Research and Scholarship Support Overview | College of Health Sciences

Guiding Principles

The Office of Research and Scholarship (ORS) is guided by the CHS strategic plan to elevate the scholarship and research done in the college to impact both the commonwealth and nation’s most pressing health problems. In this, we have a strong commitment to helping new, early stage, and established investigators successfully compete for research funding and helping all faculty achieve scholarly success by supporting the development of scholarly products. The ORS provides a rapid response to investigators’ needs for projects in a multitude of ways and has grown the number of program offerings to meet the expanding needs of the college.

ORS Support Highlights

Monthly research meetings revolved around critical topics in research and scholarship
Multiple funding opportunities to support:
- Funding for pilot data critical for grant submission, resubmissions, and pilot scholarship projects
- Undergraduate student research support
- Mentoring programs for faculty and students
- Annual grants and awards
- New equipment
- Post-doctoral success
Monthly newsletter to stay up to date on CHS Research happenings
- Catalogued Newsletters

Monthly Research Meeting

Our research meetings are meant to be an interactive environment with “food for thought”. For example, the ADR will share campus wide updates such as updates from The Office of the Vice President for Research Office (OVPR) and on new regulatory requirements from OSPA if needed before opening to proposed topics. Previous topics have included technology commercialization, journal clubs, data visualization and more. The monthly agenda will be determined by ORS based on topics generated from the ADR, Research Advisory Committee feedback, and open feedback from CHS faculty.

In addition, we also like to spotlight one of our research faculty in Research Spotlights for faculty to showcase their recent research projects and scholarly activities.

Pilot Project Funding

Community Research Pilot Grant

As part of the College of Health Sciences (CHS) strategic plan, we seek to identify ways to support investigators who work directly with communities in both urban and rural areas. To that end, we have developed several tools to help CHS faculty advance their community- based research to funding opportunity.

Given the unique needs of investigators who work with community partners, we seek to establish a specific grant program for this space. This program can be used to support the costs of holding community events, meals, training, travel, and materials. Funds from this work must be used for pilot work that will result in a grant application within 2 years of receipt of funds. The grants are non-renewable and up for 1 year. The applicant must submit a final report. Failure to submit a report within 3 months after completion of the award will result in an inability to submit for funding for 2 subsequent years. Lastly, the investigator must report to ORS staff when the extramural grant has been submitted, as well as all publications and abstracts that come from the funding. Requests are fulfilled on a rolling basis as funding allows. Please provide the following information in a single Microsoft Word document to Brian Noehren (b.noehren@uky.edu):

To apply, individuals will follow the following steps:

Speak with and receive permission from your department chair.
Complete the following sections in a word document, size 12 ariel font, ½ inch margins.
1. The project goals (limit 200 words)
2. What community(ies) are going to be served, how, and when?
3. Who is the principal investigator and co-investigators?
What specific grant opportunities will you submit for, when are the deadlines, and how will these funds enhance your ability to be competitive? (500 words)
Budget and budget justification (1 page)

Pilot Projects for Grant Submissions

Requests are fulfilled on a rolling basis as funding allows. Please provide the following information in a single Microsoft Word document to Brian Noehren (b.noehren@uky.edu):

Project Title
Project Abstract (500 words or less)
Brief description of how the pilot funding will strengthen future proposals?
Brief future proposal submission plan.
Budget & budget justification

Preference will be given to projects that 1) can be completed in the near term providing crucial pilot data for first submissions or are in response to reviewers’ comments that, if addressed, will increase the likelihood of funding, 2) have the needed IRB or IACUC approvals, 3) benefit more than one individual, and 4) are being used for a grant application within the year. Special consideration will be given to pre-tenured faculty. All requests go through an administrative review by the ORS personnel to ensure compliance with program principles and are reviewed by the ADR for final funding decisions. The expectation is to make funding decisions quickly to enable the PI to get started.

Expectations:

Meet with the departmental Chair to discuss the pilot project
Meet with the ADR to discuss funding needs prior to submitting a funding application. When possible, the PI should show how they will leverage existing sources of funds, including start-up, F & A returns, and departmental resources to contribute to project
Attend and participate in monthly research meetings described above
ORS funds will be directly used to facilitate the submission of grant application(s)
When funded by ORS, investigator must present findings in a CHS research seminar
Established investigators help mentor pre-tenure regular title or research title faculty
Submit summary statements to the ORS
Appropriately file paperwork with the ORS for grant submissions
Complete all close-out procedures for grants (both internal and external) on time
Recognize and report all publications and abstracts that come out of funding from ORS
Promptly return all unspent funds to ORS
Report on progress in faculty performance review
Use funding within 12 months
Additional requirements for early-stage investigators:
Attend meetings with the ADR to review progress on developing and submitting grants
Meet with faculty research mentor on a regular basis

Pilot Projects for Scholarship

We also seek to help support our non-grant seeking faculty with their scholarship. Grants may be submitted on a rolling basis. Preference will be given to projects that will result in more than one publishable unit and projects benefiting more than one faculty member. Requests are fulfilled on a rolling basis as funding allows. To apply, please provide the following information in single Microsoft Word document to Brian Noehren (b.noehren@uky.edu):

Project Title
Project Abstract (500 words or less)
Brief description of how you plan to disseminate your scholarly work.
Budget & budget justification

Expectations:

Meet with the departmental Chair to discuss the scholarship project
Meet with the ADR to discuss funding needs prior to submitting a funding application
IRB approval, if applicable, is required before funds are released
When funded by ORS, present findings in the research seminar
Complete all close-out procedures for grants (both internal and external) on time
Recognize and report all publications and abstracts that come out of funding from ORS
Promptly return all unspent funds to ORS
Report on progress in faculty performance review
Use funding within 12 months

Post-doctoral Research Grants

One $4000 grant can be awarded to each post-doctoral scholar/fellow while they are a post-doctoral scholar/fellow within CHS. Requests are fulfilled on a rolling basis as funding allows. Strong preference will be given to grants used to generate data for F32 grant submissions or funded projects or similar type of grants from relevant foundations. Proposed projects will undergo the same administrative review described in the pilot funds request. To be eligible, post-docs must not have received CHS pilot funding from another opportunity within 12 months. To apply, please provide the following information in Microsoft Word document to Brian Noehren (b.noehren@uky.edu) and Olivia Brown (olivia.brown1@uky.edu):

Project Title
Project Abstract (500 words or less)
Brief description of how the pilot funding will strengthen future proposals?
Brief future proposal submission plan or summary of work from funded project
Budget & budget justification

Expectations:

The mentor contributes $1000 of the $4000 award
The mentor signs off on the grant
When funded by ORS, present findings in the research seminar
Complete all close-out procedures for grants (both internal and external) on time
Recognize and report all publications and abstracts that come out of funding from ORS
Promptly return all unspent funds to ORS
Use funding within 12 months

Undergraduate Research Microgrants Incentive Program

The CHS Undergraduate Research Program (CHS UGR), in partnership with the ORS, is launching an incentive program for faculty to specifically encourage the creation of new research opportunities for undergraduate students. The incentive program will issue microgrants of up to $300 to support faculty working with undergraduate students in a newly approved and posted research opportunity. Funds can be used for supplies, or any other expenses directly related to the student’s research work and effort. Funds cannot be used for student travel, meeting costs, publication fees, or poster printing because there are other funds available through the CHS UGR office for these expenses.

Eligibility for Incentive Program:

First, to be eligible, applicants must create and post to the CHS UGR website, an approved research opportunity for undergraduate students. Secondly, research opportunities must be “new” for a given semester to be eligible for the incentive since the point of the program is to create more opportunities for our students than currently exist. Currently open research opportunities are not eligible for the incentive program. Research opportunities that were “closed” or “full” during a previous semester and are now being re-opened to student involvement are eligible for the incentive. Third, applicants must have a student researcher who has interviewed for and agreed to participate in the new or re-opened research opportunity at the time of the microgrant application. Fourth, the applicant must be a full-time CHS faculty member who is either pre-tenure from all title series or post-tenure in special/clinical titles.

To apply, please provide the following information in Microsoft Word document to Brian Noehren (b.noehren@uky.edu) and Richie Andreatta (richard.andreatta@uky.edu):

Title of your new research opportunity approved and posted to the CHS UGR Current Opportunities website
Student name and ID for whom funds will be used to support work
Requested microgrant amount (up to $300 max)
Brief description and detail on what the funds will be used for in direct support of the student’s work.

Expectations:

Microgrant funding will be provided on a rolling basis until the yearly allotment for this initiative is exhausted.
Funds must be used during the semester they are awarded and cannot be rolled over.
Applicants awarded a microgrant agree to provide a brief summary report (1 paragraph) at the end of the semester on how the funds were used and their benefit to the student.
A given applicant is limited to a maximum total funding amount of $300 per semester.
A new application is required for each microgrant request.

Mentoring Programs

Mentoring Program for First Generation Undergraduate Research Students

This program will pair first-generation college students with current RHB program doctoral students or post-docs from the who share similar demographic backgrounds and lived experiences, and/or who have a strong interest in supporting underrepresented students. Doctoral students and post-docs are well-suited for this mentoring role due to their relative proximity in age to undergraduates, their deep experience with the research process, and their practical need to develop mentorship skills for their future careers in academia.

Participation by both doctoral/post-doc and undergraduate students is voluntary. Doctoral/post-doc mentors who opt to take part in the mentorship program must commit to working with their assigned student for one academic year, with two to three meetings per semester. As an incentive, mentors will receive a $500 stipend from the Office of Research and Scholarship (ORS) office to cover expenses related to their mentorship activities. If the mentorship relationship begins mid-semester or only encompasses one semester, the stipend will be prorated accordingly.

Procedure:

First-generation students participating in research or who have expressed interest in UG research will be identified each semester, asked if they wish to participate, and matched to a mentor.
A pool of approximately 10 doctoral students and post-docs will be recruited from CHS to act as a ready cohort of mentors. Each person who volunteers to participate will be asked to prepare a short bio and personal statement about mentorship.
When a 1st generation undergrad student expresses interest in the program and a willingness to participate, they will have the opportunity to review the bios of the mentor pool and select one to “meet and greet.”
After an initial meeting, if both the mentor and mentee are pleased with the relationship, they will develop a meeting schedule and exchange contact information to stay in touch.
After the initial meeting, if either the mentor or mentee expresses uncertainty about the relationship, the mentee will review the bios again and select another individual to “meet and greet.”
Once a relationship is established, the mentor will let the director of the UGR Office know who will put them in touch with both the ADR and business officer in charge of ORS to set up an account from which to access a $500 discretionary fund for mentoring expenses and/or to be used for research-related expenses.
At the end of the mentoring experience, the doctoral student/postdoc and their mentee will complete a short survey describing their experiences, the benefits of the mentoring relationship, and any aspects that could have been better managed. This information will be used to validate the program and provide a means to improve our procedure for future iterations. Information to capture includes frequency of meetings, discussion topics, tangible outcomes or products from the interaction, etc. We will also attempt to poll students after graduation to obtain a picture of the long-term value of the targeted mentorship.

Voluntary Research Office Opportunity for Mentorship (VROOM)

The VROOM program was developed to address this critical gap and help CHS scientists be successful with their federal grant applications.

Who may apply:

All pre-tenured regular and research title faculty that have an expectation to submit grants as a principal investigator.

How the program works:

The pre-tenured faculty member identifies another scientist with content expertise who is federally funded, not on a study section the faculty member would apply towards. The mentor cannot be a former doctoral or postdoctoral mentor. The mentor also cannot be a previous or current collaborator.
They will then consult with their department chair and the ADR on the rationale and appropriateness of the choice.
The ADR will contact the potential mentor, describe the program and the ask. The pre-tenured faculty member will supply the ADR with their CV and a few statements to be used in the email on why we would like to work with this particular person.
After the mentor agrees, there will be a kick off meeting with the ADR, pre-tenured faculty, department chair, and the mentor.
The mentor will be asked to meet with the pre-tenured faculty member quarterly and provide them feedback on the grants they are developing, the questions they are asking, their study and grant submission timelines. They will also review aims pages and other parts of the grant upon request.
The mentor, pre-tenured faculty, and department chair will meet yearly to discuss the faculty members progress, set goals for the upcoming years and discuss any obstacles or roadblocks they encountered over the past year. The mentor will be asked after each quarterly meeting to email the ADR that they met and any concerns or highlights that they noticed from the meeting.
The faculty member can retain this service for the first 5 years of their pre-tenure clock. Year to year renewal is contingent upon meeting with their mentor, the mentor’s active participation, and review of the progress from the prior year.
Mentors will be provided a year $2000 stipend upon the completion of the yearly meeting.

Annual Grants and Awards

Emerging Scientist Grant – nominations currently closed

This award is designed to recognize and support outstanding PhD students in the early stages of their studies. It will provide funds to assist with research supplies and/or travel and one year of tuition funding, which the faculty mentor can then reinvest into their research. This award is given on a yearly basis, as funding allows.

Award:

Successful applicants will have their tuition paid for one academic year and receive a one-time $2000 stipend. This stipend can be used on research supplies for their project and/or travel to a professional meeting. The period of the award is one year and is nonrenewable.

Selection Criteria:

The applicant must be accepted to graduate school to pursue a PhD, actively working with a CHS faculty member, and show career promise in biomedical research. Applicants will be considered who are in any PhD program offered by the University of Kentucky. The award is designed to provide early support for rising PhD students and aid one year of the pre-proposal phase of studies. Therefore, the letter of support from the faculty sponsor must, in part, attest that the student will not be taking the pre-qualifying exam during the one-year reward period.

Equipment Grant – Submission Open

This program is designed to purchase equipment to support research labs and groups of investigators in the submission of competitive extramural research proposals. Grants can be used to assist with the purchase of new equipment or to upgrade existing equipment. It is our intent to support multiple proposals again this year. In the spirit of collaboration, we strongly encourage investigators to work together and present a proposal budget that reflects a commitment of matched funds (e.g., non-recurring funds, departmental funds, etc.). This grant is awarded on a yearly basis, as funding allows.

Eligibility: All full-time CHS faculty, regardless of title series or tenure-eligibility, are eligible to apply.

Program Policies:

Awards will be made to individual investigators or to teams of investigators.
Equipment requests can be for dedicated use within an individual laboratory or for shared use. Equipment that facilitates the research of multiple CHS investigators, or that will be available within a shared space, will be given higher priority in the review process.
Only one piece of equipment may be requested per applicant.
Investigators with the ability to contribute towards the cost of the equipment are expected to do so.
Equipment maintenance, installation costs, remodeling or renovation requests will not be supported with equipment funds.
Proposals must include a current quote from the vendor. Outdated quotes and proposals without quotes will not be considered.