Spark Awards Request for Applications

Introducing the Spark Awards – a new initiative from the CTSI designed to enable preliminary work and generate essential data for both new and ongoing projects. This award is intended to provide investigators with the resources they need to effectively advance their research efforts. The goal of the Spark program is to jump-start new pilot studies with the goal of supporting future extramural grant applications or scientific initiatives.

Eligibility

Investigators must meet these criteria:

Early to mid-stage career level
⁠Post-Doctoral Fellow
Instructor, Assistant Professor
Associate Professor, less than two years of appointment at Ohio State/Nationwide Children’s Hospital

Please note: researchers in the following roles are not eligible for a Spark Award Students (undergraduate, graduate and medical), residents and CTSI funded investigators (K, T, Pilot, Element E)

Principal Investigator (PI) status or a letter of exception at Ohio State or Nationwide Children’s Hospital. PI eligibility information can be reviewed in the Ohio State Office of Research Study Team Lookup website.

Spark awardees may receive only one Spark award (single or collaborative) per funding cycle. A new funding cycle will start no earlier than August 1 of each subsequent year.

Exceptions may be made.

Please contact CTSI-SPARK@osumc.edu for more information.

Award Amount

CTSI will award Spark Awards to Ohio State and Nationwide Children's Hospital investigators worth up to $3,000. CTSI will award up to $5,000 for projects involving researchers from two different Ohio State colleges or a collaboration between Ohio State and Nationwide Children’s investigators.

Application Dates

Applications will be received through May 15, 2025, or until designated funds are exhausted.

Number of Awards

The program will make approximately 70 awards during 2024-2025.

Scope of Projects

All proposals must encompass activities to support a future grant application or major scientific initiative or provide additional support critical to the success of an existing project. In addition, proposals must fall into one of these categories: clinical research, clinical implementation or public health. For 2024-2025, the program will not support basic science or pre-clinical research proposals.

For this funding cycle, use of Spark Awards will be limited to these cores and services:

- College of Medicine Center for Biostatistics (COM-CfB) - Data Access Analysis and Coordination (DAAC)
  - Contact: biostatistics@osumc.edu
- College of Medicine Center for Biostatistics (COM-CfB) - MarketScan
  - Contact: biostatistics@osumc.edu
- College of Medicine Center for Biostatistics (COM-CfB) - PCORnet
  - Contact: pcori@osumc.edu; biostatistics@osumc.edu
- RIT – Secondary Data Access Services
  - Contact: rit-edc@osumc.edu
- CTSI – LifeScale
  - Contact: LifeScale@osumc.edu
- Clinical Research Data Request through Ohio State Wexner Medical Center Honest Broker Operations Committee (HBOC): Requests are assigned to Honest Brokers based on the project area.
  - Non-oncology requests assigned to RIT
    - Contact: rit-data@osumc.edu
  - IHIS Imaging Data Requests
    - Contact: rit-data@osumc.edu
  - BMI Faculty Data Requests College of Medicine Department of Biomedical Informatics
    - Contact: biostatistics@osumc.edu
  - HBOC for Recruitment
    - Contact: rit-data@osumc.edu
Note: A separate HBOC request needs to be submitted requesting for services after being awarded
- RIT - Registries (REDCap, SCARLET, Cloud)
  - Contact: RIT-Data@osumc.edu
- RIT - EHR Tools Building/Systems
  - Contact: askrit@osumc.edu
- RIT – User-Centered Design and Software Development (Prototyping)
  - Contact: askrit@osumc.edu
- RIT – Data Visualization
  - Contact: askrit@osumc.edu
- CRC - Analytical and Development Lab
  - Contact: Emily.Brown@osumc.edu
- CRC - Nursing Services
  - Contact: Emily.Brown@osumc.edu
- CRC - Research Nutrition Lab
  - Contact: Emily.Brown@osumc.edu

Spark awards will support services from these cores only. Please contact CTSI-Spark@osumc.edu for any questions related to these services or if there is a service you need that is not currently offered.

How to Apply

Complete a MyCTSI Profile
Contact the proposed core service and obtain a cost calculation (budget estimate) for the project. Your cost calculation must be completed before submitting your application.
Complete the Spark Awards application form. Make sure to answer all questions and attach your cost calculation.

CTSI Membership Profile

CTSI Cost Calculation Template (Word Document)

CTSI Spark Award Application

Other Important Details

Funded projects must be IRB/ORRP approved prior to disbursement of funds. Applicants must satisfy all IRB/ORRP requirements, including required training and reporting of conflicts of interest.
Spark Award applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Applications will be reviewed for eligibility, completeness, feasibility to complete within the required time frames, and scientific merit. Applications revisions may be requested by the program. Funding decisions should be available within four (4) weeks of application.
All services supported by Spark Awards must be completed by July 31, 2025. All invoices must be received no later than August 31, 2025.
Awardees must complete a post-award survey which will confirm any publications, abstracts and/or grant submissions/awards related to the Spark project.
Awards may include funding from more than one core service.
Research must be conducted within the US.
Funded pharmaceutical or industry studies are not eligible for Spark Awards.

Awardees must be in good standing with CTSI (compliant with citing all publications and requirements of past CTSI funding).

Spark Awards Request for Applications