Pilot Grants

Application period closed.

The application period is closed. Details on future application periods will be announced in early summer 2023.

The HICAHS Pilot Grants Program funds innovative research projects that promote worker health and safety in the agriculture, forestry, or fishing industries. This funding opportunity is targeted to students, post-docs, junior investigators or investigators new to occupational safety and health in agriculture. Extra consideration is given to projects that directly impact the HICAHS region: Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming. Pilot grants have a maximum award amount of $25,000 (including up to 8% indirect costs) with a project period of ~11 months.

This research pilot grant program has been highly successful, leading to the generation of federally-funded R01 grants, the development of new educational materials and intervention techniques, the training of student and junior investigators and publication of peer-reviewed journal articles and conference presentations.

Recent Research and Pilot Grant Recipients:

2022-2023 Timeline

RFA Released
Application Deadline
  • HOW TO APPLY: Submit your application electronically in a single PDF file to: hicahs@colostate.edu on or before June 1, 2022. Application instructions are in the Request for Applications.
  • Applications from Colorado State University (including Extension Services and Satellite locations) require full review from the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) prior to submitting an application and must be entered into the Kuali Research Proposal Development system.
  • Applicants from affiliate organizations are strongly encouraged to work with the sponsored  programs office at their institution to meet all pre-application requirements specific to their organization.
Award Notification
  • Complete applications will be evaluated by a review panel. Meritorious applications will be assigned a priority score based on the applicable criteria (see evaluation criteria in the RFA document).
Estimated Project Start Date
  • Note that projects involving human/animal subjects are required to obtain IRB/IACUC approval before funding is released by HICAHS.
Budget End Date (2023)
  • Purchases/expenses made after this date will not be eligible for reimbursement.
Final Report Due (2024)
  • Although a formal interim report will not be required, HICAHS staff may contact awardees to obtain updates on research progress, including products and narratives resulting from the award.
  • A final written report must be submitted within six months of the end of the budget period, with results preferably presented in manuscript form or in the form of a brief white paper with executive summary. This report should also document all presentations, publications, students/trainees supported, and extramural funds that have resulted, in part, directly or indirectly from this award.
  • Awardees will be asked to present research findings as part of future HICAHS research symposia.
  • Acknowledgment Requirements: All presentations, posters, and publications resulting from HICAHS funding must acknowledge HICAHS and the NIOSH grant and use the HICAHS logo when appropriate (please contact HICAHS for logo files). Please state: “This [presentation/work/research/product] is supported by the High Plains Intermountain Center for Agricultural Health and Safety CDC/NIOSH Grant No. U54OH008085. Its content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of CDC/NIOSH.”

Similar Funding Opportunities

Many NIOSH-funded centers provide pilot/feasibility research funding. See below for opportunities that overlap with the HICAHS region.

Contacts

Anita Alves Pena, PhD, MA

Pilot Program Director

Colorado State University
College of Liberal Arts
Department of Economics