Research Funding Program

An important goal of this seed funding program is to model university-community collaboration by supporting aging research on issues relevant to Western New York communities and translating that research quickly into regional policy and practice.

As such, successful applicant teams are expected not only to submit proposals for future extramural funding, but also to engage the university community and non-university community stakeholders in discussion on the topics of their research.

Grants of up to $25,000 will be awarded for one-year projects with the possibility of a no-cost extension.

In all, three to five awards will be made.

All UB faculty members are eligible to apply.

Proposals with teams consisting of at least two different disciplines or professions will be viewed favorably.

Teams should include relevant non-faculty community members (individuals or organizations) as well, will be looked upon favorably.

At least one member of every applicant team must hold an appointment that allows him/her to submit external proposals through the UB Sponsored Projects Services Office.

Teams combining junior investigators with established, more senior researchers are highly encouraged.

Proposals will be reviewed by a panels of faculty members who will make recommendations to the directorate of the UBCSA, which will collectively make final funding decisions. Proposals will be evaluated according to the following general selection criteria:

• Scientific, scholarly, and creative merit
• Innovation and potential impact, including commercial potential as appropriate
• Project investigative team
• Inter-/transdisciplinary strategies proposed
• Potential for generating external funding
• Reasonableness of proposed budget

Plans to leverage current internal resources or departmental/school cost-sharing to ensure the success of the project are encouraged.

Applications are due by May 3, 2021, at 5 p.m. ET. Materials should be submitted by email to ubcsa@buffalo.edu in a single PDF file, single-spaced in 12-point font with one-inch margins. Each application should include:

• Cover page (max. 1 page) including:
  • Title and abstract
  • Names / affiliations / project roles of team members. 
  • Names / affiliations / core functions of any partner organizations.
• Research plan written in language accessible to non-specialists (max. 5 pages, plus 1 page of references), including:
  • Rationale, including clear articulation of the problem to be solved and explanation of its significance to one or more Western New York communities or populations. 
  • Objectives and methods and how outcomes will be determined. 
  • Long view describing the 3- to 5-year research agenda expected to evolve out of the proposed project and providing links to at least two current RFAs from external funding sources indicating interest in the proposed topic or related topics.
• Biosketches of no more than two pages each for no more than five team members (max. 10 pages).
• Budget up to $25,000 and budget justification (max. 2 pages). Please note that the funds available for this award may not be used for reimbursement of faculty time.

• Submit, over the course of the funding period, at least two blog posts of 350-500 words; each to be shared on UBCSA and collaborating partners' public websites and social media platforms
• Present plans for the project at an event hosted by UBCSA.
• Submit a written mid-point report at 6-months into the project and a final report 12-weeks after completion of the project
• Present research findings at a UBCSA forum.
• Engage with relevant community-based stakeholders to disseminate results on at least two separate occasions, ideally at least one time per year over two years. 
• Submit findings to an academic peer-reviewed journal or discipline-specific publication within 12 months of the UBCSA award end date.
• Apply for funding at the next level, either for external funding or a project leading to an external opportunity within 12 months of the UBCSA award end date.
• Serve as invited reviewers in future UB SISA funding rounds.

For more information please contact the UB Center for Successful Aging by email at ubcsa@buffalo.edu or telephone at 716-888-4865