“Big Idea” Collaborative Research Planning Grant Application

Faculty proposals should be collaborative, interdisciplinary, and ideally come from individuals or groups who have not previously worked together. Proposals should explore innovative areas of research, with priority given to projects focused on local communities and identifying populations most vulnerable to climate and health impacts in North Carolina and South Carolina. Projects should aim to produce measurable outcomes that directly benefit affected communities and inform future interventions.

Trainee proposals will focus on innovative ideas that expand or enrich the trainee’s area of research and ideally would engage new expertise either by engaging additional faculty or allowing the trainee to develop new skills or experiences that would enhance their potential for future climate and health research in their career.

All projects should align with one or several of the four CHeRI research priority areas: Biology and Physiology of Heat, Data Solutions for Climate and Health, Climate and Health Observatories, and Policy and Resilience in a Changing Climate. Each theme covers a unique but interconnected topic area important to Climate and Health.

1. ​​​​​​ Biology and Physiology of Heat: basic discovery research efforts focused on understanding myriad direct (i.e. physiology, immunology) and indirect effects (i.e. pathogens, nutrition) of heat on human health.
    
2. Climate and Health Observatories: facilitating the development of critical surveillance strategies, technologies, and models to describe and measure how climate change is altering health in climate-vulnerable regions across the globe with a focus on defining effective interventions and public health plans to mitigate their effects.
    
3. Data Solutions for Climate and Health: development of a central data repository and advanced analysis methods to integrate well-curated climate data with local and global human health data thereby allowing investigators to identify trends, establish causal associations, and predict future Climate and Health events.
    
4. Policy and Resilience in a Changing Climate: Policy and strategy developments that build resilience in communities, institutions, and healthcare delivery systems, thereby enhancing adaptive capacities, reducing vulnerabilities, and promoting sustainable development in the face of Climate and Health challenges.
   
   Visit Priority Themes for Climate and Health Research for a more detailed description. 

• Faculty Projects: All Duke University faculty, across all schools, centers, and institutes, are invited to submit proposals. We encourage proposals that leverage the unique strengths of Duke's diverse academic community and offer the potential for significant long-term outcomes. Members should incorporate faculty or staff from multiple disciplines.
• Trainee Projects: All Duke University graduate students and postdoctoral researchers—from any school, center, or institute—are invited to submit proposals for innovative projects at the intersection of climate and health. We encourage ideas from all disciplines, including those outside traditional climate or health fields.
• Applicants may be involved in more than one proposal but can only serve as the lead organizer in one application.
• Prospective collaborations should be framed around multidisciplinary themes. The search function at scholars.duke.edu is a useful tool for finding faculty who share a particular intellectual interest. Other resources to help identify and engage collaborators and stakeholders are available via Duke’s myRESEARCHpath.

Letter of Intent (LOI) Requirements

Provide a one-page brief description of the research idea. This does not need to be a fully formed project, but should include the following items:

1. Introduction, statement of need, and proposed methodology
2. Collaborators: these can be general thoughts on potential departments or units, specific roles required for project, and/or names of possible individuals with whom you may wish to collaborate (if known). Listing individual names is not required. If selected to present at the symposium, that event may help foster connections, and the CHeRI team can serve as facilitators to help identify potential research partners.
3. Submission of an LOI and its approval will be contingent on the investigator being able to present their idea at the “Big Idea” symposium on January 22, 2025.
4. All materials should be compiled into a single PDF document and submitted through through MyResearchProposal, using code: CHRI.

Full Application Requirements

Faculty applications must include the following components: 

1. Team Composition: Provide a list of team members (max 1 page), including their roles and expertise, identifying the lead organizer (PI). A minimum of three investigators/ collaborators from different departments who have not worked together are required. Provide a comprehensive outline of the strategy to foster team engagement throughout the project.
2. Research Challenge Description: A brief overview (max 1-2 page) of the unique research challenge that the team is addressing, including the current stage of the research, available and needed resources, methods and approach, and the project timeline.
3. Grant Goals: A statement (max 1-2 pages) outlining what the team hopes to achieve through this grant opportunity and expected outcomes and deliverables.
4. Proposed Budget: Applicants may apply for up to $300,000 total spread over two years. Detailed project budget and justification (max 1 page), including any other funding requested. Allowable Costs: funds may be used for salary/stipend and fringe of personnel (including PI, students, post-docs, project managers, technicians, participant compensation, etc.), equipment and supplies, project-related travel, publication fees, and/or consumables. Funding of investigators outside of Duke will not be allowed.
5. Total application should be a maximum of 5 pages

Trainee applications must include the following components:

1. Team Composition: Provide a list of team members, including their roles and expertise. Highlight any faculty that will be newly engaged with this project.
2. Research Challenge Description: A brief overview of the unique, research challenge the student is addressing, including the current stage of the research, available and needed resources, methods and approach, and the project timeline. Highlight any new skills or experiences that would enhance the student’s potential for future climate and health research in their career
3. Grant Goals: A statement outlining what the student hopes to achieve through this grant opportunity and expected outcomes and deliverables.
4. Proposed Budget: Applicant may apply for up to $10,000 total for a single-year project. Detailed project budget and justification, including any other funding requested. Allowable Costs: funds may be used for equipment and supplies, project-related travel, publication fees, and/or consumables. Funding of investigators outside of Duke will not be allowed.
5. A letter of support: A letter of support for the project from the trainee’s mentor.
6. Application should be a maximum of 3 pages: two pages for sections A-D, and a third page for E.

All applications:

1. If applicants receive news about other funding proposals after the deadline, they should provide updated information to SOM_climatehealth@duke.edu.
2. Deadline: Combine all documents into a single PDF and submit by midnight on March 6, 2026

Applications will be reviewed by a committee comprised of Duke faculty and staff. Review criteria will include the significance of the research challenge, the interdisciplinary nature of the team, the potential impact of the funding on the research question, and the feasibility of the proposed goals.

Duke SOM will fund the research activities per the approved project proposal. The project will begin when a Notice of Award is signed. If more than three months pass after notification of funding and the project is still not ready to start, Duke’s SOM reserves the right to retract the funding. All faculty project funds must be expended by April 30, 2028, and trainee funds by April 30, 2027; any unexpended funds will be retained by the Duke SOM. Any costs that exceed the grant amount or are unallowable based on the terms will be charged back to the PI’s department.

The primary source of funding is The Duke Endowment and should be acknowledged on any projects that flow from this work, either directly or subsequently (follow on studies).

Requests for no-cost extensions will not be approved.

Approvals Required Prior to Funding Start Date

• Awardees are expected to finalize any regulatory requirements during a three-month study startup period, May 1 to August 1, 2026.
• Fully executed appropriate legal agreement(s) between Duke and community partners must be in place prior to the start of their work on the research project, if applicable.
• Failure to submit documents in the requested timeframe may result in cancellation of funding.
• Animal and Human Subject Protections: Research involving human subjects or animals must have appropriate approvals from the Duke Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). Either an IRB/IACUC approval letter or an IRB response to a “Determination Whether Research or Similar Activities Require IRB Approval” must be submitted to Duke SOM. Human subjects must be reviewed in accordance with the university’s general assurances and HIPAA. In addition, if the research involves human subjects, all personnel must have certification of training in the protection of human subjects prior to the start of the grant period- https://about.citiprogram.org/.

Project Execution

• Duke SOM staff will work closely with funded teams throughout the grant period to monitor progress and, when necessary, provide assistance.
• Any PI who leaves his or her position should contact Duke SOM to discuss future plans for the project.

Reporting and Follow-up

Each awarded team will submit progress reports. Progress reports will be submitted every six months tracking project milestones: November 1, 2026; April 30, 2027; November 1, 2027; and a final report on April 30, 2028 (note: trainee project final reports are due at the end of their grant, April 30, 2027).

For additional information on this funding opportunity, please contact SOM_climatehealth@duke.edu

Yes, we are interested in collaborations of all research types, including those focused on basic science.

We, and our funders, welcome deliverables which can demonstrate measurable impacts or toolkits for all stakeholders (our community, scientific, policymakers etc.) This is intentionally broad to match your science, and before the full application stage, CHeRI will support teams to identify patient, community or system level toolkits to improved health for our communities.

We are looking for projects where multidisciplinary teams are exploring a new idea or area of research. Our goal is to further research in novel areas while supporting collaboration across departments and units. 

This funding is intended to catalyze new research activities and communities. Faculty associated with existing units may submit proposals, but they should take care to show how the proposal will support activities that bring in new faculty connections and explore new interdisciplinary directions beyond what is already the focus of their center and/or unit.

Yes, we encourage having effort for Duke faculty and/or trainees included in your project budget. Having faculty or trainee effort included in a project budget demonstrates commitment of key personnel, ensures dedicated time for project success, and aligns with the grant's goals.

The program’s intent is that the majority of research activities occur within Duke. However, we understand that some ideas may require external collaborators. If your project requires outside collaboration, please work to minimize the fiscal investment required.  While project activity supported by this funding mechanism should focus primarily on communities in Carolinas, we are always looking to apply research frameworks and solutions across different populations to be responsive to evolving needs.

While local community engagement is not a strict requirement, recognizing that projects vary in scope, context, and objectives, we encourage teams to incorporate or consider how their work could impact local communities. The CHeRI team can help provide guidance and facilitate connections if teams wish to include a community component.

The LOI is purposefully designed to be preliminary proposal.  The two most important areas during the LOI review will be the significance and innovation of the idea and the multidisciplinary nature of the project.