2023 RFA Cycle 4 **CLOSED**

No upcoming RFAs at this time.

Applicants are expected to apply with a HCS partner.

HCS include, but are not limited to, large integrated health systems; academic medical centers; payers (e.g., Medicare Advantage plans); commercial care entities (e.g., CVS/Walgreens); health services companies (e.g., Optum); and other acute, post-acute, long-term care, and community care settings that provide care for PLWD and their CP.

Every proposal should include co-design of research with its HCS partner and an element that addresses health equity.

Successful applications will clearly define the mutual benefit of the HCS Scholar year activities for both the investigator and the HCS. Activities should be guided by the HCS’s needs with the goal of furthering the partnership, the investigator’s understanding of the HCS, and resulting in a grant proposal for an ePCT reflecting the HCS’s needs. Applications should not include pre-determined scientific aims, hypotheses, or methods; HCS Scholars should develop these together with the HCS partner over the course of the year.

Examples of proposed activities may include: participating in HCS meetings to understand barriers and facilitators in providing care for PLWD and CPs; building relationships with relevant staff at multiple levels and sites within an organization; analyzing administrative data to understand care provided to PLWD; and/or evaluating an ongoing pilot program the HCS has implemented. HCS Scholar activities may be in-person or virtual. All applications must include an element of Health Equity.

HCS Scholars will be assigned to and meet monthly with an IMPACT Collaboratory HCS Core advisor to monitor progress and make connections, as needed. Nine months into the program, Scholars must submit a draft specific aims page targeting a potential grant submission.

This grant cycle will prioritize applications including scholar institutions and HCS that are new to the IMPACT Collaboratory and have not already partnered with our network. Applicants should email Rachel.J.Hays@kp.org if unsure whether a HCS is new to the IMPACT Collaboratory.

Applicants from under-represented racial and ethnic groups as well as individuals with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.

An informational webinar will be hosted to provide potential applicants with a program overview and application details. Potential applicants will have the opportunity to ask questions. Pre-registration is required.

• Wednesday, August 23, 2023 at 11:30 am ET: Watch the webinar recording

A set of frequently asked questions (FAQ) regarding this program are available at https://impactcollaboratory.org/HCS-Scholars-faq/. The FAQ will be updated by September 1, 2023.

Awards are for 12 months and up to $120,000 in direct costs. Indirect costs are capped at 8%. Investigators at all levels are encouraged to apply. Applicants should hold a faculty or research scientist position at an academic institution or work within a HCS. No research may be performed outside of the United States.

Applicants must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States.

There is a competitive two-step application process:

Interested applicants are required to submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) form here.  LOIs may be submitted on a rolling basis but no later than Tuesday, September 26, 2023 at 5 pm ET.

STEP 1:  Letter of Intent (LOI)

Applicants must complete the LOI Smartsheet submission form by 5pm ET on Tuesday, September 26, 2023. As part of the LOI submission, applicants must upload their NIH Biosketch and a completed PDF form with short statements (each 250 words or less) that describe the following:

1. The applicant: Describe your experience and aspirations related to non-pharmacological interventions to improve care for PLWD and/or CPs and ePCTs.
2. The HCS: Name the HCS partner and describe the HCS and how it serves PLWD and/or CP.
3. The applicant and HCS’s relationship: Describe your relationship with HCS leaders including prior history of collaboration, how the partnership plan will include co-designing a future study, and how it could impact PLWD and CPs.
4. Health Equity: Please describe how your choice of partner and/or your planned activities together will address health equity?

No budget information is required for the LOI step.

LOIs will be reviewed by at least three non-conflicted scientific reviewers and each of the above 4 sections will be scored. LOI decisions will be provided on or before October 17, 2023.

 STEP 2:  Full Proposals – by Invitation Only

All applicants invited to submit a full proposal will be required to participate in individual 30-minute meetings between October 18, 2023 and October 27, 2023 2023, to receive feedback on their LOI to inform development of their full application and ensure alignment with funding goals.

Applicants invited to submit a full application will be provided with a form for submission. Full applications will be due no later than 5pm ET on November 29, 2023.

Smartsheet Application: Full applications will be submitted online using a Smartsheet form similar to the LOI form. Access to the HCS Scholars application will be provided to those invited to submit full proposals.

Proposal Content

Full applications will include the following content, not to exceed 6 pages total in Arial Font 11:

• Investigator Background and Career Goals
• HCS Background
• Applicant and HCS Relationship and Future Goals
• Timeline and Milestones
• Health Equity Elements
• Letters of Support (not included in page limit)
  • A letter of support is required from a leader within the proposed healthcare organization or system. The letter should provide a statement indicating the health care settings commitment to ePCT research that aligns with its priorities, commitment to the scholar, an overview of AD/ADRD population they serve, the specific proposed program activities (e.g., meetings with individuals in the health care setting, use of data), and their go als for participating in the program.
  • A letter of support is required from the applicant’s supervisor (e.g., Department Chair) that addresses the applicant’s commitment to conducting AD/ADRD research in HCS, the fit with the HCS Scholars Program, and that they agree to allow the applicant to spend the proposed percent effort on the program’s activities.
• Updated NIH Biosketch (not included in page limit)

Budget Considerations

 Awards are for 12 months and up to $120,000 in direct costs, with a start date of January 8, 2024. Indirect costs are capped at 8%. Applicants must submit a detailed budget and accompanying budget justification or expenses and salary support with an accompanying budget justification is required (in a format of your choice. Support may include salary and travel for the investigator and administrative or project management support for the HCS to facilitate data access and other resources. The expected time commitment should be commensurate with the partnership activities proposed, with a suggested range of 25% to 50% of an applicant’s effort for up to 12 months. Applicants should include costs for their travel and accommodation to one 2.5 day in-person meeting in April 2024 (the IMPACT Collaboratory’s Annual Meeting and Scientific Conference) in Bethesda, MD.

Full proposals will be reviewed by at least three non-conflicted scientific reviewers who will use the NIH Scoring system (1-9) to give one global score and score each individual section.

For eligibility and program-related questions, please contact Rachel Hays, Project Manager, IMPACT Health Care Systems Core at Rachel.J.Hays@kp.org.