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Highlighting a new sleep grant initiative from the DAHS Office of Research

In an effort to build an internationally recognized program of research in sleep science at UNC-CH, DAHS is pleased to announce its new Sleep Innovative Research Grant (SIRG) program. “Our goal is to foster interdisciplinary research capacity in sleep science through providing funding for researchers to conduct innovative sleep science research in clinical or translational sciences,” said Dr. Mary Ellen Wells, director of the NDSS program in the Department of Allied Health Sciences.

The program will fund researchers up to a maximum of $10,000 for their one-year projects. Beginning in the summer of 2018 and continuing through 2021, the competitive award process will offer three grants annually to UNC investigators (both faculty-level and post-doctoral fellows) who integrate sleep science into their studies using a variety of methodologies. It is anticipated that by providing researchers with funding to support the successful pilot projects, their findings will yield sufficient preliminary data to support a future larger-scale grant application. 

The grant program is one of the initiatives made possible from a gift from the Eddie Jo Allison Smith Family Foundation to DAHS and the Department of Neurology. Dr. Wells and Bradley Vaughn, MD, Vice Chair and Professor in UNC’s Department of Neurology, are leading the initiatives stemming from the grant, with administrative leadership from DAHS Associate Chair and Dean Stephen Hooper, PhD, and the DAHS Office of Research. DAHS Associate Chair for Research, Brian Boyd, PhD, launched the grant program along with Dr. Wells and Dr. Vaughn at the November Research Forum, to an audience of current and potential sleep researchers. 

For researchers wanting more information about the SIRG program, including requirements for proposals and letters of intent, please see our page on the DAHS Office of Research website.