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Request for Applications (RFA):

Institute for Health Data Core Pilot Program

Key Dates:

Date Issued: Wednesday, June 4, 2025

Deadline for Application Submission: Monday, July 14, 2025 @ 5:00pm

Earliest Anticipated Award Date: Tuesday, September 2, 2025

Overview:

The Institute for Health (IFH) Data Core invites proposals for innovative pilot studies that leverage access to Core database resources, including national Medicare or Medicaid data, MarketScan, and the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD); or Core survey resources, including PINE (Population Study of Chinese Elderly in Chicago), the Dementia and Caregiving Study (a PINE sister study), and others. The purpose of this RFA is to support pilot studies and other exploratory projects that will lead to future research opportunities, collaborations, and funding. Funding support for this pilot program is generously provided by the Institute for Health, Health Care Policy, and Aging Research through the President’s Roadmaps Initiative.

Funding Support:

At least four pilot awards up to $35,000 will be funded to support projects using Core database or survey data. The funding period is twelve (12) months.

Projects must be led by a faculty member or mentored trainee at Rutgers University, Princeton University, or the New Jersey Institute of Technology who has not previously used Core resources. Funding can be used to cover Data Core staff personnel effort (e.g., analyst), data and computing fees at the IFH Data Core, and related data and research expenses as appropriate. Funded projects will be expected to utilize data within the IFH Data Core; Core fees, data analyst costs, and any pass-through costs, if applicable, should be covered using funds from this initiative. Funding cannot cover investigators’ effort.

RFA Goals:

The key goals of this RFA are to catalyze research that leverages electronic healthcare data or survey data to address challenges in public health, health systems, patient care, and/or population health. This program aims to encourage cross-disciplinary collaboration and expand access to data. Pilot studies should be innovative, generate actionable insights using Core database or survey data, and lay the foundation for future funded research. This RFA is intended to encourage collaboration across Rutgers, whether through collaboration in the proposed study or in a future project enabled by the pilot.

Eligibility Criteria:

Applicants must be an affiliated faculty member or trainee at Rutgers University who has not previously used Core resources. Those collaborating across units or with multiple PIs will be prioritized. Legacy Rutgers-based faculty are eligible and encouraged to apply.

A non-Rutgers investigator from NJIT or Princeton is eligible to apply with a Rutgers Co-Investigator.

Applicants who are trainees must have a mentor who has not previously used the Data Core and who will support the trainee’s work on the proposed project.

Projects must use one of the database resources or survey resources available at the IFH Data Core. Investigators who request access to certain datasets (e.g., Medicare or iPHD data) will be required to receive all necessary approvals (e.g., data use agreement, approval from the data vendor) prior to an award being made and/or getting access to the data.

Investigators must be able to comply with all data access requirements (e.g., CITI training, HIPAA training, data policies, etc.).

Application:

Investigators are required to submit the following information as part of their application. Templates have been provided:

  1. Executive Summary – This information should be submitted within the Qualtrics application. The template can be used to assist with preparing the application but will not be submitted directly.
    • Project title
    • Principal Investigator (and Co-Principal Investigator, if applicable) information (name, department, phone, email)
    • Mentor information, if applicable (name, department, phone, email)
    • Dataset(s) and years of data planned to be used
    • Abstract that includes brief description of the proposed study aims, its alignment with the RFA’s objectives, and how it will lead to future work (maximum 300 words)
  2. Budget – Submit as Excel spreadsheet.
  3. Budget Justification – No page limit. Briefly justify each item of the proposed budget and describe relevant experience of research personnel.
  4. Biosketch – Submit a biosketch or CV of key personnel, including all study investigators. NIH format may be submitted.
  5. Research Proposal – Maximum 3 single-spaced pages (excluding references); Arial 11 font, 0.5-inch margins. Include figures and tables. Appendix information will not be accepted. Include the following sections:
    • Specific Aims – Overview of the study including brief background and rationale, overall study objective, specific aim(s), associated hypotheses, and how achieving these aims will advance knowledge and support future research.
    • Study Background and Significance – Describe the importance and rationale for the proposed research, including prior research and identified gaps.
    • Innovation – Highlight novel aspects of the study, how it differs from existing work, and how it addresses current knowledge gaps.
    • Study Design and Approach – Include study design, data sources and years, key variables (e.g., exposures, outcomes, covariates), statistical analyses, power estimates (pilot data not expected), limitations, and planned alternative strategies.
    • Impact and Future Research Plans – Explain the potential impact of the pilot work, significance of knowledge gained, and how it will inform future research.
    • References Cited – No page limit.
Applications should be submitted via Qualtrics via the following link:

https://rutgers.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3Wt4JHLFaQv5qfA

Application Templates:

Budget Justification Template

Executive Summary Template

Budget Template

Research Proposal Template

Review Process:

Pilot applications will be judged on scientific and technical merit, alignment with the goals of this RFA, and potential to lead to future research, including future research that uses Core resources. Proposals that involve cross-unit or multi-institutional collaborations will be prioritized. The involvement of collaborations across multiple Chancellor-led units will be reviewed favorably.

Projects will be judged based on the following criteria:

  1. Significance and alignment – the importance of the proposed research in addressing scientific or health needs, advancing scientific knowledge, and contributing to future research, including future research that uses Core resources; alignment with the goals of the RFA.
  2. Investigators – the expertise and qualifications of the Principal Investigator(s) and, where applicable, mentor and/or co-investigators; the team’s possession of the necessary skills, experiences, and resources to conduct the proposed research; the presence of cross-unit or multi-institutional collaborations.
  3. Scientific merit – suitability of the data source(s) to address the proposed research question(s); the scientific rigor and feasibility of the approach; the appropriateness of the study design and methods, including statistical analysis, to accomplish the proposed aims; understanding of data limitations.
  4. Innovation – the originality of the project’s and team’s contributions to science or health care, including the novelty of future research that it enables.
Reporting Requirements:

Periodic budget reporting may be required to help administer expense reimbursements for this award.

A final progress report detailing the outcomes of the study and future plans will be required within 60 days after the conclusion of the project period.

Awardees are required to cite the IFH Data Core and include reference to any data or data vendors (subject to terms) in any publications.

Publications and citations should be submitted to the IFH Data Core as they become available.

Contact: