The University of Washington Behavioral Research Center for HIV (UW BIRCH) invites pilot study applications that support its mission to catalyze research that integrates mental health and HIV prevention and care, guided by communities and practitioners seeking to end the epidemic. UW BIRCH aims to support and apply the science of dissemination and implementation to bring integrated care for HIV and mental health to scale. We envision an end to the HIV epidemic by addressing the determinants and symptoms of mental illness and HIV, through holistic person-centered prevention and care.
DOWNLOAD THE 2023 C-PARC REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS (RFA): PDF.
KEY DATES
RFA released: May 3rd, 2023
Applications Due: June 30th, 2023 at 11:59 PST
Notification: July 21, 2023
Approximate Period of Performance: August 1, 2023-July 31, 2024
Purpose
The purpose of the BIRCH C-PARC awards is to stimulate interdisciplinary research focused on the mental health of groups vulnerable to HIV infection or living with HIV. Responsive applications will focus on one or more of the UW BIRCH research priorities, which align with the 2025 UNAIDS Targets and emphasize actions to reduce inequalities that prolong the AIDS epidemic:
- Identify and address barriers to effective mental health care among people at risk for or living with HIV;
- Build workforce skills to integrate mental health services in HIV prevention and care settings;
- Develop innovative strategies to support HIV and mental health care integration.
Funding Available
One award of up to $25,000 in direct costs per project is available from the UW BIRCH C-PARC Program. A project budget may exceed $25,000 only if the investigators have secured the additional funding as a match from their school/college/department (as indicated in a letter or email from the department chair). All allowable expenses must adhere to applicable University of Washington policies. Allowable and unallowable expenses are listed in the table below. Please contact your department’s finance lead with any budgetary questions.
Applicant Eligibility
Applicants must:
- Be a current member of the UW faculty or a PI-eligible research scientist at UW
- Demonstrate that viewpoints of the end-users of the research have been integrated into the proposed activities (e.g. members of key populations, community-based HIV service providers, clinicians, etc.)
- Become a UW BIRCH member
UW BIRCH values diversity and encourages individuals from underrepresented groups to apply. Contact uwbirch@uw.edu if you have questions about eligibility.
Types of Projects
Examples of responsive applications include, but are not limited to:
- Completing a needs assessment (e.g., surveys, in-depth interviews, focus groups) to identify gaps and priorities for a program, community-based organization or community;
- Preparatory work for a grant application (e.g., convenings to identify community partners, partnership building, co-development of research agenda or aims with community partner;
- Capacity-building with a community partner to prepare for a grant application;
- Completion of a research project (secondary data analysis, literature review, evidence synthesis) to position the team to pursue a research grant
Applications should address UW BIRCH priority populations and / or problems:
- Populations
- UNAIDS Key Populations
- Adolescents & young adults
- BIPOC communities
- Problems
- HIV care/treatment disparities
- Stigma/discrimination
- Poor access to mental health care
- Co-occurring mental and substance use disorders
The application should identify the relevant UW BIRCH research priority that it addresses. Applications may explore new directions for an existing project or team, but should not be merely an extension of well-established, ongoing or recently funded studies or projects. Pilot grant applications should not be used to bridge funding for existing work. Please contact us with any questions throughout the process at uwbirch@uw.edu.
Submission Instructions
Submit all application materials as a single PDF file by June 30th, 2023 at 11:59 PST to uwbirch@uw.edu.
Post-Award Requirements
- Acknowledgement of UW BIRCH support in publications, presentations or other outputs resulting from the award.
- Presentation of the study findings in the collaborating schools/departments and to communities of interest
- Annual and final progress reports, including a two-three sentence narrative summary of the project and a two paragraph, lay-friendly description of the project’s impact on ending the epidemic
- Visual documentation of before/after award (photos or videos)
- Permission to use photos and data on UW BIRCH website and promotional materials
Contact Us
Please contact us with any questions regarding this pilot research grant or the application process: Sherly Herrera- BIRCH Program Manager sherlyh@uw.edu