It is strongly suggested to include statistical consulting. In-kind contributions, such as faculty/staff time that includes the mentor and primary investigator (PI), should also be included in the budget. Reference the Don Pedersen Research Grants webinar handout for more details on creating a budget.
The number of applications reviewed each year varies, but averages between seven and 13.
An institution may have multiple applicants from PA faculty. All eligible applications will be reviewed. If multiple applicants from the same institution submit strong and fundable proposals, each may receive an award.
The primary reason an applicant might be disqualified is ineligibility. The eligibility criteria are in the Don Pedersen Research Grant Guidelines.
A letter of recommendation is required from the applicant’s department chair or dean attesting to their support for the proposed research and verifying the PI’s relationship and appointment to the PA program. No other letters are required unless the following situations apply to the applicant:
- If the PI has a co-investigator, an additional statement is required from the PI that should detail the collaborative efforts with other faculty or programs and include specific details regarding each member’s roles and contributions to the project. A statement that is signed by all parties and attests to this collaboration indicates a strong application.
- If the applicant has previously received funding from PAEA, a statement of the PI’s prior PAEA grant funding history is required. If the project has co-investigators, the statement should outline the co-investigators’ PAEA grant funding history as well.
Each applicant will be notified in writing whether or not their project has been selected for an award approximately two to three months after the application period closes, although this may vary. The 18-month project timeline will be determined after grantees are notified of their decisions and will be specified in the award agreement.
Regardless of your chosen topic, the research question should be novel or address gaps in current knowledge. PAEA’s specific research priority areas for this award can be found in the Don Pedersen Research Grant Guidelines. You may email the Research Team at Research@PAEAonline.org with ‘Don Pedersen’ in the subject for specific ideas, or to request feedback from a Research Mission Advancement Commission mentor.
Yes, an applicant’s co-investigator(s) may be outside of the PA profession. This is encouraged especially when the co-investigator will bring added experience in research design and statistical analysis.
No. While no bonus points are given for co-investigators from different institutions, our reviewers tend to prefer multi-institutional (vs. single site) studies. The Don Pedersen Research Grant preferences favor (1) faculty who are early career, new to research, or have not been previously funded by any PAEA research grant program; (2) faculty who partner with senior researcher co-investigators; and (3) proposals that address PAEA’s 2019 strategic priorities.
IRB approval or exemption is necessary when submitting a proposal to conduct human subject research. Applicants interested in collecting data from individuals submit their proposal to their institution’s IRB board. However, if the proposed research will use program- or organization-level data, IRB documentation is not required.
The grant funds are distributed after the grant agreement is executed between the awardee and PAEA. It usually takes about one to two weeks to execute a grant agreement subject to the approval of the awardee’s institution. In addition, the timeline for fund distribution depends on how long it takes to process the invoice between PAEA and the awardee’s institution.
Data provision for funded projects is a priority. However, the timeline for a data request depends on a number of factors including the clarity and complexity of the request, the availability of the data, and staff bandwidth.
PAEA does not require approval from the university’s grant department. However, we recommend that applicants check with their grant departments to ensure that they are following internal university guidelines and protocols.