Request for Proposals

The Demography and Economics of Aging Research (DEAR) program seeks proposals from UNC-CH faculty for seed grants to support the development of new research projects. Rapid population aging makes it increasingly important to understand aging-related social, economic, and demographic behavior. The National Institute on Aging (NIA) has received large increases in funding for extramural research in these areas. The DEAR program works to facilitate increased research at UNC-CH by supporting the development of aging-related proposals for external funding from NIA and other sources. Examples of suitable research areas include (but are not limited to) determinants of the age of retirement; savings for retirement; health care demand by the elderly; elderly mortality, health, and functional status; the early antecedents of later life outcomes; elderly migration; provision of care for elderly parents; bequests; and effects of Social Security, Disability Insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income, and other government programs on behavior and well-being of the elderly.

Funds Available

Up to $110,000 in support is available per year, to be awarded in two competitions each year, one in the Fall and one in the Spring.

Terms of Awards

Applicants can request up to $50,000 for the support of investigator time, research assistance, data purchase, supplies, and other legitimate proposal-development costs. It is anticipated that most awards will be in the $10,000-$20,000 range, but well-justified requests for up to $50,000 for exceptionally promising projects will be considered. Projects should result in a proposal for external funding by the end of the project period.

Eligibility

Any faculty member at UNC-CH is eligible to apply. Other personnel can be included in an application, but the principal investigator with overall responsibility for the project must be a faculty member.

Deadline

The deadline for applications for Spring 2008 is April 1, 2008.

Review Criteria

Originality and importance of the idea, ability of the investigator to complete the project, likelihood of development of a successful proposal for external funding.

Applications

A maximum of 8 double-spaced pages for the research plan. The research plan should follow the NIH format: (A) Specific Aims, (B) Background and Significance, (C) Preliminary Studies, (D) Research Design and Methods. Include the NIH biosketch (2 pages maximum) for the PI and other key personnel, a short description and justification of the budget, and a timeline for development of a proposal for external funding. Prospective applicants are encouraged to contact the program director (Edward Norton, 6-8930, Edward_Norton@unc.edu) or associate director (Peter Uhlenberg, 2-2698, uhlen@email.unc.edu) to discuss their ideas before submitting an application.