DTC Mission and Seed Grants
The Digital Technology Core’s mission is to provide UVA researchers with support for research utilizing mobile apps and wearable devices. As part of this mission the DTC offers seed grants to research faculty with two primary aims:
- Launch new research projects in pursuit of competitive grants
- Develop new DTC software functionality to support UVA researchers
Seed Grant Application Guidelines
- Eligibility: At least one principal investigator must hold faculty status at UVA to be eligible for a DTC seed grant.
- Maximum Duration: DTC seed grant projects should have a one year timeline; however, they may last two or three years if a strong case can be made.
- Approved Activities: The proposal should be related to: (1) adding functionality to the DTC ecosystem in-support of research (e.g., collecting data from a new wearable device or new functionality in the DTC app) or (2) running a study in the existing DTC ecosystem.
- Scope: DTC seed grants are intended to provide approximately $10,000 in DTC services. In practice, this provides enough support for one new feature in the DTC ecosystem (e.g., data collection from a new device or a new kind of user interaction in DTC apps) and direct support for a two month study.
Consultation for Seed Grant Applications
Before you apply we highly recommend that you have a consultation meeting with the DTC. We can help you improve your application and appropriately scope your proposal. You can request a consultation by contacting us through any avenue on our contact page.
Application and Response Timelines
Applications for DTC seed grants can be submitted at any time. We will respond to your proposal within one month.
Application Content and Template
To apply for a DTC seed grant, the PI will submit an application (2 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 seed grant, and the DTC, will support the goals of the project
- A timeline for completing the proposed project
- A plan for how the seed grant will lead to future support (e.g., external grants) for this or subsequent projects
We provide a seed grant application template. You are not required to use this template.
Evaluation of Applications
Applications will be evaluated on:
- The completeness of the submission
- The clarity of the descriptions - the reviewers may not be familiar with the PI’s discipline
- How this grant will advance your research or will enhance the community of researchers at UVA
Disbursement of Seed Grants
Seed grant recipients will not receive any cash or vouchers from the DTC. Instead, DTC staff will work with recipients to allocate DTC staff time to your project. DTC staff will continue to work with you until all proposed software functionality has been provided and/or the research study has been completed.
Required Publicity for Application Awards
PI’s must acknowledge the DTC (and its parent organization Research Computing) in any publication, presentation, or poster that results from the work done for the seed grant. Additionally, at the end of the award, the PI’s must agree to have a blurb about the research project posted on the DTC website.
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