Frequently Asked Questions

Letters of Intent are not mandatory but help us anticipate the volume of expected applications. Letters of Intent are not binding. If you sent a Letter of Intent but will not be applying, please let us know as soon as possible.

HEI generally does not provide feedback on Letters of Intent. However, HEI will contact the applicant if the intended topic of the application is outside the scope of the Request for Applications or HEI's research interests, or if the applicant or their institution does not meet qualifications for applying. 

Preliminary applications are a mechanism for HEI to preselect proposals when a large volume of proposals is expected. Investigators are asked to describe their research idea in a few pages and provide some information on feasibility of the research and experience of the research team, and an estimated budget. After review, if HEI is interested, a full application is requested and feedback of the application may be provided. HEI generally does not provide feedback if it is not interested in a full application.

No, full applications submitted through a preliminary application process are by invitation only.

HEI does not prohibit submission of more than one application by the same investigator. However, we recommend taking a careful look and presenting the research idea that is the most innovative and viable. Another option would be to submit as a collaborator with another investigator.

Yes. The Research Committee will review all preliminary applications and makes a selection based on whether the proposed topic and approach are considered innovative, high quality, and feasible. Selected applicants will be invited to submit a full application.

Scientists of any nationality residing anywhere in the world and holding a PhD, ScD, MD, DVM, DrPH, or equivalent degree are eligible to apply. By the date that preliminary applications are due, the applicant must be appointed at the Assistant Professor (USA), University Lecturer (UK), or equivalent level at an academic or research institution.

This position must be a permanent, ongoing position (not a contract with a fixed end date).

The applicant cannot have held such a position for more than five years (60 months) by the date that preliminary applications are due.

HEI welcomes any application that is focused broadly on air pollution and health. HEI seeks to fund studies that span a range of scientific fields, including atmospheric science, epidemiology, exposure science, risk assessment, social science, statistics, economics, and toxicology. Please refer to our Strategic Plan to see the issues and topics that are priorities for HEI.. Emerging areas of interest for HEI include (a) climate, air quality, and health, (b) transportation and health in a changing landscape, and (c) environmental justice.

No. Full applications are by invitation only. However, if a candidate is still eligible to apply, they can reapply the following year provided they still meet the eligibility requirements.

The project should not exceed a total cost of $600,000 including indirect costs. Indirect costs are limited to a maximum of 30% of direct costs excluding equipment charges and subcontracts). Funds can be used to support the applicant’s salary, to hire additional staff (e.g., postdocs, graduate or undergraduate students, or technicians), provide project support (e.g., consulting statisticians, core facilities), and/or to purchase equipment and supplies. Funds cannot be used to support the salaries of co-investigators or mentors.

Involvement of a (bio)statistician is required during the study design and data analyses. Although some applicants may have statistical expertise themselves, it is useful to have someone scrutinize the proposal, take a look at study power, how treatment groups and group sizes are designed, and what kinds of control groups (or populations) are needed. Similarly, a data analysis plan should be decided upon before the study starts and should be described in detail in the full application. Proposals without appropriate statistical involvement are likely to receive lower scores.

Yes, it is often useful to have several mentors. We encourage applicants to recruit mentors who work in the same field as well as others who can fill in missing expertise. Mentors do not need to be based at the same institution as the applicant, and they do not need to be someone who has worked with the applicant previously. Please reach out to Dan Crouse (dcrouse@healtheffects.org) if you need suggestions for potential mentors.

With preliminary applications: no letters of support are needed. Applicants should submit a biosketch for themselves of no more than 2 pages (see here for biosketch form).

With full applications: a cover letter, biosketches for the applicant and mentors, letters of support from mentors, and one letter indicating institutional support, are all required.

Typically, HEI receives 15-25 preliminary applications to this RFA each year, invites 3-5 applicants to submit full applications, and ultimately funds one or two awards.

HEI uses contracts rather than grants to make sure that the research performed does not substantially differ from what was originally proposed, as opposed to grants that are generally more open-ended. HEI funded researchers are held accountable for the work they propose to do within the stated time-frame and budget. If the originally proposed research does not work out as intended for technical or other valid reasons, or if an alteration in the proposed plan is needed for some other reason, a change of course can be negotiated with (and needs to be approved by) the Research Committee.

Your study can start only after the contract has been negotiated and approved and signed by all necessary parties. Due to the nature of the steps outlined below, study initiation can take several months.

A Statement of Work provides a framework for the work to be performed in a given contract year, turning the broad goals described in a research proposal into actual tasks and deliverables. The Statement is part of the study contract that is negotiated with the investigator’s institution. HEI requests a Statement of Work once a study has been approved for funding.

Studies that use human subjects or data are required obtain approval from their Institutional Review Board (or equivalent entity) and submit a quality control/quality assurance plan to HEI. HEI in turn seeks approval from the U.S. EPA before the study begins. Details are provided in the section Studies involving human participants. If a study is considered to be exempt, documentation submitted to the IRB and its determination of exemption should be provided to HEI. Please contact HEI for details.

All HEI studies require a Quality Assurance / Quality Control (QA/QC) plan that needs to be approved by the Research Committee. All investigators should adhere to QA/QC standards and guidelines applicable to their field of research and according to HEI guidelines. The goal is to ensure that all studies are designed and conducted well and produce reliable, meaningful and traceable data.

For certain studies, especially those using human subjects, HEI organizes QA/QC site visits, conducted by a third party, independent auditor. Details are provided on our QA/QC page.

A contract amendment should be requested to change the budget and scope or timeframe of the study. For example, a change in the direction of work due to technical difficulties or unforeseen personnel changes may require a substantial change in budget categories. In other cases, the investigator may need more time than expected to complete a certain part of the research. HEI occasionally agrees to no-cost extensions, although they are generally discouraged due to HEI’s obligation to its sponsors in providing timely results.

Progress reports are due yearly at 5 months and 10 months, except during the final year when a comprehensive final report is due instead of the last progress report. Five-month progress reports are used to check on general progress and provide an opportunity for feedback from the Research Committee. Ten-month progress reports are the basis for contract renewal for the following year. The 10-month report/renewal application provides information on progress in meeting the goals for that year and the results obtained. It also presents a plan and detailed budget for the subsequent year.

HEI will send a reminder about one month before the report is due and provides a form that you are asked to fill out. The completed form should be sent to the Science Administrative Assistant and copy the HEI staff scientist assigned to your study.

Yes, Research Committee members with oversight for your study will review the progress report and provide feedback. The overall goal is to help solve any issues that arise and make the study stronger. You are asked to address comments in a response letter or in the next progress report. The Research Committee approves contract renewal for the subsequent year based on the 10-month progress report.

If the Research Committee feels that more in-depth discussion of a study is indicated, HEI conducts a site visit to the investigator’s laboratory. Site visits are conducted by a few Research Committee members, HEI scientific staff, and external expert consultants. Site visits may be scheduled because of concern about progress or problems encountered during the study, but often the purpose is to have a detailed scientific review and discussion of progress, results, and the future course of work.

One of HEI’s goals is to publish research reports that are of value to sponsors, scientists, regulators, government officials, and the interested public. When a study is completed, the investigator is required to submit a comprehensive final report that describes the study and its findings. This includes both results in which effects were found ("positive results") and results in which no effects of a pollutant were seen ("negative results") because, if studies are well-conducted, negative results are as important as positive results in understanding the health effects of pollutants.

The Review Committee’s Commentary provides a succinct summary of the study and its findings and puts the research results into a broader context, points out their strengths and limitations, and discusses the interpretation, conclusions, and implications of the findings. It has an important function in communicating the results to a broad audience that may not read the detailed report.

The HEI Statement is a brief synopsis of the Investigators’ report, highlighting the key results and the Review Committee’s evaluation of the study. It is written for a broader and non-technical audience.

When a final report is received at HEI, it is sent to outside peer reviewers who are independent experts in relevant areas of research. It is then discussed by the Review Committee, which provides detailed feedback to the investigators’ team based on the peer reviews and its own assessment. The investigators are asked to submit revisions. The Committee reviews the revised report and prepares a Commentary that will be part of the published report. Investigators have an opportunity to read the Commentary before it is published.

Yes, HEI investigators are encouraged to publish their results in peer reviewed journals at any time. All submitted manuscripts and conference abstracts, as well as published papers and final presentation materials, should be sent to HEI for information and for HEI’s study files. HEI does not provide feedback on manuscripts, unless input is specifically requested by the investigator or unless HEI has any other concerns.

Article 16 of the HEI contract provides language to acknowledge HEI funding in a disclaimer.