Sigma Theta Tau International Research Grant Opportunities

Sigma Theta Tau International research priorities are as follows: promotion of healthy communities through health promotion, disease prevention and recognition of social, economic and political determinants; implementation of evidence-based practice; targeting the needs of vulnerable populations such as the chronically ill and poor; and capacity development for research by nurses.

In its mission to provide leadership and scholarship in practice, education and research, Sigma Theta Tau presents the following research grant opportunities:

Sigma Theta Tau International/Association of Nurses in AIDS Care Grant

One grant of up to $2,500 is awarded annually to one recipient. The purpose of the STTI/ANAC research grant is to encourage research career development of nurses through support of clinically oriented HIV/AIDS research and increase the number of HIV studies being done by nurses. This includes studies focused on HIV prevention, symptom management, promotion of self-care and adherence. Proposals for pilot and/or developmental research may be submitted for the grant. Funds for this grant are provided jointly by ANAC and Sigma Theta Tau International. Funds for this grant do not cover expenses incurred prior to the funding date. August 2009 is the funding date. (More information)

Sigma Theta Tau International/Hospice and Palliative Nurses Foundation End of Life Nursing Care

One grant of up to $10,000 is awarded annually to one recipient. The purpose of the STTI/HPNF research grant is to encourage qualified nurses to contribute to the advancement of nursing care through research. Proposals for pilot and/or developmental research may be submitted for the grant. Funds for this grant are provided jointly by Hospice and Palliative Nurses Foundation End of Life Nursing Care and Sigma Theta Tau International. Funds for this grant do not cover expenses incurred prior to the funding date. August 2009 is the funding date. (More information)

Sigma Theta Tau International/Midwest Nursing Research Society Research Grant

This grant of up to $2,500 is given to one recipient. The purpose of the STTI/MNRS research grant is to encourage qualified nurses to contribute to the advancement of nursing through research; proposals for pilot and/or developmental research may be submitted. All research topics and designs are eligible for support. Multidisciplinary, historical, and international research is encouraged. Funds for this grant are provided jointly by Sigma Theta Tau International and Midwest Nursing Research Society. Funds for this grant do not cover expenses incurred prior to the funding date. August 2009 is the funding date. (More information)

Sigma Theta Tau International/Southern Nursing Research Society Grant

This grant of up to $4,500 is given to one recipient. The purpose of the Sigma Theta Tau International/Southern Nursing Research Society collaborative grant is to encourage qualified nurses to contribute to the advancement of nursing through research. Proposals for pilot and/or development research may be sumbitted for this grant. Research may NOT be conducted as part of an academic degree. Funds for this grant are provided by Sigma Theta Tau International and the Southern Nursing Research Society. Funds for this grant do not cover expenses incurred prior to the funding date. August 2009 is the funding date. (More information)

Application Information and Guidelines

Deadline for submissions: All applications and letters of support MUST be received online by 11:59pm (HST) on 1 April 2009.

General Instructions for Applicants

All applications must be submitted via the online submission system. In addition, all submitted information must be in English. Applications sent in by other methods (i.e., mail, e-mail, fax, etc.) will not be reviewed or considered for funding. We highly encouage you to begin and complete your submission before 1 April 2009. This will allowing extra time for your Letters of Support to be completed prior to the deadline.

Failure to follow the guidelines for preparation of grant proposal negates future funding.

Follow instructions and word limits carefully
References are required to be formatted in accordance with the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA).

When more than one investigator is listed, the first individual named will be the person with whom Sigma Theta Tau International will communicate and the investigator who will assume responsibility for conducting the research.

Final narrative and financial reports are due 90 days following the end of the one-year funding period. Dissertations are not accepted as final reports. Complete instructions for the final report appear in Part IV - Biographical Sketch.

If a grant is awarded as the result of this application, the applicant becomes a grantee and assumes any and all legal and financial accountability for the awarded funds and for the performance of the grant-support activities. Deliberate withholding, falsification, non-documentation of references, or misrepresentation of information in the application could result in administrative actions including, but not limited to, the withdrawal of an application.

Guidelines for Preparation of Grant Proposal

PART I - ABSTRACT (200 word limit)
Include an abstract of your proposed research. Outline objectives and methods. Specify the subject population and describe the research design, instruments, and procedure to clearly reflect their importance in the study. The abstract should not exceed 200 words.

PART II - PROPOSAL & SUPPORT (6,000 word limit)
Note: We recommend that you first compose the proposal in your own word processor (i.e., Microsoft Word, Corel WordPerfect, etc.). Check both spelling, grammar and utilize the word count function, before you save and upload. If the proposal is in plain text, which means there are no bold or italic fonts, no subscript or superscript text, no tables, and no numbered or bulleted lists - you can simply copy and paste it into the text box below. If your document contains any of these, you will need to save your proposal as an HTML file on your own computer. Then, use the browse button to find it. The upload of indeximages (.jpg or .gif) in the the Proposal Text section is NOT allowed. Any significant indeximages, should be uploaded in the Apprendix step and referenced in the proposal.

Body of Proposal:

Purpose of the Study:
State clearly the purpose of the study, including how the project makes an original contribution to nursing/health care.
Significance:
Provide the background of your proposal. Critically evaluate existing knowledge. Specify the gaps that the project is intended to fill. State concisely the importance of the research in terms of the contribution to nursing and potential for leading to further research methodology or theory development.
Specific Aims/Hypothesis:
State concisely what the research described is intended to accomplish and/or what hypothesis (es) is (are) to be tested.
Theoretical/Conceptual Framework or Rationale:
Summarize the theoretical framework or rationale as appropriate, addressing the relationship among the specific aims, the literature, key concepts, variables, and instruments.
Literature Review:
Literature may be reviewed as a separate section or as part of background, significance, and/or conceptual framework. Include current literature that is directly pertinent to the project and that assists in clarification of purpose and procedures.
Method:
Discuss in detail the methodological approach, the research design, and the procedure to be used to accomplish the specific aims. Describe new methodology. Discuss potential difficulties and limitations of the proposed procedures and alternative approaches to achieve the aims.

Research Design:
Describe the design of the research.
Subjects and Setting:
Describe the target population and characteristics of the subjects. Include the number of subjects, the rationale for sample size, the sampling frame, the sampling procedure, and the setting for data collection.
Apparatus and/or instruments:
Report the specific characteristics of the instruments, including their reliability, validity, and/or sensitivity. Address how the tool will be used. The instrument(s) (e.g., a questionnaire) should be included in an appendix.
Procedure:
Describe the design and the procedure to be used for the proposed data collection. Specify the kinds of data you expect to obtain. Give details of client/subject selection and intervention, if one is involved. If appropriate, discuss potential problems with and/or limitation of the procedures. Discuss in detail any procedure, situation, and/or material in your proposed research that may be hazardous to subjects. Indicate precautions to be exercised. Include an orientation plan for data collectors, if appropriate.
Plan for Data Management/Analysis:
Describe the means by which the data will be merged, analyzed, and/or interpreted.
Limitations:
Describe the limitations of the study including those related to design and methods
Human Subjects or Animal Use:
Provide a statement of the subject's rights and risk. Provide a statement of the procedure used for animals. Include a copy of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval and a copy of the human subject consent form. The approval and consent form are not included in the 6,000 word limit and will be requested in a separate section. If IRB approval is pending at the time of submission, please indicate that in the system when asked for date of approval. If IRB approval is received prior to December 1, please add it to your proposal. If it is received after December 1, please send a copy of it to Sigma Theta Tau International Headquarters at the following address:
Sigma Theta Tau International
Small Grants
550 West North Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202

Please note that proposals without IRB approval will not be funded.

Time Frame:
Provide a 12-month schedule that specifies the timing of the main steps of the investigation. Justify that the project can be completed within the time frame.

Support:

Facilities/Resources:
Describe the facilities and other physical resources available for this study (e.g., laboratories, clinical resources, office space, etc.)

Collaborative Arrangements:
If the proposed research requires collaboration with other institutions, describe the nature of collaboration and provide evidence to the reviewers that those institutions are willing to cooperate.

Consultative Support:
Include a description of availability of adequate consultation to assure refinement and completion of the project.

PART III - LETTERS OF SUPPORT (not included in 6,000 word limit)
Letters of support must be provided from the following:

At least one research advisor/committee chair, if the proposal is dissertation research;

At least two colleagues who are knowledgeable about this research;

Any collaborating institutions; and

Any consultants.

You will be asked to list the names and e-mail addresses of all people who should provide a letter of support. Upon completion of your online application, the people you list will automatically be contacted by e-mail to request their letters of support. All Letters of Support will be submitted electronically via the Internet. Please note that letters of support must be received by 1 April 2009, in order for the proposal to be reviewed for funding. You may check your proposal to see if people supplying letters of support have been contacted and if the letters have been entered. To check your proposal, return to this Web site and enter the ID# and password you will receive, once you begin the submission. You will also be able to send reminder e-mails to the people supplying letters of support.

PART IV - BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES (not included in 6,000 word limit)
A biographical sketch (contact and biographical information) must be completed for each investigator. Please click here to see a sample form which indicates the fields contained in the online submission.

PART V - BUDGET (not included in 6,000 word limit)
Expenditures:
Sigma Theta Tau International does not fund indirect costs nor costs related to completing an education program (e.g. tuition). Please include your budget amounts for the following items:

Personnel (Requests for Investigator salaries may be included. Include hourly rate for personnel in justification section.)
Secretarial staff
Typing costs (Must be those directly related to the research. Typing of dissertations will not be funded.)
Research Assistants
Consultants (Limit to $50 per hour)
Supplies
Equipment
Computer costs (software only)
Travel Expenses (data collection only)
Other

Justification:
Provide a justification for all expenditures listed.

Other Financial Support:
If you have applied for other sources of support, how will the conduct of this study be affected, if the other funding is not obtained?

PART VI - APPENDICES (not included in 6,000 word limit)
Where applicable, please attach the following documents to your project proposal:

Human subject consent form
Copies of paper/pencil instrument(s)
Interview format or other instruments
Scoring instructions
References cited in the text using the current APA format

Any of the following formats may be used and are listed in order of preference:

PDF - Adobe's Portable Document Format
HTML - Hyper Text Markup Language, Web pages
GIF, JPG, PNG - Formats commonly used on the web
DOC - Microsoft Word
RTF - Rich text file (most word processors export this format)

Click Here to begin a new Grant Application

Login to a previous begin application for this submission process
You will be able to view, edit and/or withdraw an application until the online submission deadline.

Click Here to login to your previous submitted application for this grant process. You will need to know your Application ID# and Password.

Online Technical Support

For assistance with your online application, please call +1.401.334.0220 between 8:30 a.m and 6:00 p.m. EDT, Monday-Friday, or send an Need Tech Support. Please provide us with your Application ID#, so we can better assist you.

STTI Research Grant Contact

For more information or questions regarding research grants, contact Tonna M. Thomas at 888.634.7575 US/Canada, +1.317.634.8171 International or research@stti.iupui.edu