North Carolina Center for Health and Wellness

Wellness Initiative Starter (WIS) Grants, 2010

Request for Proposals

Purpose

Through the Wellness Initiative Starter (WIS) Grant program, the North Carolina Center for Health and Wellness (NCCHW) is soliciting research projects in one of three priority areas: prevention of childhood obesity, enhancement of workplace wellness, or promotion of healthy aging.  We especially encourage community-based efforts, i.e., projects involving community groups or agencies in both the planning and facilitation of the project.

WIS Grant proposals should be submitted by teams comprised of both faculty members (principal investigators) and students (research assistants).  We value multidisciplinary collaborations, and seek proposals from any academic discipline(s).  Prior WIS Grants have been awarded to faculty from 11 different academic departments (see http://www.unca.edu/ncwell for information about previously funded projects). 

Funds Available and Eligibility

Supported by the Blue Cross/Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation, maximum funding for each WIS grant is $20,000 (see below for limits in each category).  Up to three WIS Grants will be awarded.  Funding can be used to support faculty course-release time, faculty summer stipends, student research assistant wages, equipment and supplies, and relevant travel.

Principal investigators of WIS Grants must be full-time faculty members, employed by UNCA continuously throughout the grant period.  Full-time staff members are welcome to collaborate with faculty on grants, serving as co-principal investigators, but are not eligible for course-release time or summer stipends.  Funded projects can begin as early as January 18, 2010, and should have a target completion date of August 15, 2011.

Selection Criteria

Proposals will be reviewed by the NCCHW Research Committee, which will include faculty members from each academic division with expertise in research and health promotion.  (Note that proposals should be written with the understanding that they will be reviewed by individuals from different disciplines.)  Proposals will be evaluated according to the following criteria, in order of importance:

1. Project has the potential to make an important impact on one of the Center priority areas.

Proposals must address one of the Center priorities (childhood obesity, workplace wellness, or healthy aging), emphasizing a primary prevention approach, e.g., preventing obesity rather than treating diabetes.  Project goals should be clearly tied to the relevant priority areas, e.g., a researcher studying stress management effectiveness in an elderly population would explicitly show how expected outcomes could enhance healthy aging.

2. Project is community-based.

Proposals should demonstrate knowledge of and involvement in the Western North Carolina community, ideally through strong collaboration with an existing organization (e.g., community group, school, non-profit agency, workplace, program).  If possible, evidence of a pre-existing or developing partnership should be documented in the proposal (e.g., through a letter of support).

3. Project complements and builds upon established scholarship in the area and demonstrates appropriately rigorous and well-defined methods to achieve its goals.

Proposals should show an understanding of prior research that has been conducted in the area of interest, and research plans should be sufficiently rigorous and well-designed to accomplish the study goals.  Although WIS Grants are intended to be pilot projects, we hope that the results will be both generalizeable and publishable.  

4. Project is conducted by a multidisciplinary team that provides student research assistants with a quality research experience.

Given the breadth and complexity of the Center priority areas, we envision that projects will benefit from the expertise of faculty, staff, or students from different disciplines and perspectives.  In addition, consistent with UNCA’s emphasis on undergraduate research, projects should offer students an opportunity to develop meaningful research skills and expertise and to participate in research presentations or publications resulting from the project.

Proposal Deadline

Recognizing that the process of developing or strengthening potential community ties takes time, WIS Grant proposals are not due until the final day of classes, Friday, December 4^th (5:00 p.m.).  Please send your proposal electronically to Melissa Himelein (himelein@unca.edu). 

Proposal Format

1. Cover page, containing the following: Project title; names, departments, and contact information of faculty principal investigator and co-investigator(s), or co-principal-investigators; community partners and contact information (if applicable); NCCHW priority area to which project is related

2. Narrative (maximum of 3 single-spaced pages), containing each of the following sections:

• Background: Explanation of problem or issue with supporting brief literature review, confirming need for or importance of the study.  If not obvious, please explain how the project relates to the relevant NCCHW priority area.
• Specific goals or objectives
• Methods: Description of participants; research design, procedures, and/or interventions employed; and measures or method of evaluation to document the success of the project
• Description of responsibilities of each team member (faculty, community partner(s), and students).  Students do not need to be identified in advance, but student research roles should be clarified.
• Timeline for completion (what will happen in each semester and summer of the grant’s duration) and plan to disseminate the findings (e.g., undergraduate research presentations, faculty research presentations and publications, community feedback and presentations)
• Appendices (need not be included within 3-page limit): References, community partner letter of support (if applicable)

3. Budget.  Please refer to the following categories and the funding caps, where applicable, within each.  Where appropriate, please explain your expected needs.

• Faculty release time: $2700 per 3-credit course (maximum $5400 for release time per grant); limit of one course release per faculty member and maximum of two course releases per grant
• Faculty summer stipend: maximum of $3500 per faculty member plus 28% FICA and retirement (i.e., $3500 stipend should be figured into the grant as $3500 + $980 = $4480)
• Student research assistant wages: All projects must include at least one student researcher (and ideally more than one); they do not need to be identified at this time.  Pay rate for students should be $10.50/hour.  Summer wages should also include 8% for FICA unless the student is registered as a full-time summer student. 
• Supplies: No maximum, but the greater the amount (e.g., >$1000), the more detailed the justification should be.  Note that all University policies for purchase of equipment and supplies must be followed (see http://www.unca.edu/controller/purchasing.html).
• Travel: $1000 maximum per grant for conference travel; travel that is part of the research, e.g., travel related to data collection, is not subject to a travel limit

Terms of Award

Awardees are asked to submit a project completion report (maximum of 2 single-spaced pages) describing research activities and conclusions to the NCCHW (himelein@unca.edu) by September 1, 2011.  Copies of undergraduate or faculty presentations and publications related to the grant should be forwarded to the NCCHW as well.  Unexpended grant balances will revert to the NCCHW.

For More Information and Assistance

Prospective WIS applicants are strongly encouraged to contact Melissa Himelein (himelein@unca.edu), NCCHW Associate Director of Research, about project ideas to ensure their compatibility with program goals.  In addition, the NCCHW has established partnerships with several community health promotion agencies and may be able to facilitate connections for faculty interested in developing relevant community ties.