RFA Archive

HEI's RFQ 24-1 seeks to fund research to identify and assess the potential emissions, air quality, human exposure, or human health benefits that can be achieved by replacing older medium- and heavy-duty diesel vehicles in the United States with lower-emission vehicle technologies. HEI anticipates funding one study with a maximum budget of $500,000. The study is estimated to begin in September 2024 and be completed in 18 months.

All applicants should contact HEI with their intent to apply by emailing Dr. Allison Patton by April 4, 2024.

APPLICATIONS CLOSED. RFA 23-2 seeks to fund studies that assess the effects of actions, programs, or other interventions on ambient or indoor air pollution exposure, health outcomes, or both in historically marginalized and environmentally overburdened urban or rural communities (hereafter referred to as “historically marginalized communities”) in the United States.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

The overall objective of RFA 23-2 is to fund studies that evaluate actions, programs, or other interventions in the United States at the national, regional, tribal, state, or local level that have affected or have the potential to affect air quality, exposure, or health outcomes in historically marginalized communities. Areas of interest include the following:

1. Studies that evaluate past or current actions, programs, other interventions at the national, regional, tribal, state, or local level that were specifically designed and implemented to reduce exposures to ambient or indoor air pollutants and improve health in historically marginalized communities.
2. Studies that evaluate past or current actions, programs, or other interventions at the national, regional, tribal, state, or local level that were specifically designed and implemented to reduce exposures to ambient or indoor air pollutants and improve health in the general population  that might have benefited historically marginalized communities, had an inequitable distribution of benefits among communities, or worsened conditions in historically marginalized communities (e.g., have had unintended consequences).
3. Studies that evaluate past, current, or proposed actions, programs, or other interventions at the national, regional, tribal, state, or local level that were or are designed or implemented to achieve goals other than decreasing air pollution exposures but indirectly affect exposures to ambient or indoor air in the general population.  The actions might have benefited historically marginalized communities, had an inequitable distribution of benefits among communities, or worsened conditions in historically marginalized communities.
4. Studies that prospectively evaluate the expected health or exposure changes in relation to proposed actions, programs, or other interventions at the national, tribal, state, or local level that are intended to reduce inequities in exposures or have the potential to affect inequities in exposures to air pollutants in historically marginalized communities. Studies should be designed to directly inform development and implementation of the proposed action under study.

STUDY DURATION AND BUDGET GUIDELINES

Between $2 and $3 million will be available for this RFA. HEI expects to fund a small number of studies (2 to 3 years in duration).

This new investigator award supports creative early career investigators, at the Assistant Professor or equivalent level, with outstanding promise who are interested in the health effects of air pollution.  Applicants are encouraged to read more about the history of this award, past winners, and ongoing work by currently-funded Rosenblith awardees here.

Request for Applications 22-1 provides up to 3 years of funding to early career investigators for a project relevant to HEI's research interests, as outlined in the HEI Strategic Plan 2020-2025.

Scientists of any nationality holding a PhD, ScD, MD, DVM, or DrPH degree or equivalent are eligible to apply.

By the date that full applications are due, the candidate must be at the Assistant Professor level or equivalent at an academic or research institution and meet one of the following two conditions:

1. Have a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 7 years of research experience after obtaining the highest degree. That is, the PhD or equivalent final degree should have been awarded between June 2016 and June 2021 or

2. Have held a position of Assistant Professor or equivalent for a maximum of 3 years (36 months).

Note that in either case, time spent on non-research activities since obtaining the highest degree, such as medical residencies without a research component or parental or medical leave, may be excluded.

Evidence that the candidate's institution is prepared to make a longer-term commitment to helping the awardee become established as an independent investigator is required as part of the application. Candidates should possess outstanding research potential. Evidence of this potential, in the form of written letters of support and the candidate’s publication record, is an essential part of the application materials and will be valued equally with the scientific proposal.

Please note that an applicant who does not meet all eligibility requirements will not be considered for this award. All applicants should contact HEI to verify their eligibility by sending a full CV, including the date of completion of PhD or MD (or equivalent), to Dr. Dan Crouse.

Request For Applications 21-2 provides up to 3 years of funding to junior investigators for a project relevant to HEI's research interests, as outlined in the HEI Strategic Plan 2020-2025.

Scientists of any nationality holding a PhD, ScD, MD, DVM, or DrPH degree or equivalent are eligible to apply. This is a new investigator award.  At the time of application, the candidate should have a minimum of two, and a maximum of seven, years of research experience after obtaining the highest degree and must be at the Assistant Professor level or equivalent at an academic or research institution. Evidence that the candidate's institution is prepared to make a longer-term commitment to helping the awardee become established as an independent investigator is required as part of the application. Candidates should possess outstanding research potential. Evidence of this potential, in the form of written letters of support and the candidate’s publication record, is an essential part of the application materials and will be valued equally with the scientific proposal.

Please note that an applicant who does not meet all eligibility requirements will not be considered for this award. HEI will not review applications from individuals with more than seven years’ research experience after obtaining the highest degree. Time spent on non-research activities, such as parental leave and medical residencies without a research component, may be excluded. All applicants should contact HEI to verify their eligibility by sending a full CV, including the date of completion of PhD or MD (or equivalent), to Dr. Dan Crouse.

RFA 21-2 Walter A. Rosenblith New Investigator Award

This award supports creative junior investigators, at the Assistant Professor or equivalent level, with outstanding promise who are interested in the health effects of air pollution. RFA 20-2 provides up to 3 years of funding for a project relevant to HEI's research interests, as outlined in the HEI Strategic Plan 2020-2025.  The preliminary application stage of this RFA is now closed. 

RFA 20-2 Walter A. Rosenblith New Investigator Award (updated 7/14/21) provides funding for one or two studies with a funding cap of $500,000 each. 

Request for Applications 20-1A provides a mechanism for investigators to apply for research on novel and important aspects of the health effects of air pollutants outside HEI's major RFAs. HEI is particularly interested in applications that address the following topics:

(a) Accountability or effectiveness of air quality regulations;
(b) Strengthening causal interpretation of evidence from existing cohorts; and
(c) Contributions of wildland and agricultural burning to air quality and health.

RFA 20-1A and instructions [updated May 18, 2020]

HEI is seeking to fund studies to advance exposure assessment for air pollution and health studies using sensors, mobile monitoring, tracking technologies, and other approaches. The studies should develop and apply novel approaches to improve long-term (months to years) exposure assessment of outdoor air pollutants whose levels vary greatly in space and time. Request for Applications (RFA) 19-1 solicits applications for studies designed to quantitatively evaluate exposure measurement error and to determine the potential impact of using novel approaches to assess exposures to air pollution on health estimates. The approaches of interest include, but are not limited to:

(1) Harnessing novel measurement technologies: air pollution sensors, mobile monitoring, location tracking, and other technologies that are increasingly being used to measure air pollution and human activity at fine spatial and temporal scales;

(2) Exposure assessment modeling approaches: hybrid models, machine learning, and other statistical techniques.

RFA 19-1 Applying Novel Approaches to Improve Long-Term Exposure Assessment of Outdoor Air Pollution for Health Studies provides funding for up to five studies of 2 or 3 years in duration with a funding cap of $800,000 each.

This award supports creative junior investigators, at Assistant Professor or equivalent level, with outstanding promise who are interested in the health effects of air pollution. RFA 18-2 provides up to 3 years of funding for a project relevant to HEI's research interests, as outlined in the HEI Strategic Plan 2015-2020. All applicants should contact HEI to verify their eligibility before applying.

RFA 18-2 Walter A. Rosenblith New Investigator Award provides funding for one or two studies with a funding cap of $500,000 each. 

Request for Applications 17-2, Health Effects of Air Pollution, provides a mechanism for investigators whose area of interest falls outside of current RFAs, but is compatible with the HEI research program and mission, to apply for HEI funds. HEI is interested in receiving applications for research on novel and important aspects of the health effects of air pollutants, particularly those derived from motor vehicle emissions. 

Request for Applications 17-2: Health Effects of Air Pollution provides up to 2.5 years of funding for up to 2 studies with a funding cap of $400,000 each (total budget).

This award supports creative junior investigators, at Assistant Professor or equivalent level, with outstanding promise who are interested in the health effects of air pollution. RFA 16-1 provides up to 3 years of funding for a project relevant to HEI's research interests, as outlined in the HEI Strategic Plan 2015-2020. All applicants should contact HEI to verify their eligibility before applying.

RFA 16-1 Walter A. Rosenblith New Investigator Award provides funding for 1 or 2 studies with a funding cap of $450,000 each.

This award supports creative junior investigators, at Assistant Professor or equivalent level, with outstanding promise who are interested in the health effects of air pollution. RFA 15-1 provides up to 3 years of funding for a project relevant to HEI's research interests, as outlined in the HEI Strategic Plan 2015-2020. All applicants should contact HEI to verify their eligibility before applying. 

RFA15-1: Walter A. Rosenblith New Investigator Award

HEI is seeking to fund studies to assess health effects of long-term exposure to low levels of ambient air pollution, including studies to evaluate all-cause and cause-specific mortality and morbidity endpoints. RFA 14-3 solicits studies to analyze and evaluate exposure-response function(s) for PM_2.5 and other pollutants at levels currently prevalent in North America, Western Europe and other high-income regions and related questions about adverse health effects at low levels of ambient air pollution. In addition, RFA 14-3 solicits studies to develop methods required for, and specifically suited to, conducting such research. At the outset, HEI expects to fund a small number of large studies for up to 4 years. HEI also expects to fund some smaller-scale methods development studies. Fall 2014 RFA booklet

Read more about the studies funded under this RFA in this Program Summary.

With this focused RFPA, HEI seeks preliminary applications for research in two areas that complement current and past research that HEI has supported to improve assessment of exposure to motor vehicle emissions:
A) Characterization of the composition of non-tailpipe particulate emissions from the current vehicle fleet and their contribution to total near-road particulate matter, and
B) Characterization of emissions changes as a result of changes in engine and emission control technologies and fuels in tunnel studies.
 Winter 2014 RFA booklet

RFA 13-1 solicits applications for studies to improve quantification of the relationship between on-road motor vehicle emissions, near-road pollutant concentrations, and human exposures for health studies. RFA 13-1 provides funding for 2- to 3- year studies. 
Winter 2013 RFA booklet

RFA 11-1 solicits applications for studies designed to assess the health effects of actions to improve air quality and to develop methods required for, and specifically suited to, conducting such research. Preference will be given to (1) studies that evaluate regulatory and other actions at the national or regional level implemented over multiple years; (2) studies that evaluate complex sets of actions targeted at improving air quality in large urban areas and major ports with well documented air quality problems and programs to address them; and (3) studies that develop methods to support such health outcomes research.
Winter 2011 RFA booklet

RFPA 10-3 provides a mechanism for investigators whose area of interest falls outside of the current RFAs but is compatible with the HEI research program and mission. Fall 2010 RFA booklet

Two types of studies are sought to evaluate cardiovascular and respiratory effects in healthy human volunteers, aged 55 and above. In Phase 1, volunteers will be exposed to ozone alone, at concentrations between 60 and 100 ppb, in a controlled laboratory setting. In Phase 2, volunteers will be exposed to real-world ambient air pollution at sites with ozone concentrations comparable to those used in Phase 1. Interested scientists may apply for Phase 1, Phase 2, or both.
Winter 2010 RFA booklet

The purpose of the Walter A. Rosenblith New Investigator Award is to bring new, creative investigators into active research on the health effects of air pollution. It provides three years of funding for a small project relevant to HEI’s research interests to a new investigator with outstanding promise at the Assistant Professor or equivalent level. For information on HEI’s current research priorities, applicants should consult HEI’s current Strategic Plan.

The evaluation process for these applications will consider the qualifications and background of the applicant, the quality and relevance of the research proposal, and the research environment of the applicant.
Fall 2009 RFA booklet

RFA 09-2 seeks proposals on the health effects of air pollution in developing countries in Asia with respect to 1) adverse reproductive outcomes, including low birth weight, pre-term birth, and birth defects, and/or 2) acute lower respiratory infection in children and other children’s health outcomes. As much as $400,000 will be available for studies funded under RFA 09-2. HEI expects to fund up to 3 studies, of up to roughly 2 years’ duration, at $150,000 to $200,000 per year. HEI’s International Scientific Oversight Committee (ISOC) may consider slightly higher budgets from particularly responsive proposals. Opportunities for cost-sharing / provision of matching funds are actively encouraged.
Spring 2009 RFA booklet

The purpose of this award is to bring new, creative investigators into active research on the health effects of air pollution. It provides three years of funding for a small project relevant to HEI’s research interests to a new investigator with outstanding promise at the Assistant Professor or equivalent level. For information on HEI’s current research priorities, applicants should consult HEI’s current Strategic Plan.

HEI expects to provide one or more awards from this RFA this year and to continue the RFA for this award on an annual basis. The evaluation process for these applications will consider the qualifications and background of the applicant, the quality and relevance of the research proposal, and the research environment of the applicant.
RFA booklet Fall 2008