Pilot Grant Program
Pilot grants are offered by the KU School of Health Professions to its faculty. Learn how to apply.
To support faculty research and collaboration, the School of Health Professions established a pilot grant program. This program provides funding to be used for research purposes as well as the costs involved in pursuing competitive national funding. The objective of this pilot program is to position faculty for external funding.
All full-time and part-time University of Kansas faculty members in the School of Health Professions are eligible for funding.
Applicant criteria
- The primary investigator (PI) of the research in question must be a School of Health Professions faculty member.
- Preference will be given to applicants who have not previously received School of Health Professions research support.
- In the case of equally strong proposals, preference will be given to tenure-track faculty who are not yet tenured.
- Proposals focusing on/or related to rehabilitation (broadly defined) will be given priority. improving human health will be given priority. This priority includes but is not limited to research on interventions, biological mechanisms of action, and methodological enhancement.
Project criteria
- All proposals recommended for funding must meet a high standard of scientific merit and must be clearly and comprehensively described.
- Research questions must be stated clearly. In experimental design, hypotheses to be tested and methods for addressing research questions must be stated clearly.
- The most important question the committee will address in its review of each proposal is, “Is the project likely to generate data that can facilitate successful application for external funding?” To be awarded funds, the proposal must make it clear that the answer is in the affirmative.
- The proposal should include a plan for obtaining external funding. Preferences will be given to proposals with a strong potential for external funding.
- The research committee reserves the right to seek external review of proposals if deemed necessary.
What's covered in the pilot grant
- A total of up to $30,000 is available to support this project. Available funds are primarily designated to cover operating expenses and consumables.
- Research assistants and participants may be paid, but faculty salaries cannot be supplemented.
- Costs of dissemination of the results of funded projects (e.g., page costs, travel to conferences) cannot be supported.
Deadlines to apply
Applications are due by 5 p.m. CST, Monday, January 12, 2024. No applications will be accepted after this deadline.
Awards timeline and responsibilities
Awards will be announced by February 23, 2024, with funding available July 1, 2024, and all funds must be spent by June 30 of the following year.
If a proposal is not recommended for funding, the associate dean for research will inform the applicant of the reasons why the proposal was not successful. The applicant may seek the opinion of the research committee regarding how the proposal could have been made stronger.
All proposals recommended for funding must be approved by the dean of the School of Health Professions. Awardees will be requested to present their supported research in a School of Health Professions faculty meeting.
View full proposal requirements
and submit YOUR proposal
Please note: the document linked above is only accessible to School of Health Professions faculty.