End of Life Center

EOL Center Pilot Grant

  • Pilot Research Grant (PRG)

  • Deadline: February 16, 2024 by 5pm EST. 

Applications can be submitted from this page (see below) or you may send one PDF of all completed documents to PalliativeCare@USF.edu.  

Please direct application question to Debra Dobbs at (813) 974-5767, or via email at ddobbs@usf.edu. 

Application for PRG

Please dowload the application form here and use the link below to submit all files  

Click here to submit your application

IRB application required for all new research involving human subjects. Go to: https://irb.research.usf.edu/  

Scoring Guidelines (Scoring sheet)

Overview: The Center for Hospice, Palliative Care and End-of-Life Studies at the University of South Florida (USF) has funds available to sponsor pilot research focused on palliative care and end-of-life issues. One Pilot Research Grant is available with amount up to $25,000. 

All Center members, University of South Florida (USF) faculty including tenured, tenure-earning, and research faculty members, graduate students (with support and supervision of a faculty member), and others involved in end-of-life or palliative care are eligible to apply. For projects with a graduate student as P.I., an appropriate faculty collaborator MUST be listed as the Co-P.I. 

For beginning researchers, consultation with experienced faculty prior to the deadline is available. If interested in consultation, please contact Debra Dobbs, Academic Center Director at ddobbs@usf.edu.  

Selection Criteria: Applicants who wish to apply should explain in accessible language the importance of the proposed research and the contribution it will make to the field and the local community. Applicants must describe how their research will contribute to and/or their plan to collaborate with local hospice, palliative care organizations, or hospitals. Research that does not explicitly state how it connects with the local hospice and palliative care community will not be considered for funding. Please check out the USF End-of-Life Center website for possible hospice and palliative care programs that can be contacted for collaboration. (https://www.usf.edu/cbcs/aging-studies/eol-center/index.aspx).

Applicants are expected to propose a clear and a detailed plan on how the research grant will be executed in the time allotted. At the completion of the grant year, awardees will be expected to provide a written report and present their research findings at a Center for Hospice, Palliative Care and End-of-Life Center Meeting. The awardee will work with the Center administration to find a date and time for the presentation. 

Purpose: The Center for Hospice, Palliative Care and End-of-Life Studies at the University of South Florida Pilot Research Grant Program is designed to provide support for research studies focusing on palliative care and end-of-life care within the local community. Center members and USF faculty/graduate students from a wide range of disciplines are urged to apply. Applications from graduate students with faculty mentors, junior faculty, faculty beginning new lines of research, and for projects which are likely to attract funding from external sources will be given preference. 

In accordance with the mission of the Center for Hospice, Palliative Care and End-of-Life Studies at USF priority for funding will be given to the following topical areas: (please visit the Center research page for a list of past funded studies).  

Access to Hospice 

Includes projects that identify and/or evaluate factors related to access and/or improved access to hospice programs and services including, but not limited to regulatory, eligibility and election issues; patient demographics, disease and prognostic issues; length of stay; health system issues; patient/physician decision-making; and needs of diverse populations. 

Patient/Family/Community Care 

Includes projects that identify and/or evaluate factors and/or improve the quality and/or scope of hospice and palliative care to patients and families and communities including, but not limited to clinical practice; interdisciplinary team approaches to hospice and palliative care; pain and symptom assessment and management; quality of life measurement and patient outcomes, caregiving, bereavement, and complementary therapies. 

Research Methods 

Includes projects that identify, evaluate and/or improve scientifically based strategies for translating empirical evidence into sustainable improvements in clinical practice and outcomes; develop, improve and/or validate research dissemination methods for end-of-life research; and/or increase provider participation in research. 

Infrastructure 

Includes projects that identify, evaluate and/or improve strategies for the coordination of interdisciplinary care; education/training, skills development and support of staff working within the hospice setting; role definition; and/or research on grief, staff retention, volunteer issues, and organizational change. 

Systems 

Includes projects that describe and/or evaluate hospice, and palliative care systems, and other health care and community partnerships (e.g., nursing homes, assisted living residences, hospitals); and/or improve policy or models of care across systems, partnerships, and/or disciplines.