With support of the Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH) at the NIH, the Population Studies and Training Center (PSTC) invites applications for research seed awards on the topic of women’s health. The PSTC Initiative in Women’s Health seeks to bring together researchers from the Social Sciences, Medicine, and Public Health at Brown University to advance population research on women’s health among women from underrepresented, underserved, and underreported (U3) populations. Population health statistics paint a sobering portrait of U.S. women’s health, particularly among women from NIH-designated health disparity or U3 populations. The broad scope and unequal patterning of U.S. women’s health disadvantage underscores the need for interdisciplinary research into related trends and trajectories, causes, and consequences. To contribute to ongoing efforts, population science on women’s health must consider a wider range of social and structural determinants as well as the contributions of healthcare, medicine, and biology to women’s health disadvantages and disparities.

Faculty members are encouraged to develop projects that will obtain funding from the Population Dynamics Branch (PDB) of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) or other competitive extramural sources that fund population research aligned with PSTC’s five core research themes: Migration and Urbanization; Population, Development, and Environment; Children, Families, and Health; Reproductive Health and HIV/AIDS; and Social Foundations of Health Disparities. 

We anticipate making 2-4 Women’s Health Research Seed Awards. Seed requests of up to $30,000 will be considered. Project requests for larger amounts would be expected to lead to a PDB R01 or other large external funding application. Other project requests are expected to range from $5,000 to $15,000.

Faculty Associates of the PSTC, or faculty interested in becoming Associates of the PSTC, are eligible to be PI. All PIs must be eligible to submit research grants through their home institution or organization. Multi-investigator teams that span the social sciences and health sciences are highly encouraged, especially for larger awards. Applications from early career faculty are also encouraged. The PSTC is happy to work with you in assembling a team if helpful.

All proposals should include the following in a single document:

1. Title
2. Short Abstract
3. List of Key Investigators
4. Proposal (up to 3 pages):
   1. Specific aims
   2. Significance
   3. Innovation
   4. Proposed activities
   5. Project timeline
   6. Planned applications for external funding (NIH or other), with tentative dates
5. Budget, with brief justification
6. CV or NIH biosketch for all key investigators 

In addition, at the time of application, applicants will be asked to confirm current CITI certification. Projects with human subjects or foreign components, as defined by the NIH, are not eligible for this source of seed funding. 

Apply at this link. 

Please email Corey_Silvia@brown.edu and Kristin_McCutcheon@brown.edu if you do not have a “Brown.edu” email, so you may be added to the UFund system.

Seed award applications will be reviewed by an interdisciplinary faculty review committee and evaluated based on: 1) significance; 2) innovation; 3) contribution to PDB Research Programs; 4) the importance of the seed project for enabling a larger project and grant application; 5) feasibility; 6) cost-effectiveness; 7) focus on a U3 population; and 8) relevance to advancing research on women’s health.

Please note that projects using a range of methods and targeted to funders other than NIH are welcome. 

Seed fund awards will be announced by June 30, 2025.

Budgets should be itemized and include a clear justification for expenses. Funds may be used for research expenses such as hiring data analysts or hourly RAs; travel; and field testing of questionnaires. Faculty PIs who are ESI (early-stage investigators, per NIH) and are appointed as 12-month research faculty at PSTC may request up to 10% effort in salary support. Other faculty PIs may be budgeted for up to 2 weeks of time, or 4% effort, at an amount not to exceed the NIH salary cap. Specifically for research targeting the NIH PDB, mentors who will provide significant effort (e.g., regular meetings and reading and commenting on multiple drafts) may be budgeted for up to one week of time, or 2% effort, at an amount not to exceed the NIH salary cap. Mentor funds will not count against project limits. PSTC staff programming time, including assistance with construction of data files and spatial programming, may also be requested in support of proposal development, and is encouraged. PIs must seek approval for any budgeted salary from their home unit as needed.

All award recipients will be expected to workshop their grant and/or participate in a monthly workshop convened by the Initiative in Women’s Health.

The award period is July 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026. The end date of these seed awards will coincide with the end date of the parent NIH award. Therefore, any extensions will depend on the status of the parent NIH award. A very brief project update summarizing progress with respect to applications for external funding, grants, publications, and presentations will be due May 30, 2026. Other information may be collected for reporting purposes as needed.

Please contact Kris McCutcheon (Kristin_McCutcheon@brown.edu) of the PSTC for questions regarding preparation of a seed funds application. For questions regarding PSTC support or PSTC affiliation, please contact Margot Jackson (Margot_Jackson@brown.edu), PSTC Director. For questions related to the PSTC Initiative in Women’s Health or this seed fund call, please contact Susan Short (Susan_Short@brown.edu).