About the Grant Awards
Q: What is the time period (start/end dates and duration) for these grants?
A: Grants must start on July 1, 2012 and end no later than December 31, 2013. The awards can last up to 18 months. Project extensions, also referred to as no-cost extensions, will not be possible.
Q: What is required of grantees?
A: Project directors are required to submit periodic progress and financial reports and final narrative and financial reports. They will also be expected to meet all IRB requirements of their institutions by September 30, 2012. The lead investigators and board-certified chaplains (not to exceed a total of 3 persons per research team) are expected to attend, at HCC’s expense (therefore this is not an expense that should be in your project budget), four to five national colloquia over the course of the initiative to network with and share their research and findings with others. Acceptance of project funding commits grantees to participate in these colloquia, which will afford opportunities for networking, career development, and collaborations aimed at continuing to grow the emerging discipline of chaplaincy research.
About the Online Application System
Q: How do I create a username and password?
A: The first time you visit the application Login screen, you’ll need to create a username and password. You can do that by entering them on the right side of the signup box, as shown below:
Make sure you use a real email address that you can easily access. The login form is case sensitive – if you initially sign up as Test@Example.com, you wouldn’t be able to login as test@example.com.
Once you’ve done this, click Signup, and you’ll be taken to the application form. Most people won’t have all the information necessary to complete the application on the first visit. To save an application as a draft so that you may return to it later, scroll to the bottom and click the Save Draft option.
If you ever access the application from a shared computer, you might find that someone else was on the site before you. If you load the application form and don’t see the Login/Signup box displayed above, immediately scroll down, click Return to Menu, and then click Logout. After that, you can log in with your own credentials.
Q: Once I’ve started an application, how do I return to the application system to complete it?
A: Most people will need to come back to the application at some point. If you have started an application and saved it as a draft, it’s now associated with the email address and password you entered the very first time.
Enter your email address and password in the left hand side of the gray box and click the Login option. This will take you right back to the application you had saved as a draft.
Q: How do I recover a forgotten password?
A: If you’ve forgotten your password, you’ll need to click the ‘Forgot Password’ link to recover it. That will take you to a screen where we’ll ask you for the email address you used when you first created an account. Enter that as shown below and click Reset Password:
The system will send you an email which has a new, temporary password.
Back on the Wizehive window, click the “Back to Login” link, shown below:
This will return you to the main login screen. At this screen, type in your email address and the temporary password from your email:
On your screen, the password will only show up as black dots. We’re showing it here just so it’s clear that you should use the one from the email you received.
This will take you to a screen where you’ll be asked to supply a new, personalized password to replace the temporary one. Enter a password that you can easily remember in the boxes shown below, then click “Change Password and Login”
This will take you right back to the application you had in progress. The next time you return to the login screen, you’ll use your email address and the password that you typed into the boxes shown right above.
Q: How do I save my work?
A: Scroll down to the bottom of the application form and click the Save Draft Button.
Q: When my application is complete, how do I submit it?
A: Scroll down to the bottom of the application form and click Submit.
Q: How will I know if my application was submitted successfully?
A: You will receive an email from the system indicating that we have received your application.
About the Research Team
Q: Is the research team limited to three people?
A: No – there are no limits to the number of people on a team and that should depend on what’s appropriate for conducting the project. However, we intend to invite a maximum of three people per team to the colloquia, including the project director and chaplain.
Q: Must the experienced researchers on the team have a doctorate or are clinician investigators with research training acceptable?
A: The team must possess the appropriate expertise needed to carry out the project. We do not require Ph.D.’s.
Q: Must the project director be a chaplain?
A: The chaplain does not need to be a project director or co-PI. As long as a chaplain is on the research team, any arrangement is acceptable.
Q: Is it assumed that the chaplain researcher is the same person as the one who is providing the care? Or can this be two or more different chaplains?
A: You must have a board-certified chaplain on your team or a chaplain who is eligible according to common standards. How you propose to carry out the study is up to you.
Q: What would happen if the chaplain changed jobs before the study was completed?
A: We will work with teams where unavoidable personnel changes occur. However, we are interested in the commitment of the team and the individuals to this line of research and will be paying close attention to that in our review.
Q: Are there limitations regarding consultants – number per project, budget?
A: We have no limitations on consultants.
Q: May I serve as a consultant on a project if I submit an application of my own?
A: Yes.
Q: Will CPE students be able to participate in the project?
A: That is for the team to decide. If their participation is appropriate and will contribute to the project’s aims, then yes.
About the Proposed Research Projects
Q: Will selection preference be given for qualitative or quantitative methods?
A: We do not restrict or prefer particular research methods or types of data. The reviewers consider whether the methods and data you propose can answer the questions you seek to understand.
Q: What do you mean by innovation?
A: We are looking to support research that can advance the field. Anything already known in the literature will be of less interest to us than something that can contribute in new ways to the field of chaplaincy in palliative care.
Q: Can you give examples of mixed methods?
A: There are many examples of mixed methods studies in the literature. For example, a study might use open-ended interviews and subject them to content analysis, then analyze administrative or epidemiological data on use of chaplain services.
Q: Should the subjects of the study be diverse?
A: We’re interested in generalizability and also seek to be inclusive – diversity is viewed very positively. The reviewers will consider this in conjunction with scientific merit.
Q: Are studies related to religion-specific populations acceptable?
A: They could be. We are looking for field-advancing studies. The reviewers will consider generalizability. The study would have to generate a hypothesis that could move the field forward. We also recognize that a great deal of chaplaincy is conducted from within faith traditions including atheism and other non-traditional religions. You would need to provide scientific justification for selecting one faith tradition,
Q: Are you open to topics that are central to spiritual care provision but not exclusive to the profession of chaplaincy?
A: Yes.
Q: Does your definition of palliative care include hospice care?
A: Yes.
Q: Will studies that address issues with underserved or disadvantaged populations be given added consideration?
A: We are interested in studies that explore how chaplaincy services might be better accessed or used by disadvantaged populations.
Q: Will studies that focus on children and adolescents be considered?
A: Yes.
Q: Will studies that focus on veterans with traumatic brain injury or PTSD be considered?
A: Yes.
Q: How about perinatal palliative care, where the patient is the family?
A: Yes. We intend to be inclusive and are looking for projects that target a range of patients and settings through which palliative care is delivered.
Q: Can we contact HCC for feedback on potential research design?
A: We will avoid giving any scientific guidance as a matter of fairness. We are willing to discuss the suitability of projects for this initiative.
Q: What is the expected final product? Can work on publications continue after the project ends?
A: Depending on the project, papers, journal articles, presentations at professional meetings, opinion pieces, etc. Yes, work on publications can continue after December 31, 2013.
Other
Q: What do you mean by a diverse applicant pool?
A: We seek wide-ranging diversity among applicants including, but not limited to gender, ethnicity, religious denomination or spiritual tradition, under-represented groups, career stage, discipline/field, and institutional affiliation.
Q: What kinds of support will HCC provide for the research team?
A: Mentoring by our project faculty, networking opportunities, and convening through several colloquia.
Q: One of the stated goals of the project is to create a cadre of chaplain researchers. However, it is not clear how chaplains are going to gain enough training over the course of this grant to become independent researchers.
A: It is important to note that we are not necessarily looking to create "independent" chaplain researchers that will be able to run their own projects, although some may get there over time. We will consider it a large step forward if we create a cadre of chaplains who have enough research interest and sophistication to be subject matter experts in chaplaincy and spiritual care as members of research teams and can read and evaluate the literature that informs their own practice.
Q: Does the project have to start on July 1, 2012? We need time to hire an extra chaplain.
A: The grant must start on July 1, 2012 and end no later than December 31, 2012. No extensions of any kind will be possible. The team can choose how to ramp up and get started but the reviewers will be evaluating the capacity of the team and how they plan to work together to achieve the project aims.
Q: Should the budget be done in a specific format?
A: Yes. You can access sample templates and detailed application instructions through our online application system – you must register and log in to access this information.
Q: Are appendices to the proposal permitted?
A: We discourage the inclusion of appendices. Please contact us to discuss their relevance.
Q: What kinds of evidence of institutional support are you looking for?
A: We are looking for a letter from an institutional executive with the authority to ensure that proposed project staff will be given the time and resources needed to carry out the research and participate in the colloquia.
Q: What is the schedule for the colloquia and where will they be held?
A: The first colloquium will be held in New York on Sept. 13-14, 2012. Others will be announced at a later date.
Q: Can grant funds be used to support dissertation research? Other educational expenses?
A: Grant funds are to be used to support the conduct of research studies – this is not a career development initiative. Funds cannot be used to support dissertation research or tuition for full-time coursework. However, small amounts of funds may be used to support registration in professional conferences or short-term education programs, trainings, seminars, etc. If you have a question about proposed education expenses, please contact us.
