The PHHP Office of Research is excited to announce a new program designed to help our faculty reach their research funding goals. This funding mechanism is designed to be both mobile and responsive to the college faculty’s emerging research needs.
We welcome submissions to the new PHHP Research Innovation Fund. The Innovation Fund is designed to provide funding to PHHP faculty for pilot/feasibility studies to enhance their opportunity for obtaining extramural research funding. All faculty with primary appointments in PHHP may submit proposals. Priority will be given to early career faculty, but faculty of all ranks (Assistant, Associate, Full) are eligible. Collaboration across PHHP departments is highly desired and collaboration with other colleges is encouraged. Note: Postdoctoral fellows are not eligible for this mechanism.
The pilot program is organized around three major themes:
- PHHP Research: General
- PHHP Research: Artificial Intelligence
- PHHP Research: Direct Clinical Impact
Themes
PHHP Research: General
The General theme represents all research topics studied by PHHP faculty with potential for extramural funding and will be funded from the PHHP Office of Research. This theme will be the largest mechanism and is expected to fund at least 4 proposals per year. Submissions under this theme will be reviewed by the PHHP Associate Dean for Research.
PHHP Research: Artificial Intelligence
The Artificial Intelligence theme relates to AI and will be funded out of the PHHP Office of the Associate Dean for AI and Innovation. Proposals applying to this theme must include artificial intelligence as a central component of the research proposal. This theme is expected to fund at least 2 proposals per year. Submissions under this theme will be reviewed by the PHHP Associate Dean for AI and Innovation.
PHHP Research: Direct Clinical Impact
The Direct Clinical Impact theme relates to research with direct impact on clinical practice and/or clinical service. This mechanism will be funded by the Office of the President of UF Health. Proposals applying to this theme must demonstrate how the research will directly impact clinical practice or service through the proposed project. This theme is expected to fund at least 2 proposals per year. Submissions under this theme will be reviewed by the PHHP Associate Dean for Research.
Scope of Funding
Proposals will be funded at a maximum of $25,000. Faculty are encouraged to request only the funds needed for their pilot/feasibility study to facilitate maximum access to the Innovation Fund for faculty within the college. Faculty salary support should not be the primary use of support and must be limited to no more than 20% of the total budget requested.
Review Process
Once applications are reviewed by either the Associate Dean for Research or the Associate Dean for AI and Innovation, additional feedback will be requested from faculty at UF with relevant expertise. Applicants will also be asked to meet and field questions about the proposal. Funding decisions will be decided in conference with the College of Public Health and Health Professions’ Dean.
When reviewing a proposal, the following criteria will be considered:
- Scientific rigor
- Potential for impact on patient and public health
- Potential for significant impact on a candidate’s pursuit of future extramural funding
- Potential for impact on candidate’s career trajectory
Not all proposals will be funded.
Funding Decision Timeline
To maximize mobility of the pilot program for enhancing our faculty’s funding success, the PHHP Office of Research aims to make funding decisions and initiate award of funds within 4 weeks of application submission.
Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. Once funds within the Innovation Fund are expended for the year, subsequent applications received will be considered in the following funding year. The Innovation Fund awards cycle coincides with the fiscal year. Faculty awarded an Innovation Fund grant will be eligible to submit for a future Innovation Fund award 24 months after receipt of the initial award.
How to Apply
Applications must be submitted using the form below.
The application process requires:
- A brief paragraph about the study/study goals
- Specific aims that will be supported by this funding
- A brief budget (using this template) and budget justification
- NIH-style biosketches for all principal and co-investigators
- A list of grants (including submission dates) that will be pursued over the next 12 months.
Please make sure to read over the Innovation Fund Principles and Procedures before submitting your application. If you have any questions, please reach out to the PHHP Office of Research.
Innovation Fund Application Submission
The Office of Research will reach out to you once we receive your application.
PHHP Research Innovation Fund recipients 2023
Young-Rock Hong, Ph.D.
Department of health services research, management and policy
“Validation of BMI diagnoses and longitudinal BMI trajectories in HER database for populations with bariatric surgery”
Category: General topics in public health and health professions
Yiyang Liu, Ph.D.
Department of epidemiology
“Utilizing natural language processing of clinical notes for HIV risk prediction”
Category: Artificial intelligence
Hollea Ryan, Ph.D., Au.D.
Department of speech, language, and hearing sciences
“Evaluating Tinnitus Status and Effective Management of Patients with Long COVID”
Category: Direct clinical impact
Deepthi Varma, Ph.D.
Department of epidemiology
“Sexual and reproductive health concerns of women living with HIV and use substances – an exploratory study”
Category: General topics in public health and health professions
Rebecca Willcocks, Ph.D.
Department of physical therapy
“Deep learning-powered assessment of bone quantity in Duchenne muscular dystrophy”
Category: Artificial intelligence