Pilot Projects

• This grant supports scientific research projects and research-to-practice (R2P) initiatives that apply scientific knowledge in real-world situations, in occupational health and safety ​
• Projects are funded for up to a maximum of $17,500 (total costs, including direct and up to 8% indirect costs), depending upon the scope of the research and available funds​. Project period starts July 1, 2023.

While we welcome proposals on any topic related to occupational health and safety, we encourage proposals focused on:

• Disproportionate health impacts on some workers in the increasingly diverse workforce, including the interrelationships between workers’ race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and generational challenges, and workplace and work factors
• Innovative ways to address the future of work
• Small businesses

Applicants should be based in the MAP ERC region (Colorado, Arizona, Montana, New Mexico, Wyoming) to be considered for this award.

• Investigators from minority and underrepresented populations
• Early career researchers interested in occupational health, safety, and well-being, including:
  • Junior faculty members interested in the field
  • ​​Graduate research trainees, medical trainees, or postdoctoral fellows in an occupational safety, health, and well-being discipline
• Investigators who have done research in a related discipline and are interested in further research in occupational safety, health, and well-being, including:
  • ​​​Faculty who have experience conducting high-quality research in a related discipline
  • ​​Researchers in government agencies, community organizations, or private enterprises who demonstrate the ability to conduct high quality, independent research

To apply, review the request for proposals and submit your application as a single PDF to Carol.Brown@cuanschutz.edu. The deadline for submissions is 5:00pm MT on March 31, 2023.

Please contact Carol Brown at Carol.Brown@cuanschutz.edu with questions about the MAP ERC Pilot Project Awards.​

• ​This grant supports scientific research and research-to-practice (R2P) projects and initiatives that apply scientific knowledge in real-world situations using the Total Worker Health^® approach to advance worker well-being
• These awards support projects that address both protection from work-related safety and health hazards and promotion of injury and illness prevention efforts
• Projects are funded for one year for up to a maximum of $20,000 (total costs, including direct and indirect costs), depending upon the scope of the research and available funds​​

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health defines Total Worker Health^® as “policies, programs, and practices that integrate protection from work-related safety and health hazards with promotion of injury and illness prevention efforts to advance worker well-being.” Researchers and practitioners who use the Total Worker Health (TWH) approach target working conditions (e.g., physical, psychological, work organization, etc.), rather than individual worker behaviors, to advance worker well-being.

For more information about TWH, please refer to the NIOSH website.

Although any proposal that meets a Total Worker Health^® need will be welcomed and considered, proposals will be particularly encouraged and given priority if they meet the priorities of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) Goals/Objectives and the center’s research and practice priorities. Center’s research and practice priorities include but are not limited to projects that utilize multi-disciplinary collaborations to address:

• Small business
• Mental health in the workplace
• Worker well-being
• Disproportionate health impacts on some workers in the increasingly diverse workforce, such as the interrelationships between workers’ race/ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and generational challenges, and workplace and work factors
• Opioid and substance use disorders
• Climate change and worker health
• Workplace emergency preparedness
• Relevant to identified NORA objectives
• Regional (Region VIII) focus

Junior applicants from Federal Region VIII—Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming—will be given priority.

Eligible Pilot Project investigators include applicants who fit into at least one of the following three categories:

1. Investigators who are new to the research field
   1. Junior faculty members with research interests in worker safety, health, and well-being
   2. Graduate students or graduate research trainees, or postdoctoral fellows in a Total Worker Health^®-related discipline
2. Investigators who have done research in an occupational health and safety discipline AND who are new to Total Worker Health (TWH)
   1. Academic faculty members of any rank who are new to the field of health protection, health promotion, and integration research, but who have experience doing high‐quality research in a related discipline (e.g., public health, occupational therapy, psychology, business, medicine, health, economics, human development and family studies, social work, etc.)
   2. Academic faculty members of any rank who have experience in occupational health and safety, but not in TWH, who aim to develop research to contribute to TWH paradigms and evidence.
   3. Researchers in government agencies, community organizations, or private companies who have the capacity to conduct high-quality independent research.
3. Experienced investigators who seek to address innovative new research questions or develop innovative methods aimed to improve TWH research, translation, dissemination, or practice.
   1. Academic faculty members of any rank or researchers in government agencies, community organizations, or private companies who are not new to occupational health and safety or TWH research, but who aim to gather pilot data in preparation for larger-scale projects and proposals.

To apply, review the request for proposals and submit your application as a single PDF to Natalie.Schwatka@cuanschutz.edu. The deadline for submissions is 5:00pm MST on March 31, 2023.

Please contact Natalie Schwatka at Natalie.Schwatka@cuanschutz.edu with questions about the Total Worker Health Pilot Project Awards.​