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Funding · Awards

Awards

Have a research idea but no grant money yet? Our awards are designed to support UVA faculty en route to a larger and more competitive research grant.

Mission

Our mission is to support UVA researchers running studies with mobile apps and wearable devices. Our award program is specifically for UVA faculty PIs, with two primary aims:

  • Launch new research projects in pursuit of competitive grants.
  • Develop new software functionality that benefits the broader research community we serve.

Application Guidelines

01

Eligibility

At least one principal investigator must hold faculty status at UVA to be eligible for a award.

02

Maximum Duration

Seed grant projects should have a one-year timeline. They may last two or three years if a strong case can be made.

03

Approved Activities

Proposals should be related to either: (1) adding functionality to our ecosystem in support of research — for example, collecting data from a new wearable device or new functionality in our app — or (2) running a study in our existing ecosystem.

04

Scope

Seed grants typically cover one new feature in our ecosystem (such as data collection from a new device or a new kind of user interaction in our apps) and direct support for a two-month study.

Consultation before you apply

We highly recommend booking a consultation meeting with us before you apply. We can help you improve your application and appropriately scope your proposal. You can request a consultation through any avenue on our contact page.

Application timeline

Applications can be submitted at any time. We will respond to your proposal within one month.

Application content

To apply, the PI submits an application of two pages maximum (not including references) that includes:

  • The PI's name, computing ID, and department.
  • A title for the project.
  • A description of the project and its goals.
  • A description of how the award, and our team, will support the goals of the project.
  • A timeline for completing the proposed project.
  • A plan for how the award will lead to future support — e.g., external grants — for this or subsequent projects.

We provide a award application template, but you are not required to use it.

Evaluation

Applications are evaluated on:

  • The completeness of the submission.
  • The clarity of the descriptions — the reviewers may not be familiar with the PI's discipline.
  • How the grant will advance your research or enhance the community of researchers at UVA.

Disbursement

Recipients do not receive cash or vouchers from us. Instead, our staff work with recipients to allocate engineering time to your project. We continue to work with you until all proposed software functionality has been provided and / or the research study has been completed.

Required publicity

PIs must acknowledge our team (and its parent organization) in any publication, presentation, or poster that results from the work done for the award. Additionally, at the end of the award, PIs agree to have a brief blurb about the research project posted on our website.

Ready to start? The fastest way to begin is a free consultation. We'll help you scope the proposal so it fits within award scope — and that dramatically improves your odds of being awarded. Get in touch →

Have a research idea?

Reach out for a free consultation before you apply.

Contact Us →