Request for Proposals

The Demography and Economics of Aging Research (DEAR) Center seeks proposals for pilot studies from UNC-CH faculty to support the development of new research projects in the areas of aging-related social, economic, and demographic behavior. It is the center's hope that the seed money will assist recipients in applying for external funding from NIA. Examples of suitable research areas include (but are not limited to) determinants of work behavior as people age; savings for retirement; health care demand by the elderly; elderly mortality, health, and functional status; health disparities; 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.

Terms of Awards

Applicants can request support for 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 Spring 2009 applications is April 17, 2009.

Review Criteria

The review criteria include the likelihood of development of a successful proposal for external funding, originality and importance of the idea, and the ability of the investigator to complete the project.

Applications

The application should include: a cover letter, the research plan (a maximum of 8 double-spaced pages), the NIH biosketch 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. The research plan should follow the NIH format: (A) Specific Aims, (B) Background and Significance, (C) Preliminary Studies, (D) Research Design and Methods. Please submit an electronic copy of the application to the DEAR Center director, Donna Gilleskie, at donna_gilleskie@unc.edu. Prospective applicants are encouraged to contact Donna Gilleskie, Associate Professor of Economics, Department of Economics at 966-5372 or donna_gilleskie@unc.edu to discuss their ideas before submitting an application.

Download RFP as a Word file.