AHS Interdisciplinary Pilot Grant Program

The goal of the AHS Interdisciplinary Pilot Grant Program is to promote development of new interdisciplinary research projects that have the potential to impact health or quality of life, and to attract significant extramural funding.

Pilot grants of up to $20,000 per project will be provided for a maximum of one year from date of award and may not be renewed. All full-time AHS faculty are eligible to apply as principal investigators. The application must identify a new collaborator outside of the home department (within AHS, at UIC college, or outside of UIC) that brings a different discipline, expertise or methodology to the project.

Content Section

See grant recipients

Required documents

  • Cover sheet with signature of department head
  • Summary (4 page maximum, size 12 font, 1 inch margins, PI’s name in header on right) with the following headings:
    • SPECIFIC AIMS – specific aims of the project including study hypothesis
    • BACKGROUND – background establishing the rationale for the study
    • INNOVATION – description of innovative aspects of the study
    • INTERDISCIPLINARY COLLABORATION – explanation of the interdisciplinary nature of the new collaboration including specific details about the application of new methods, techniques, theories, or models that will be brought to the project. Be aware that having a clinician to recruit patients does not meet the definition of an interdisciplinary collaboration
    • DESIGN AND METHODS – design and brief description of methods
    • EXPECTED RESULTS – expected results including how this will contribute to a subsequent grant submission
    • REFERENCES – references cited (not included in four page limit)
  • Budget (no page limit, size 12 font, 1 inch margins, PI’s name in header on right) with the following headings:
    • PROPOSED BUDGET – list budget items and cost
    • JUSTIFICATION – provide a separate justification for each item in the budget
    • CURRENT FUNDING – provide a summary of PI’s current grant funding and amounts available in discretionary accounts
    • SCIENTIFIC OVERLAP – include an explanation for any potential overlaps of this project with funded projects
    • BUDGETARY OVERLAP – include an explanation for why startup, discretionary, or grant funds can’t be used for this purpose
  • Current biosketches of PI and collaborator(s) (4 page limit, NIH or NSF format)

Allowable expenses

  • Research supplies
  • Student salaries or wages
  • Equipment/software not currently available
  • Subject reimbursement or animal purchase and per diem
  • Research services, such as charges for core facilities

Unallowable expenses

  • Faculty salaries
  • Tuition
  • Conference travel
  • Publication fees
  • Workshop/conference attendance
  • Meals/refreshments (unless for subjects and participants)

Submission

Completed applications should be submitted by email as a single PDF to AHSPILOTGRANT18@listserv.uic.edu.

Review

Senior faculty members from AHS will comprise this committee. Please note that they will not all be experts in your field.

Criteria

  • Proposals must clearly demonstrate how the funds will be used to support a new interdisciplinary collaboration
  • Funding decisions will be made based on scientific merit and potential for future extramural support

Awardee responsibilities

  • PI will be responsible for obtaining IRB/IACUC approval. Funds will not be disbursed until approvals are obtained
  • Awardees will be required to provide a final written report within 30 days of the project end date describing accomplishments and plans for applying for external funding based on the results