1.  What is the deadline and submission process for the GIL Brief Proposals?  

• GIL Brief Proposals for Round 1 were due on October 31, 2007
• Dates for Round 2 have not yet been announced.
• Materials (brief application and Department Chair’s letter of support) are to be submitted electronically to: accelerate@unc.edu.

• A brief letter of support from the Department Chair, on SPH Departmental letterhead, communicating his/her endorsement of the GIL proposal, must be signed and included along with all proposals.

• The School of Public Health (SPH) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will give priority to proposals that focus on solving problems in obesity, drinking water, global health, and health disparities.  Projects that benefit North Carolina, either directly or indirectly, are encouraged.  At the same time, the School will accept letters of intent for groundbreaking work, even if that work is in subject areas different from the ones described above.  
  

• We expect to have one funding cycle in the 2007-2008 academic year and one or two in the 2008-2009 period.  Over time, as we gain both funding and experience from the initial GILs, we might increase the number of cycles in a year. 
  

• No.  The School wants to fund the best ideas, and we expect departments and even individual investigators to have multiple good ideas.

• Not necessarily.  We will award based on the merits of the application and the degree to which the GIL proposal fits our criteria of addressing big public health problems in an innovative, scalable fashion.  In view of the breadth of excellence at the SPH, we anticipate funding all focus/subject areas over time, but not necessarily within any given cycle.   

• We are not setting numeric targets now.  Over time, several factors will drive the number of GILs the School will fund.  These include: 
  
• The numbers of funding partners a GIL can enlist, if such partners make sense for the project, and the number of additional funds the School raises for this program
• Growth over time in value of the funding pool
• The number of excellent proposals submitted, and the successful completion of GILs
• External factors such as the performance of endowment funds    
  
• Our goal is to award several million dollars every year in GILs.  
  

• We are not announcing specific dollar amounts – good science and important innovations can come in any size.  The largest ones are expected to be similar in scope and funding to an NIH RO1 grant.

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9.  Are the GILs just for research and practice, or will the School fund a ‘teaching’ GIL?            

• We encourage applications for innovative GILs that address research, practice, and 21st century learning. 
  

10.  Why does the principal investigator or co-principal investigator need to be a  faculty member at the UNC-CH School of Public Health?         

• The pledge from Dennis and Joan Gillings was made to recognize and to extend the School’s leadership in several areas.  We will use the funds for that purpose.  At the same time, we believe in the multiplicative power of interdisciplinary collaboration.  We encourage our faculty to look for partners outside the School of Public Health, in other areas of the university, and well beyond to other universities, nonprofit organizations/NGOs, governments, and businesses.

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11.  Does the GIL have to be interdisciplinary?

• No, but an explanation from applicants about why they are not taking an interdisciplinary approach would be wise.  GIL teams should have the collective expertise needed to successfully implement and complete the proposed aims.  

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12.  What are GIL opportunities for students?          

• The guidelines encourage the principal investigators to involve SPH students in their GILs.  The School encourages students to make sure their professors are aware of their interest in participating in a GIL.  Students from other schools in the University may be involved as necessary to bring together the best talent for the project.

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13.  How final are the draft GIL guidelines?          

• We reviewed a number of guidelines from other institutions as we wrote early drafts.  Then we asked SPH faculty and leaders for feedback, and we incorporated their suggestions.  Nevertheless, this program is young, and we intend to revise the funding guidelines from time to time as we learn what is most effective.  As other organizations have done, we will have a formal process for evaluating whether the GIL program is meeting its overarching goals, and results of those reviews may modify the guidelines and application process.    

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14.  What are “solicited innovation labs?”           

• From time to time, Carolina Public Health Solutions, the program that manages the Gillings innovation labs, will approach a member or members of the SPH faculty and ask for a proposal or proposed solution to a specific issue.  This could be in anticipation of or in response to an external change, such as the appearance or exacerbation of a public health issue.  It might be in response to a foundation or other funder’s request for help in an area of the School’s expertise, or to a suggestion from one of the School’s partners or advisers.  The Dean’s Office, representatives of the Dean's Council, and Carolina Public Health Solutions have the authority to make decisions about these awards.  The Acceleration Advisory Committee or representatives of the Committee will review the portfolio of awards.

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15.  How will applicants be notified of the funding decision?          

• By email and by letter to the principal investigator on or before the published dates.   

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16.  Why are these called ‘labs’ and not ‘teams’ or ‘projects?’           

• The emphasis should be on the collective ideas and solutions, not on the process.   

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17.  What is the source of funding for these GILs?          

• The GIL program is funded by a generous personal gift from Dennis and Joan Gillings, the founding donors.  A description of their pledge is available on www.sph.unc.edu.  Other donors have indicated an interest in funding the program or perhaps a specific GIL.  The School is excited about this demonstration of interest, and we will pursue the partnerships that fit the program’s mission the closest.  

18.  Who are the members of the CPHS Acceleration Advisory Committee?     

• The Committee membership is posted here.
• More people will be invited over time, depending on the needs of the program and the “mix” of applications reviewed.  
  

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19.  Have any solicited GILs been awarded yet?          

• Two solicited GILs have been awarded:  The UNC Center for Innovative Clinical Trials was announced in early September 2007, and the Carolina Global Water Partnership in early October 2007.

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20.  Who are the individuals on the review panel for the Gillings Innovation Labs?  

• The scientific reviewers are a multi-disciplinary team of experts drawn from academic institutions (including UNC and others), governmental and non-governmental organizations, community organizations, and for-profit and not-for-profit businesses. While a number of reviewers will represent broad methodological expertise or transdisciplinary approaches to public health challenges, others will be chosen because of their expertise in content areas and methods represented in the Innovation Lab proposals submitted in any given round.  The reviewers will include members of the School of Public Health Research Council.

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21. Is it okay to incorporate multiple schools at UNC-CH into the proposed project?   

• The principal investigator or co-principal investigator must be a faculty member at the UNC School of Public Health.  Other than that, we encourage interdisciplinary teams from UNC-CH and beyond with the collective expertise needed to successfully implement and complete the proposed aims.

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22.  How important is it to articulate the risk of the project?  

• It is fine to estimate the degree of risk in the proposal.  The School encourages high-risk approaches as well as lower-risk approaches to solve public health problems.  

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23.  How important is it to articulate the project’s lack of fundability by other sources?   

• It is sensible to articulate the funding available from other sources, especially for groundbreaking topics for which funding is limited.  

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24.  Will the enhanced financial literacy program for the School be funded through this mechanism?   

• The School’s enhanced financial literacy program will be a separate activity primarily funded and run by the Dean’s Office.  We are, however, interested in receiving other curricular proposals for the School of Public Health.   

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25.  Does the GIL have to raise funds for the project?   

• In most cases, the answer is ‘no,’ but identifying additional funding is always an option, particularly to sustain an effort.  This might apply in several ways.  One would be a GIL proposal requiring more funding than CPHS typically awards.  In this case, the complementary funding, combined with a strong proposal, might allow the project to go forward.  Second, a GIL might identify funders for a subsequent phase of the project, contingent on the successful completion of the phase covered in the GIL.  Matching or supplemental funding is not a requirement of GIL proposals.   

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26.  Will the $2 million a year set aside to fund the GILs also be used for funding the solicited innovation labs?   

• No.  Solicited innovation labs will be awarded from funds separate from those allocated to competitive GILs.

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27.  How is it possible to prioritize both North Carolina and global public health?  Does my proposal have to address both?

• As many global health projects also have the potential to benefit North Carolina, and vice versa, we encourage the combination.  However, addressing both North Carolina’s and global public health is not required for the submission of a GIL proposal.  

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28.  What types of involvement from other global health sources should we seek?  Is it okay to incorporate Non-Governmental Organizations, etc.?   

• We encourage global partnerships with organizations such as NGOs where that makes sense.  Dissemination matters, and partnerships are helpful in building and sustaining successful public health projects.  

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29.  Is it necessary for a teaching/educational mission to be included in my GIL proposal?   

• This is optional.  The School of Public Health wishes to support a variety of research, teaching and practice ideas.

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30.  Is there a preference for the funded dollars of a GIL to stay primarily within the School of Public Health?

• There is no quotient for the dissemination of GIL funding.  However, an important focus is on SPH leadership to achieve the intended GIL outcome.  The principal investigator (PI) or co-PI must be a faculty member in the SPH.

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31.  If similar proposals are considered, what is the opportunity for collaboration by multiple teams?   

• Carolina Public Health Solutions is considering options for an internal communication channel to promote School-wide collaboration on GIL applications for important public health topics.  Once GIL proposals are submitted, though, each one will be evaluated on its own merits.  CPHS will not at that point intervene or interfere.   

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32.  Do you anticipate seeing a logic model in the brief proposals?   

• Though a logic model is not required in the brief proposals, the use of one may help reviewers understand the potential impact of the proposed project.  A logic model is, however, required in the full proposals.   

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33.  When will the second funding cycle for GILs begin?   

• The School anticipates a second round of funding for GILs in late 2008.  

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34.  How can I find out more info about the Gillings Innovation Labs?

• If you have questions about GILs or these guidelines and if you don't find answers in these web pages, please contact Julie MacMillan, Managing Director of CPHS, at julie_macmillan@unc.edu or accelerate@unc.edu.  

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35.  When are the full applications due for the next funding cycle?

• We expect to announce the dates shortly.  Brief proposals are likely to be due in early November 2008.

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36.  Is a letter of support from the PI's Departmental Chair required for the full application?

• Yes, a letter of support from the PI's Departmental Chair is required.  NOTE:  The letter submitted with the brief application can be redated and submitted at the discretion of the Departmental Chair.  The purpose of the updated letter of support is to re-affirm the Chair's support.  The letter submitted with the full proposal can be a one-sentence letter reiterating the support described in the brief proposal application.

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37.  Are letters of support and CVs from collaborators required for the full application?

• CPHS did not require letters of support and CVs from collaborators for the January 31, 2008 full proposals.  Based on feedback from reviewers, these documents might be required in later rounds.  We encourage PIs to seek letters especially for external collaborators or institutions as a preventive, especially for partnerships that appear to be complex.  These pages can be an appendix.

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38.  Do references count in the 15-page total?

• Citations are to be enumerated in the text and a corresponding Reference Appendix should be included using a consistent format.  The Reference Appendix is not counted in the 15-page total.

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39.  Re: logic model required for full applications, is a specific format to be used?  Can this be presented and described in an appendix?

• A logic model appropriate for your particular GIL effort is required in all full applications.  The logic model and related description are to be included in the count of the 15 pages of the full proposal document.

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40.  If information on Human Subjects is a key element of proposals, where should this be included and described?

• It is okay to include detail about the protection of human subjects in an appendix outside the 15-page limit, but the key scientific and methodologic elements should be inside the 15-page count.

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41.  Is a GIL team allowed to change the PI or co-PI before the full proposal is submitted?

• Yes, CPHS will accept a change in the PI or co-PI of a proposed GIL only if the School of Public Health Departmental Chair(s) signs off.  The GIL team makes this change at its own risk.  Additionally, this change must be communicated to CPHS as soon as it is known, so that appropriate reviewers can be identified and secured for the full proposal review.

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42.  What font type and size should be used?

• CPHS recommends using Arial, 11pt. font.  However, the Funding Guidelines state that either Arial, 10pt. or Times New Roman, 12pt. is acceptable.

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 43.  Is the budget table and summary counted in the 15-page count of the full proposal?

• Based on the feedback received, we realize that whether or not the budget information is to be included in the proposal's 15-page count is ambiguous.  In this regard, if you have already completed your proposal and included the budget in an appendix, this will be accepted.  
• Since we assured our reviewers that each full proposal would be limited to a maximum of 15 pages (not counting appendices), however, we would be extremely grateful if you would include in the 15 pages a paragraph that highlights the key elements of the budget, as a courtesy to our reviewers.
  

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44.  Will departments need to route the proposed budget (and/or proposal) through OSR for review prior to submitting to CPHS?

• No, you do not have to submit your budget/proposal to OSR for review prior to submitting to CPHS.  The agreement between OSR and SPH is that only funded GILs will be entered into RAMSES by the PI's department.

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45.  Is purchasing a computer for a GIL project an allowed expense in the budget?

• The GIL guidelines state under Budget and Allowable Costs:  "Costs for infrastructure or other activities that are spread beyond the efforts of the Innovation Lab (e.g., buildings, general lab equipment and computers) generally are not allowed."  However, if the computer in question is crucial for the conduct of the project (e.g., a laptop dedicated for field data collection that will not be used in any other capacity during the project effort) a case might be made for including it in the direct costs of the project.

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46.  Do you have a sense whether the reviewers would look upon the proposal unfavorably should the PI's effort be listed at 0%, In Kind?

• This decision is really up to each PI, since CPHS cannot anticipate reviewers' reactions.  We encourage each PI to put together the best plan to achieve GIL aims.

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47.  Is there a particular order in which you want the documents?  For example:  cover letter, letter of support from the Department Chair, full proposal, references, CVs, letters of support, other appendices?  Can they all be combined into one PDF to be sent electronically?

• No particular order is required.
• Combining all the documents into one PDF to send is acceptable.
  

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48.  Should we include presentations at national conferences in the budget for dissemination purposes?

• Budget details, such as presentations at national conferences, are up to the discretion of the PI.  If this is part of your dissemination plan, then these should be included and described.

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49.  Are the questions by which the reviewers will be judging the full GIL proposals available to the PIs?

• The sample reviewer form for the 2008 full GIL proposals is available here.

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