and/or individual memberships in professional organizations.
7. Travel to professional meetings to present the results of the project, or any conference attendance.
8. Indirect costs, including clerical and administrative personnel salaries.
9. Costs associated with the publication of results of the research, such as the purchase of reprints.
10. Investigator or project staff training costs, including tuition.

Priority for funding will be based primarily on innovation and feasibility. The following review criteria will be leveraged, in no particular order:

Research Projects

• Scientific merit of the research project and the extent to which it is novel or innovative (e.g., testing a new methodology, theory, or understudied research area).
• Scientific premise and rigor of the pilot work to be supported by the seed grant.
• Relevance of the study to the Ideas Lab theme.
• Composition of the research team (preference will be given to interdisciplinary work).

Policy Proposals

• The extent to which the policy proposal is novel or innovative.
• Potential and likelihood of policy change resulting from the pilot work to be supported by the seed grant.
• Relevance of the policy proposal to the Ideas Lab theme.
• Feasibility of plans to submit an external grant proposal to external funders no later than one year following completion of the pilot project.
• Composition of the policy/advocacy team (preference will be given to interdisciplinary work).

Practice/Program Proposals

• The extent to which the practice/program proposal is novel or innovative.
• Sustainability of practice/program resulting from the pilot work to be supported by the seed grant.
• Relevance of the study to the Ideas Lab theme.
• Feasibility of plans to submit an external grant proposal to external funders no later than one year following completion of the pilot project.
• Composition of the practice/program team (preference will be given to interdisciplinary work).