• The proposed research for which a new team is being formed/developed, must focus on human health and be consistent with InCHIP’s mission.
• If funded, late changes to the project’s objectives and budget will require approval from relevant InCHIP staff.
• Any external grant proposal that is written with support from a Rolling Seed Grant must be submitted through InCHIP.
• University-community team proposals should describe their plan for continued partnership beyond the seed grant period (e.g., mechanisms for sustaining engagement, joint pursuit of external funding).

Funds may be used to support expenses such as: room rentals, external speakers fees/travel if justified to move the team forward, and copying of workshop materials; meeting facilitators; routine research-related expenses such as payment of participants, community investigator honoraria, copying of research material (e.g., questionnaires, consent forms), renting and purchasing of specialized equipment (e.g., digital recorder, study phone), paying personnel who are essential for conducting the project, such as graduate research assistants, student labor, postdocs (postdoc stipends should follow the NIH NRSA stipend levels), childcare providers to facilitate event-participation by community members, and staff at community organizations); publication fees; transportation or mileage, translation or accessibility services; and other activities to build a new teams.

Seed grant funds may not be used for the following:

• University Principal Investigator’s, Co-Investigator’s, or any faculty member’s salary.
• Living expenses.
• Service/maintenance contracts on equipment.
• Laboratory renovations or other infrastructure renovations.
• Institutional memberships in professional organizations.
• Indirect costs, including university clerical and administrative personnel salaries.
• Investigator training costs, including tuition.
• Computers, laptops, tablets, or other standard office equipment (computers that serve a specialized research function beyond what standard office equipment can provide are allowable).
• Student tuition and/or fees.

InCHIP may request modifications to the budget during the review process.

• Proposals will be accepted on a rolling basis and reviewed within approximately 3 weeks.
• Proposals should be submitted via email to Greidy Miralles (greidy.miralles@uconn.edu).
• The Rolling Seed Grant application (maximum of 2 single-spaced pages, not including references, timeline, and budget) requires the following information:
  • Contact information (name, degree, department, address, and email) for PI(s)
  • Project Description (2-page limit) :
    • For proposals seeking funding for the development of new university-community teams: Describe the planned activities and how these activities will support the development of a new, mutually beneficial, health-oriented partnership that advances a community-engaged research partnership, the types of activities the new team might pursue, and a timeline and budget for the proposed activities. A list of team members who will participate in the proposed activities should be included (with letters of support). Include short and long-term goals of the proposed partnership.
    • For proposals seeking funding for the development of new interdisciplinary research teams: Describe the planned activities and how these activities will support the development of a new interdisciplinary research team, the types of funding mechanisms the new team might pursue (e.g., R21, R01, Center Grants), and a timeline and budget for the proposed activities. A list of researchers who will participate in the proposed activities should be included (with letters of support), but this list does not need to be exhaustive as one of the goals of the proposal may be to identify new team members.
    • For proposals seeking matched funding or project completion funding: Describe the current status of the project, the planned activities this funding would pay for, and how those activities would help meet the aims of your original externally funded proposal.
    • The 2-page limit does not include the reference list, timeline, budget, or any letters of support from participating researchers. Appendices are not permitted.
  • Budgets: Maximum of $5,000 requested. Please articulate how the requested funding connect with the planned activities in your project description.
    
    • For requests for matched funding and project completion funding– budgets must describe other sources of funding and the articulate the financial gap in funding (costs requested through this mechanism cannot exceed 1/3 of the total costs awarded by other sources).
  • Letters of support from community partners/co-investigators should include a statement that they will participate in the proposed activities. Letters of support are required for proposals developing new teams.
• Seed grant proposals are not required to be routed through InCHIP or Sponsored Program Services (SPS).
• Investigators will be notified via email whether their proposal has been awarded funding.

Reviews will be conducted by InCHIP leadership upon receipt of the proposal. Funding decisions will be made based will be based on the following review criteria, in no particular order:

• Scientific merit of the research idea.
• Extent to which a successful outcome is considered likely and any risk in outcome is outweighed by the potential benefits of success.
• Extent to which the research area is novel or innovative, especially a proposal testing a new methodology, new theory, or new area in need of pilot data.
• Importance of the potential research question to external funders and the feasibility of plans to submit a subsequent proposal to external funders within 18 months of funding. Include links to identified funding mechanisms, whenever possible.
• Composition of the research team (preference will be given to interdisciplinary work for the interdisciplinary team formation grant).
• For academic-community team formation:

• • Potential of the partnership to result in a long-term community-university relationship.
  • Extent to which the partnership activities incorporate principles of community engagement—such as trust, equity, co-learning, and shared decision-making—into planning and proposed activities.
  • Extent to which proposals articulate a long-term plan towards improving health outcomes in the community, increasing access to health services, enhancing quality and impact of health interventions or informing health policy.
• Relevance to the mission and strategic priorities of InCHIP.

The awarded PIs are responsible for obtaining all required approvals for the research from their relevant IRB(s). Please visit the UConn IRB website for more information on IRB approval for research conducted at the UConn Storrs Campus, the five regional campuses, the School of Law and the School of Social Work. For more information on IRB approval for research conducted at UConn Health, please visit the UConn Health IRB website.Awardees will be required to submit a brief progress report after 6 months, a final report at the conclusion of the project or award period, and periodic check-ins over the following 5 years to track external grant applications/awards stemming from the seed grant. Changes to the project’s objectives, PIs, and budget will require prior approval from InCHIP staff.Detailed awardee instructions/requirements will be distributed to seed grant winners when they are notified of the award decisions. All awardee requirements described above are subject to change in accordance with updated institutional procedures (e.g., routing requirements).