The One Health Initiative Announces 2024 Request for Pilot Project Proposals

What is One Health at Wayne State University?

The One Health concept recognizes that human, animal, plant, ecosystem, and planetary health inform each other and are, in fact, inextricably linked. One Health advocates that scientists, clinicians, educators and community partners adopt an integrative approach so that we can visualize, quantify, and predict the course and eventual health impact of environmental challenges before it becomes too late to introduce evidence-based intervention strategies. The One Health Program at WSU supports the coalescing of environmental health sciences research activities and relevant enabling technologies across campus and with strategic partners to target themes and thrusts that will lead to development of broad programmatic-based funding and applied technologies that involve multiple departments and/or colleges/schools and directly benefits the WSU urban region. More information is found on WSU's One Health Initiative website.

What is the purpose of this RFA?

The primary goal of the One Health Pilot Project Program is to develop research capacity and expertise to address research priorities that are informed by our Community Advisory Board (CAB) and that generate practical results that aide our community and lead to extramural research funding from supporting agencies.

This RFA seeks applications for research projects focused on understanding the integrative One Health aspects of current relevant health issues. We are especially encouraging submissions in the areas of: long-term (longitudinal) One Health data in the region, the combined effects of multiple One Health stressors in urban settings, and other novel, transdisciplinary One Health applications.

Past One Health Pilot Projects

The One Health Pilot Project program was started in 2021 with three pilot grants awarded. Graphical abstracts and background on each project can be found on the One Health Initiative website.

Timeline

Submission of Information

Submit Letters of Intent (LOI) as a single PDF file as email attachments with SUBJECT LINE: WSU ONE HEALTH LOI to:

Dr. Carol J. Miller

Co-Director, One Health Initiative

ab1421@wayne.edu

Questions

If you have questions about One Health and this RFA, please contact:

Dr. Carol J. Miller

Co-Director, One Health

ab1421@wayne.edu

or

Dr. Melissa Runge-Morris

Co-Director, One Health

m.runge-morris@wayne.edu

What are the terms of this RFA?

1. Number of awards: One Health plans to fund up to three pilot projects.
2. Funding time and amount: Each pilot project will be funded for ~1.0 years at up to $30,000 in direct costs. No funds will be allocated for administrative and facility costs (indirect costs).
3. Eligibility: Eligible applicants include all current faculty, staff, students at Wayne State University. Each pilot project must have a PI with faculty or other appointment that would enable him/her to submit an extramural research grant application as a PI. Additional participants (e.g., MPIs [multiple principal investigators], co-investigators, collaborators, consultants) who will strengthen the project are encouraged. A community member may serve as an MPI (together with another investigator who meets the above-described criteria for PI), co-investigator, or collaborator on a project.
4. Requirements:
   1. The proposed research project must be responsive to this RFA. It must be a research project that addresses a One Health problem or a One Health method of solution with relevance to the community.
   2. The proposed pilot research project must be of outstanding merit. There must be high likelihoods that: a) the proposed research project will have a substantial impact in addressing the problem and b) the pilot award will lead to extramural funding from external sources.

What may funds be used for?

Funds may be used as follows:

1. To purchase supplies and reagents. Computers costing less than $5,000 and software fees are allowed.
2. For technical support salaries
3. For incentives for community partners and community research participants

Funds may not be used as follows:

1. For salary support of faculty
2. To purchase equipment
3. For travel, except local travel (e.g., mileage for staff collecting data, environmental samples)

How do I apply?

FIRST STEP: Submit a letter of Intent (LOI) submit as single pdf file as described below.

• Complete the cover page.
• Write no more than two pages that contain the following sections:
  • Significance: Briefly introduce the proposed project and clearly explain why it is significant, innovative, and likely to lead to external research grant funding.
  • Community Relevance: In one paragraph, clearly explain why/how this project addresses a One Health science problem that is of concern to the community. This paragraph should be written in plain language understandable by a general, lay audience.
  • Hypothesis and Specific Aims: State the project's hypothesis and specific aims.
  • Research Design: Briefly explain the approaches to be used to conduct the proposed project.
  • Timeline: Provide an estimated timeline for the project that includes any need to obtain regulatory approvals (e.g., animal and/or human subjects) as well as the estimated time to perform the study. This will facilitate assessment of the feasibility of performing the study within the ~1.0-year time frame).
  • Budget: Provide an estimated total budget and expected use of the funds.

SECOND STEP: Invited investigators submit a full application. Details for preparing full applications will be provided to successful LOI applicants when they are notified of their selection. The format will be essentially the following:

1. Cover Page
2. Abstract (1 paragraph)
3. Specific Aims (less than 1 page)
4. Research Strategy (less than 7 pages)
   1. Significance
   2. Innovation 
   3. Approach 
5. Relevance to One Health (less than 1 page)
6. Plans for submission of research grant applications to external agencies (less than 2 pages)
7. Budget and Justification
8. References Cited
9. Human, Vertebrate Animal, and Hazardous Materials Assurances of Compliance - Investigators using animals, human subjects, or biohazardous materials in their research must obtain protocol approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB), Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), and/or Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) as applicable before funds can be spent on activities that require such approval
10. Letters of Commitment from all PIs and co-investigators (and any additional community partners who have roles).
11. Signatures from the departmental chairs/directors of the PI's academic units. If you are the departmental chair, your Dean or Vice President should sign.
12. Biographical Sketches of key personnel

Click for a printable version of this RFP.