Frequently Asked Questions

The Sandbox Meeting is for LOIs that have been selected by reviewers to advance to the next stage. These projects are deemed promising and the this meeting is intended to serve as a incubator for ideas and research partnerships.

Yes, every project must be represented at the Sandbox Meeting by at least 1 team member. The event is an in-person event at the Joint Health Sciences Center.

All projects will require academic and community partner. Priority will be given to projects that include both Rowan and Rutgers-Camden faculty collaborations and/or those that have academic partners from more than one institution

The Center is located at 201 Broadway, Camden, NJ 08103.

If you have a working partnership and are looking to expand your partnership to add new partners for this funding initiative, your project would be considered an existing partnership. Existing partnerships include any members of your team that have worked together for over 6 months (i.e., whether funded or not funded). New partnerships are partners who have been working together less than 6 months, have not been funded, or do not have all partners identified at the LOI stage.

Yes, we are interested in gathering information from interested individuals, community agencies, etc. that may not have an idea but may want to be matched with another project. Please contact us here. More information about grants can be found here.

Faculty (tenure-track and NTT), post-docs, staff, doctoral candidates (e.g. PhD, MD, DO, EdD).

Yes, other educational institutions are open to be part of teams for this initiative. All final project proposals that will be funded will have identified Rowan University and Rutgers-Camden researchers as well as a community partner on the team. This state funding initiative is designed to enhance the collaboration between Rowan University and Rutgers-Camden and community stakeholders to advance health equity and reduce health disparities in southern NJ. All projects that include other institutions alongside these required partners are welcomed.

Yes, applicants DO NOT have to identify partners from Rowan University (i.e. Rowan University-Glassboro, RowanSOM, CMSRU) or Rutgers-Camden or other community stakeholders at this stage. Applicants can put forward their initial ideas for a project that they have in mind that meet the criteria and indicate that they have a need to find partners. All ideas and projects are welcomed at this stage whether all partners are established or not yet determined.

All projects will require academic and community partner. Priority will be given to projects that include both Rowan and Rutgers-Camden faculty collaborations and/or those that have academic partners from more than one institution

Yes, schools, or other community organizations located in one of the 7 counties that serve individuals in that county or counties are community partners and are welcomed as part of this funding initiative.

Yes, individual researchers and community partners/stakeholders can be part of multiple projects at the LOI stage. All ideas and projects are welcomed at this stage. Additionally, There are no limits on the number of faculty that can work together on a project. One lead faculty member from each institution will be identified along with a lead community stakeholder for all projects.

Rutgers-Camden, Rowan University, Rowan School of Medicine, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University.

This funding call is open to NEW and ESTABLISHED teams to encourage all to apply and share project ideas. The project idea and impact will be weighted more heavily than the collaboration criteria for new partnerships or not yet formed partnership. We recognized in this funding initiative that all projects may not have all of the partners determined, but have ideas that are potentially fund-able and that the desire to assemble the right team may take more time and support. LOI project ideas that are selected for the Sandbox meeting, will have the opportunity to develop their ideas and partnerships further. NEW and ESTABLISHED teams will be evaluated in separate applicant pools.

All projects require a data-sharing plan, but not all data collected are required to be shared.

Yes, health systems are welcomed to serve as community partners for this funding initiative.

Allowable expenses include: percent effort for PI/Co-PI/project staff, hourly student wages, supplies, materials,equipment, mileage reimbursement for study-related travel, travel for students to attend professional conferences, software, data analysis/evaluation. Non-allowable costs to include: food (except as related to human-subjects research), equipment exceeding $3000, and publication subvention. There is a 10% indirect cost cap as the funds for this initiative are New Jersey state government dollars.

The Rowan University/Rutgers Camden Board of Governors will oversee distribution of funds. Specific details regarding funding disbursement for each partner will be available at the Sandbox meeting on October 1, 2021.

There are no specific health priorities that projects should focus on for SJIPH. This call is intended to be expansive to allow for all ideas and projects to be submitted. There are no prioritized health conditions or diseases, or issues of focus. This funding initiative is open to all project ideas that focus on reducing health disparities and improving health equity in one or more of the 7 counties in Southern New Jersey using a population medicine, population health or public health approach. All ideas and projects are welcomed that meet these broad criteria.

Funding can support programs if there is a corresponding contribution to research or data supports the broader mission of the SJIPH.

Yes, all projects must focus on populations or individuals from at least one of the seven counties in the southern New Jersey region outlined.

Our goal is to fund the majority of projects invited to the Sandbox Meeting provided their full proposals address funding criteria and priorities.

Allowable expenses include: percent effort for PI/Co-PI/project staff, hourly student wages, supplies, materials,equipment, mileage reimbursement for study-related travel, travel for students to attend professional conferences, software, data analysis/evaluation. Non-allowable costs to include: food (except as related to human-subjects research), equipment exceeding $3000, and publication subvention. There is a 10% indirect cost cap as the funds for this initiative are New Jersey state government dollars.

If you have current funding from another source and you would like the SJIPH funding to build on or expand the work that is already externally funded, then you are allowed to apply for this funding initiative and disclose your other funding sources. If there are in-kind dollars that are part of your project, you can also disclose that as well. Matching funds, in-kind, and other support are not required for this funding initiative and projects that include these types of support will be evaluated in the same way as all projects that do not have these supports.

The funds for this initiative are New Jersey state government dollars. There is a 10% indirect cost cap.

This is the inaugural funding initiative for SJIPH. There have not been previous grant awardees.

This initiative is looking for projects that engage community stakeholders and academic partners. While this opportunity is open to application-based or programmatic initiatives, there should be a research question and data that can be generated that could advance understanding and exploration of a health-related issue.

No, at this stage all health issues and ideas are welcomed for this initiative as long as it meets the criteria outlined in the LOI. There are no restrictions on type of health issue.