RISE Grants support research in the environmental health sciences that aligns with the mission of NIEHS. RISE Grants must be used on the production of new, focused, preliminary data, or the analysis of data to support grant submission. Funding may be used on services through the HERCULES Facility Cores or the Emory Integrated Facilities Cores, on data science or analysis services of the HERCULES Environmental Health Data Sciences Core, on the purchase of supplies and reagents necessary to obtain specific data, on costs associated with performing a specific experiment, or on costs associated with a limited study of a population group or community. Applicants planning to use a HERCULES Core are required to consult with Core members regarding feasibility and costs before submitting a full application. Funds may also be used for the development of community partnerships to support new projects and grant submissions. RISE pilots target proposals for innovative CEH research within the fields of translational, basic, biomedical, clinical, epidemiologic, behavioral, or community-engaged science. Projects proposing innovation in dissemination, communication, and research translation will be supported through the Translation Core. For all projects, the emphasis will be on time-sensitive or emerging challenges in children’s health, with priority given to topics related to environmental injustices.

Investigators from CHARTER’s partner institutions (Spelman and UGA) and partner organizations will be eligible to apply if their project is aligned with the goals of CHARTER and focused on CEH. Applications will receive priority for review and funding if they are 1) from non-Emory partner institutions representing groups that have been historically excluded from academic research, 2) early stage, meaning the investigator graduated from a residency training or terminal degree program within the last 10 years, and/or 3) led by a new investigator, or one who has not yet received substantial, independent funding from NIH. Applications from Emory researchers (or experienced researchers from any institution) will only be considered if there are not enough applications from our partner universities, early stage and new investigators, or structurally marginalized minorities.

Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Dr. Carmen Marsit (carmen.j.marsit@emory.edu) before beginning the application process to discuss the fit of their request with CHARTER goals, the NIEHS mission, and the goals of the RISE Grant Program.  

A completed application package should be sent to Jasmine Irish (jirish2@emory.edu). 

The Application must include: 

• A letter of intent (submitted 2 weeks before the full application). The letter will include a summary of the proposed project and applicant details. Development Core leadership will review each LOI to confirm its overall alignment with program objectives, and to help assign a mentor(s) to the investigator(s). The mentoring program is modeled on the KL2 program of the Georgia CTSA and NIH K-awards. The mentor will meet with the investigator to discuss the proposed project and provide guidance on application development. 
• A cover letter co-signed by the PI’s department chair/division chief indicating approval of the proposal 
• A scientific proposal limited to 3 pages, in the style of an NIH R grant, with sections labeled Specific Aims, Significance, Innovation, and Approach. 
• Required materials outside the 3-page limit include references, cover page with a summary paragraph and the proposal’s relevance to CEH, a description of the application’s alignment within the NIEHS translational framework, a 300-word section describing how findings will help to ground a future NIEHS grant application. 
• NIH bio sketches of key personnel 
• Budget (PHS 398 form) 
• Budget justification 
• Projects that require institutional approvals (e.g., IRB, IACUC) must provide proof that submissions for those approvals have been made with the application. If your project is funded, all institutional approvals must be received before funding can be awarded, and additional materials required by NIEHS will be requested, including enrollment tables and full human subjects materials sections.

‍

• Funding of up to $12,000 direct costs may be requested 
• If requesting HERCULES Facility Core services, budget details should be discussed at the required consultation meeting prior to application submission. 
• Indirect costs should not be included in the budget. 
• No salary support may be requested. 
• All federal and university rules and regulations regarding the administration of grants apply to these funds. Costs subject to CAS approval, such as computers, general purpose equipment, office supplies, etc., may not be budgeted. No travel can be budgeted. 
• Requests for equipment are not allowable 

Awardee Requirements: 

• RISE Grants are expected to lead to K-or R-level NIH funding, preferably with NIEHS. Awardees are required to keep the CHARTER Center Administrator informed of any proposal submission and/or grant funding resulting from the Enhance Grant award. 
• Any resultant publications must cite funding from CHARTER (NIEHS NIEHS 1P2CES033430-01) and electronic copies of the publications should be provided to the CHARTER Center Administrator. If projects make use of any HERCULES cores or resources, the HERCULES grant should also be cited (NIEHS P30ES019776) 
• RISE Grantees will be paired with a faculty mentor who can assist the investigator in achieving the goals of their pilot, as well as in the development of the resulting funding application. Investigators are also encouraged to take advantage of programs designed to assist in grant development, including workshops and grants in progress sessions sponsored by their schools or the HERCULES Center. 
• Awardees must agree to participate in CHARTER activities (Retreats, Seminars, Data Clubs, Workshops, Stakeholder and External Advisory Board Meetings) and provide a brief written report at the end of the funding

For questions regarding this RISE Grant program please contact Dr. Carmen Marsit, email: j.marsit@emory.edu