About
The Pilot Studies Program is funded by the UCI Susan and Henry Samueli Endowment to encourage early exploration of research ideas that address growing health challenges and add to the evidence base of integrative health practices. The SSIHI Pilot Awards are designed specifically to support exceptionally innovative research projects that provide an understanding of the mechanistic basis or clinical outcomes related to the use of integrative therapies.
The UCI SSIHI is pleased to announce a new call for the Pilot Studies Program. A minimum of two one-year awards in the amount of $25,000 will be conferred in this round. The estimated funding period is July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025.
Eligibility
Principal Investigators (PIs) must be full-time UCI faculty from any school or discipline. Junior and mid-career faculty, as well as established investigators, pursuing novel research lines are encouraged to apply. Investigators must be eligible to be a Principal Investigator (PI) on a UCI IRB-approved protocol, as defined by the UCI Office of Research (Lead researchers with sponsor PIs will not be accepted). For more information on eligibility, please refer to this site.
Eligible Projects
Integrative health research projects currently not funded and aimed at obtaining preliminary results for a full application for extramural funds will be given priority. Emphasis will be placed on innovation and transformative potential of submitted proposals. The content of proposals, while linked to applicants’ current research, should demonstrate a clear evolution toward novel, relevant, and untested research areas. An integrative health research project is defined as any project aimed at gathering evidence related to integrative approaches or therapies.
Integrative approaches can be multimodal and address lifestyle-related interventions (e.g., nutrition, etc.) and behaviors. Integrative therapies, as defined by NIH, include use of natural products (e.g., botanicals, dietary supplements, and probiotics) and mind and body approaches [mind/brain-focused practices (e.g., meditation, hypnosis), body-based approaches (e.g., acupuncture, massage), meditative exercise (e.g., yoga, Tai Chi), and art and music therapies]. In addition to integrative health research studies, these awards are also open to proposals that pilot new methodologies to assess multimodal approaches to integrative or whole-person care.
Owing to the short timeframe of the awards, no projects requiring an IND or an IDE will be considered for funding.
For more information, please contact Georgia Christodoulou at gchrist3@hs.uci.edu.
