OPEN TO ALL DISCIPLINES AND DEPARTMENTS

The Longitudinal Networks Core (LNC) is pleased to announce an opportunity for voucher funding to assist in pilot human subjects research that engages the LNC’s cellphone-based data collection platform, ODIN.

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Researchers design custom survey protocols via the ODIN website. What differentiates ODIN from other technologies is that for each multiple choice or free text question, the researcher is able to specify custom rules which will govern the contexts in which their study participants will get dynamically prompted by their ODIN app. Within each rule, contexts of interests may be specified through logical criteria which reference date, time, location (GPS), proximity to other participants (via Bluetooth), physical activity (via accelerometer), biosensor data (via the E4), and answers to previous questions. Data from participants is collected anonymously, aggregated, and becomes continuously available to researchers for analysis. More details are available at http://www.odin-software.com.

The ODIN platform was developed under grants from NSF and NIH and supports fine-grained contextually responsive collection of data on behaviors, attitudes, and interactions in complex social systems over long time scales, e.g. towards explanatory modeling, forecasting and simulation-based intervention planning. Funding for this opportunity is made possible by the NIH-funded Rural Drug Addiction Research (RDAR) Center, within which the LNC resides.

For information about the technology platforms, please contact the LNC Team at lnc@unl.edu.

Program Purpose

This voucher program is created to support investigators who wish to employ the LNC’s new technologies and services towards human subjects’ data collection in support of subsequent larger grant submissions in the social, behavioral, and health sciences. The maximum voucher request is $5,000.

Eligibility

Applicants must be full-time faculty in the University of Nebraska system who are eligible for federal funding. There are no disciplinary, department, or college restrictions on applicants. Applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis as instrumentation and personnel are available. No more than two vouchers per year will be granted per PI.

Application Process

Applications must be submitted electronically here. All applications should provide the information below and include a Voucher Service Estimate Form. The Voucher Service Estimate Form must be completed in consultation with Core Leadership prior to submission of an application. Proposals will be reviewed on an ongoing basis by the Core Directors in collaboration with the RDAR Center Leadership Team. Please allow 3 - 4 weeks for application review and investigator notification. If you have any questions about the application process, please contact our LNC Team at lnc@unl.edu.

Application Components

All applications should be submitted as a single PDF, using standard NIH formatting (Arial 11-pt font, single-spaced with 0.5 inch margins). In your application, provide the following information:

  • Application Title
  • PI Name(s), Campus Affiliation(s), Contact Information and Scientific Role(s)
  • Co-I Name(s), Campus Affiliation(s), Contact Information and Scientific Role(s)
  • Proposed Project Dates

  1. Scientific rationale for the pilot project, approach, budget, and timeline;
  1. An outline of the larger project downstream;
  1. A description of how the pilot study will support the larger proposal’s competitiveness;
  1. The target funding mechanisms and submission date for the larger project proposal

Restrictions

If awarded, funds can only be used for Core Services as outlined in the quote submitted and approved for the award. Funding cannot be redirected to other uses. Faculty must cite support by the RDAR Center in all publications and grant submissions using the LNC. All users of the LNC must follow NIH data sharing policies outlined here: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/data_sharing/). Pilot projects must submit a report within 30 days of completion of the pilot study, or one year from the date of funding (whichever is earlier).