Frequently Asked Questions
Eligibility
Can non-faculty researchers submit pilot program applications?
No. To apply as the Academic co-Principal Investigator, you need to hold a full-time faculty appointment at one of the CCTSI Affiliated Institutions:
- University of Colorado- Denver Downtown Campus
- University of Colorado - Anschutz Medical Campus
- University of Colorado Boulder
- Colorado State University
- University of Colorado Health
- Children’s Hospital Colorado
- National Jewish Health
- Denver Health and Hospital Authority
- Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center
Do academic researchers have to be from the University of Colorado Denver?
No, we welcome applications involving academic researchers from other CCTSI Affiliated Institutions.
Can pilot program proposals include people or partners
within the region (or must they focus solely on Colorado)?
CCTSI welcomes applications that include partners or target populations within the state of Colorado. Projects with primary research sites outside the state or country will not
be considered.
Is any researcher outside the University of Colorado
system considered to be a ‘community co-Principal Investigator’?
No. Researchers who are housed at one of the CCTSI Affiliate Institutions (see above) are considered academic co-principal investigators.
Can Community co-Principal Investigators be located outside of
the region or country?
No, the community partners should be housed or serving community in the state of Colorado.
Can applications be submitted to more than one of the CCTSI pilot programs?
No. Applicants are permitted to submit a single application in an award year between Colorado (CO-Pilot), Child and Maternal Health (CMH-Pilot), and Community
Engagement (CE-Pilot) Programs. This restriction is not applicable to the Translational Methods (TM-Pilot) Program, or to Non-Key Roles. Please refer to Section IX. Definitions in the RFA for further guidance on what constitutes
a non-key role.
Focus/Priorities
Can an Academic co-Principal Investigator work with a Community co-Principal Investigator who is not affiliated with an organization?
Yes, the Community co-Principal Investigator does not need to be affiliated with an organization.
They can be considered independent, but must have the infrastructure capacity to invoice, pay expenses, financial reporting, etc., or be willing to work with our partners at Trailhead Institute to enter into a fiscal sponsorship. The term Community
co-Principal Investigator is more than a recruited research subject or advisor; a Community co-Principal Investigator should be involved in all phases of the research and treated as an equal partner. Community members and patients engaged as a recruitment
strategy or solely in an advisory capacity are not acceptable.
In the application review process, it says there is a focus on how community members and researchers work together; does that focus apply to both funding types (joint pilot projects and partnership
development projects)?
Yes. However, reviewers understand that new partnerships take time to develop. With existing partnerships, reviewers pay particular attention to the level of involvement of the community partner throughout the
entire research process.
Are there priority areas for funding?
At this time we do not specify priority areas and accept all proposals that embody community engagement and address health priorities of concern to the community.
How is “community” defined?
As stated on the RFA, we define community and/or community partners broadly as a group of people linked by common characteristics; those who share common perspectives (or a common cause); and/or those who engage in joint action in geographical or virtual settings. Community Co-Principal Investigator is defined as, “An individual who serves as a representative for the community and/or belongs to a community-based organization that is serving the affected population. “community” refers to community members, persons affected by a condition/issue being addressed or studied, and other key community stakeholders, including community-based health practitioners and community-based organizations.” This role is responsible, along with the academic co-principal investigator, for co-writing, co-submitting and co-managing all aspects of the grant, including financial management. Please consult with us if you have any uncertainty about whether a partner qualifies as a Community co-Principle Investigator.
What are translational roadblocks?
There is a significant gap between the health and healthcare interventions generated through research and the everyday application of those interventions in communities and clinical practice. Often,
scientific discoveries are generated through research practices that fail to consider how discoveries will reach and be utilized by real people within the context of their busy and complicated lives, resulting in inefficiencies that delay the translation
of discoveries into every-day practice. These inefficiencies are called ‘translational gaps’, or roadblocks. In recent years, we have been able to address some of these ‘translational
roadblocks’ by developing and conducting research in full partnership with the people who are most affected by the issues being studied.
It should be noted that in most small clinical research projects there are specific barriers, so-called “translational science roadblocks” that need to be overcome:
- improved study design by improving rigor and transparency in major generalizable areas of translational discovery
- technical execution of complex mechanistic studies in humans or animal models
- challenges to data acquisition, integrity and analysis
- translational barrier from animal models to human trials; or between adult and pediatric patient populations
- timely participant recruitment and retention
- enhanced recruitments and engagement of populations served by the CTSA
In the Joint Pilot Project application, the Co-PI's must state clearly what is your “translational science roadblock” that you will be addressing in your proposal. The Pilot Grant team is available
to assist you in designating a translational science roadblock in your study.
Project Categories
What is the determination for “in
place” partnerships? For example, if I’ve worked with a previous community organization before, but it was a different point person for a different focus area, would it still be considered in place?
Unless there is already
a relationship there between the [academic] researcher and the community partner, this would be considered partnership development (category A).
What about a case where you have an existing community-academic partnership network, but you plan to bring a new partner into the
group; would that be considered a joint pilot project or partnership development?
If the lead applicants have the primary, existing relationship, it would be considered a joint pilot project (category B). The key also is to ensure that,
even within the joint pilot project, you're really talking about how you're going to engage this new group within your already existing partnership.
Budget
Community co-Principal Investigators receive their portion of the funds through Trailhead Institute
in a cost reimbursement agreement. Is this mechanism only for the community award?
Yes, the reimbursement process for academic researchers is determined by where the researcher is housed. If the researcher is a University of Colorado
employee, a university speedtype will be established for expenditures. Spending accounts will be established for academic researchers at CCTSI Affiliate Institutions.
How can I determine
between putting a cost in either the academic or community budgets?
We need to know how much you plan to spend on people and activities and which side of the budget (academic or community) the expenses are going to come from. For example,
if you determine that you want to spend $300 on food for a community meeting, organized by the community partner, you will want to include money for food and related meeting expenses in the community budget.
Would the cost for a consultant to design a survey or a
translator to convert a survey into another language go in the academic or community budget?
Whoever is going to pay that bill or be in charge of that particular activity would want to put the money for that activity in their budget.
It is important to emphasize that once the budgets are approved, you will not have the ability to move money from one budget to the other. Budget adjustments can be made within the community budget or within the academic budget but money cannot be
shifted from the community to the academic budget or vice versa.
Do Academic Co-Principal Investigators from the University of Colorado need to submit their budgets to Grants and Contracts before pilot program submission?
No. However, if you are an Academic co-Principal Investigator with Colorado
State University you must contact Jessica Hunter for details on obtaining a signed letter from the CSU Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) to be submitted with the Application Form.
What is the current
approved indirect cost rate for Community co-Principal Investigators on this program?
This pilot program does not pay indirect costs for either community or academic partners. All funding is allocated to research or the process of doing
research. Please include only direct costs on your proposed budget.
Formatting and Submission Requirements
Will you allow material in an Appendix that does not count against the narrative page limit?
Yes. Up to two letters of support/commitment, up to two Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) and a one-page bibliography can be included
as an appendix and will not count against the narrative page limit. Appendices that do not adhere to these requirements will not be accepted. Please keep in mind these appendices will need to be combined into one single PDF document with the complete
application to upload into the online application system.
Post Award Requirements
Who is expected to participate in the mandatory community engagement training and coaching?
Both Community and Academic co-Principal Investigators are expected to attend the workshop and any coaching
sessions.
Are there any grant presentation requirements?
Grantees agree by their acceptance of this funding to identify, and budget for, an opportunity for the partnership to disseminate project outcomes back to the community and prepare a
short presentation at a PACT Council Meeting. Awardees also are strongly encouraged to accept invitations to networking events designed to disseminate project outcomes.
